Boating Issues hit Parliament Square 

The RYA and British Marine Federation (BMF) will ensure that boating issues are kept firmly in the spotlight when they hold their joint reception at the Houses of Parliament on June 23.

The event is being hosted by Peter Bottomley MP and provides an ideal forum for the RYA to ensure that boater's interests stay at the forefront of politics following the recent change in Government.

RYA Legal & Government Affairs Manager, Gus Lewis explains: “The event provides the RYA and the BMF with a great opportunity to meet new Members of both Houses who may be unfamiliar with recreational boating and the leisure marine industry”

"The Reception also provides a focus for those Members who already have an interest in our activities.

Hot topics

MPs and Peers from all political parties, together with senior officials, will be invited to meet and chat with staff and volunteers from the RYA and BMF. Topics on the agenda will include the future development of offshore renewable energy installations, Marine Conservation Zones, light dues, the e-Borders programme and the strategic management of the Inland Waterways.

 Gus explained: "Obviously the new Coalition Government has many new ideas and may well want to overturn some of the policies introduced by the previous Government, particularly if those old policies are expensive to implement. "

This is a great chance for us to familiarise new MPs with the issues affecting recreational boating and the concerns that boaters have."

Party Conferences

The election result has also illustrated the value of the RYA’s ongoing work in briefing key politicians from all of the main political parties and in attending the various party conferences. As a consequence, many of the new ministers in key positions are already familiar with the RYA and its work.

"It is vital that the RYA continues to maintain its political profile so that we retain our influence when dealing with legislative or regulatory proposals which may be detrimental to boaters’ interests."