Carry on caravanning
Margaret Beckett, Foreign Secretary
Margaret Beckett
The Guardian, Saturday May 26 2007
Hitch up ... Margaret Beckett loves her caravan
I
am very pleased to see that caravanning remains as popular today as it was when
I started out. My own passion for caravan holidays has been occasionally
commented on by the media. It is certainly something that I am proud of. But I
am not the only fan. There has been a recent trend towards this leisure pursuit
among a number of household names. Jamie Oliver and his camper van are pretty
famous; but perhaps not so well known is that the queen of pop, Madonna, has a
caravan so she can spend time in the countryside. Not only is it highly
enjoyable, but it is fast becoming a lifestyle choice.
Caravanning can be as simple or as luxurious as you choose. My own experience is
probably not dissimilar to that of many families across the country who also
share this hobby.
It best suits those who enjoy the freedom of being able to take to the open road
and end up in any number of interesting and beautiful places. My husband and I
have enjoyed many summer holidays on the Continent, and many people say that
their most memorable trips have been the journeys made on the spur of the
moment. Travelling in this way allows real spontaneity. You can decide at the
last minute to go on a break without having to worry about plane or train
tickets or finding a hotel.
Some people think that going on a caravan holiday is a slightly more upscale
version of camping. Let me assure you, it is much better than that. You know
that you will have your creature comforts wherever you are. I never have to pack
light and I can put the kettle on in any location. My caravan has become my home
away from home.
And last but not least, caravanning is a relatively environmentally friendly way
to take your holiday; it gives off only a fraction of the greenhouse gas
emissions compared to travelling by air. That's as good a motivation as any to
make caravanning a habit for life.
· This extract is taken from the foreword to Teach Yourself Caravanning
published by Hodder Education, priced £8.99. The guide, and others in the Teach
Yourself series, are available with up to half-price off at pressoffers.co.uk/teachyourself
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I've seen a lot of complaints from caravan owners who have
been clamped when parking in HGV spots at motorway services (because the caravan
spaces were full). In one case, the driver nipped out and used his own wheel
clamp to disable the parking attendant's vehicle, then rang the police. They
just persuaded him to pay the clamping fee (more than £100) and not to park in
the HGV section. I don't own a caravan but I regularly visit motorway services
while towing my little classic car on a trailer. I usually go to the HGV
section, but I'm now getting worried: I can't park in a car space, because my
10.5-metre van-and-trailer combination won't fit. I can't park in the caravan
area, because it's not a caravan, and now I fear I can no longer use the HGV
section. Am I simply not allowed to use services?
DM via email
All you can possibly do in this circumstance is turn off the motorway and find a
lay-by, or else continue driving until you fall asleep and crash. There's not
much point having "Tiredness Kills. Take a Break" notices if the system that
provides UK motorway rest areas imposes such draconian penalties on those who
heed them. This is typical of the nasty, money-grabbing way the UK is currently
administered.
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look into taxing caravans under the road fund licence, Towsure
Products Ltd give our firm support to the campaign to "STOP THE ATTAX ON
CARAVANS".
The most likely proposal appears, at this early stage of discussion, to be a
sliding scale similar to that of CO2 emmissions on motor vehicles. Possible
methods of calculating the taxation rate look to be either based on the
caravan's maximum laden weight or on it's length.
The logic of this, at least that which is presented to the public, is to tie in
with fuel efficiency and emissions - a car towing a heavy caravan runs less
efficiently than an unladen solo vehicle. "This is nonsensical logic" stated
Norman Burton, founder of the campaign. "We are constantly told that car-sharing
is to be promoted, but now unladen vehicles are taxed lower. What next - tax
breaks for single-occupant vehicles? Lower taxes for 2-seater sports cars. This
has clearly not been thought through and can only be seen as a way of generating
more revenue - despite the fact that we already pay an automatically higher tax
when we are towing through fuel duty at the pumps"
The most supported proposal is that of a top-up "smart card" system instead of a
paper disc - although like a motorised vehicle the taxation periods run monthly
from the first day of a month, in recognition that a caravan may spend a
significant period in storage, (and presumably, to cut-down on excessive
paperwork processing applications and SORN declarations from caravans in and out
of use), it will be possible to "top-up" your caravan tax for a monthly period.
The Caravan Exise Duty Remote Incrementation Card (CEDRIC) could be topped up at
any Crown (licence issuing) Post Office to cover the months the caravan is in
use. This means that any caravan holiday crossing the first of any month must be
taxed for the whole two months.
There are no stated figures for the tax rate, but one early rough proposal seems
to be that the scale will start around £25 monthly for any caravan between 3.65
metres (12') to 5 metres (16.5' approx) rising to £40 for any towed trailer over
7.6 metres (25')
Whilst these figures are not intended to be precise, this does suggest that a
small camping or domestic trailer will escape extra taxation.
"This shows a complete lack of understanding of our lifestyle and hobby" Mr
Burton stated - a statement which will undoubtedly gain the agreement of all
regular caravanners. "We don't just use the 'van for two weeks a year - and this
means we will be heavily taxed for each long weekend we take, even just for a
bank holiday weekend. We do not intend to take this threat to our hobby lying
down and will be lobbying our case strongly at this early stage. Signatures on
our petition are VITAL to make the powers that be aware of just how many of the
voting public they are targetting with this ludicrous proposal, and with the
help of everybody who shares our passion for touring, I am sure we can overturn
this before it gets anywhere near statute."
SIGN THE PETITION
AGAINST CARAVAN TAXATION HERE