Increase in marina fees needs to be done justifiably, fairly and transparently
I READ with interest the letter by Mr Wharton from 4 October that, touched with humour, made very valid points about marina fees. I also noted the somewhat arrogant response from Mr Coppolo at Guernsey Ports. As a pragmatist, will marina fees need to increase naturally over time?
Yes, but it should be done justifiably, fairly and transparently for all stakeholders, not just dictatorially by the monopoly provider. It seems to be a lack of alignment with such core principles that has resulted in a doubling down by Ports to be proved right at any cost.
Declaring my interest as a berth holder but more importantly as a Guern, it seems that the island prides itself on a culture that includes ethics, openness and fairness? Am I missing something or is the attitude from Ports now out of kilter with such important values that are so important to retain in today’s world.
Funding future investment? Berth holders have paid up front for many years, even paying fully during the Covid lockdowns and visitor lean period. Following those decades of paying to fund an absence of adequate and timely historic marina maintenance we are now told they have inadvertently funded the airport’s mismanagement, and failed multi-million pound legal claims (PFOS)…. oh, and the marina maintenance fund is now as empty as granny’s chamber pot was before bedtime.
Maybe Mr Coppolo can provide an alternate set of financial statements to fill in his parallel universe history gaps, but selecting snippets of data to spin biased and flawed arguments still seems to be the norm for this States department. The fee increase he referred to for 2025 of 8.3% neglected to mention the full fee schedule recently sent to berth holders that clearly shows much more significant increases above RIP from 2026 onwards, unless of course they have already set 2026 RPI to be in excess of 20% and we are all looking at massive grocery bills.
Let’s accurately agree on the entire facts, not just the spin as if Ports held up their hands to acknowledge the glaringly obvious. I’m sure the wealth of talent in Guernsey will be more inclined to work with them to map out a longer-term solution.
Finally, let’s double check the marina boundaries to verify they own them and have the rights to levy charges in the first place, as based on
recent history, you never know.
R McDermott
St Peter's
GY7 9LF