Boatowners want regulator to look at fee hike

Fees are set to rise by between 20% and 30% in 2024

Guernsey boatowners have voted to make a formal complaint to the island's competition regulator over increased harbour mooring fees.

Fees are set to rise by between 20% and 30% in 2024.

Some boat owners said they would have to consider if they could afford to keep their moorings.

Guernsey Ports said the increase would raise an extra £5m and reduce the requirement for taxpayer funding.

Leisure mooring fees will see an average annual charge for a medium-sized boat increase by about £400.

The Guernsey Boatowners Association (GBA) said the increase was unfair, disproportionate and would have a negative impact on the boating community and marine industry.

It also said the increase was not justified by the level of service and facilities provided by Guernsey Ports and was subsidising the airport, which is part of the same entity.

'Financial hole'

GBA member David Norman said the group had complained to the Guernsey Competition and Regulatory Authority.

He warned some people would give up their boats which would be a loss for the island's economy.

"[The increase is] not to pay for the harbours, it's to pay for the financial hole at the airport," he added.

The States Trading Supervisory Board said in July the deficit for the port and airport facilities could be about £6m.

Guernsey Ports general manager, Colin Le Ray, denied that the fee increase was subsidising the airport, saying that the accounts of the ports and the airport had been merged since the 1960s.

He said £2.4m of improvements were planned, 80% of which was coming from commercial users of the harbour, and that Guernsey Ports had consulted with the GBA and other stakeholders before proposing the fee increase.