Boat owners still unhappy with mooring fee increase

Local boats moored in States marinas are likely to face an 8.3% increase from April, after the States' Trading Supervisory Board backed out of plans for hikes of between 20% and 30%.

But the Guernsey Boatowners’ Association said their members moored in St Peter Port and St Sampson’s were still being ‘singled out’ and claimed that the STSB’s revised prices did nothing to help owners of leisure craft.

It pointed to the board’s projection of fee increases of inflation plus between 12% and 36% in 2026, as the third stage of a three-year plan to eliminate operating losses at the ports which is currently out to consultation.

‘One might think that the States has taken note of Guernsey boat owners’ concerns regarding recent inflationary price rises and lowered its sights to ease the pressure on local mooring holders.

‘The real truth is that it hasn’t actually. Its course of action remains unaltered,’ said association president Nick Guillemette, in a letter published in today’s Guernsey Press.

The board has faced opposition on mooring fees for much of this States term.

Twice the Assembly has narrowly rejected bids to cut inflation-busting increases announced by the board. The smaller increases recently announced for next year ‘reflect ongoing stakeholder engagement and receptiveness to customer feedback’, according to the ports’ managing director, Colin Le Ray.

Under the board’s latest plan, owners of leisure boats can expect their annual mooring fees to have increased by between £3 and £15 per square foot, depending on the vessel’s size, between 2023 and 2026.

The board has said such increases are necessary to wean the ports off subsidies from States general revenue, which have amounted to about £33m. so far since 2020.

‘We appreciate that the revenue reserves are empty but we are fed up with being labelled a drain on the public purse,’ said Mr Guillemette.

He said that fellow boat owners could expect fee rises of between 45 and 60% over the three-year period from 2023, and said that many would give up their hobby as a result.

The board wants to invest about £22m. in capital projects at the harbours by 2029, including nearly £4m. to improve leisure and visitor marinas, in addition to a multimillion-pound scheme to instal new gates at the Queen Elizabeth II Marina.

Mr Guillemette said boat owners would like to see more details about the board’s proposed enhancements to facilities.

As part of its consultation, which runs until 9 October, the board wants feedback on the idea of larger boats taking a greater share of the increase in fees than smaller boats.

The association has set up a petition against the board’s plans. It said it had collected more than 1,000 signatures so far.