Plans to limit mooring fees increases fail

Peter Roffey said he was “sorry” about the increases

Plans to reduce an increase to mooring fees at Guernsey Harbour in 2024 have been rejected.

A group of deputies led by former chief minister Gavin St Pier argued the fees should go up by 10% from April 2024.

Mooring fees will instead go up by between 17% and 45% after deputies rejected a motion to limit them by 17 by 16.

Peter Roffey, president of the States Trading Supervisory Board (STSB), said he was “sorry” about the increases, but “money is too tight to mention”.

Guernsey’s boatowners association came out strongly against the increases when they were announced earlier this year.

The group voted to get the island’s competition regulator to look at the increases at its annual general meeting.

Mr Roffey said the increase would mean “a typical 24ft [7.3m] boat in our moorings will be way below half of the cost in Jersey’s marinas”.

The increase was criticised during a debate on the statutory instrument by some politicians, including by Deputy David De Lisle, who labelled them a “preposterous attack on boat-owners”.

He said the government was "undermining our traditional way of life with new taxes".

Mr St Pier, leader of the motion to annul the statutory instrument, said the STSB had already “conceded the principle” of the increase by limiting it to just 12 months.

"This is simply too large an increase without sufficient consultation," he said.

Mr St Pier said he wanted to see dialogue between the parties at the harbour for how the mooring fees could be increased in the future.