Twenty deputies attend boatowners group drop-ins on mooring fees
There is hope that deputies are listening, as a final attempt is made to change planned mooring fee increases.
An earlier attempt to annul the States’ Trading & Supervisory Board proposals was narrowly thrown out last year, and will now see the cost of a marina berth rising by between 12% and 22% above inflation from next month. A fresh requete to instead have an across-the-board increase in fees of 10% is set to be debated this week.
An amendment from two P&R members has proposed fees increasing by 24.5% from April, removing the variation based on vessel size, or agree that the fee increases are capped at 10%, with STSB directed to compensate for the loss of income.
Guernsey Boatowners Association held two drop-ins last week to give deputies more information about mooring fees.
Nearly 20 of them attended, while a number sent their apologies. GBA president Nick Guillemette said there were only 10 deputies who had not responded. This gave him hope that this week’s debate would be active, rather than just rejecting the requete.
‘I’m pleased that they are taking note of what we have to say,’ he said.
The association has now sent out a joint letter with the Guernsey Marine Traders Association with their research to all the deputies who did not attend the drop-ins.
It included their view that the latest amendment was pointless, as STSB already has the power to impose increases without States agreement. In response to the drop-ins, STSB president Peter Roffey said more money had to be found to cover airport and harbour operating costs and essential maintenance.
‘We have sought to spread the 2024 fee increases across all port users in a reasonable manner, to limit the impact on islanders generally. Passenger fees at the airport have risen this year, as have freight charges on all the goods that arrive in the island. By spreading the increases, we have managed to keep the impact to a minimum,’ he said.
‘Those increases in airport charges and harbour commercial fees account for more than 80% of the additional, above-inflation income that is budgeted for this year. So all islanders, and other port users, are making a contribution to resolving the current financial situation, and taxpayers funds will be making up the shortfall.’
The associations spent six months pulling together the data for their presentation.
They have repeatedly raised concerns about the harbour being used to subsidise the airport, stating that the airport has taken £54m. from the Ports Holding Account in the last 27 years, compared with harbours contributing £32m. over the same period.
‘We appreciate STSB need to put the finances of both the airport and the harbours on to an even keel, but this should not continue to be done by an ever-increasing cross subsidy of the airport by the harbours,’ the associations stated.
‘The airport and the harbours each need to stand alone and each generate adequate revenues to cover their future operations, maintenance and repairs, as well as making a reasonable profit each year.’
The requete and amendment are set to be discussed at this week’s States meeting, which starts tomorrow.
