Bristol harbour docking fees may increase again

Bristol Council says harbour fees may increase

Harbour fees in Bristol could be set to increase again amid claims the docks' future is in trouble.

Mooring fees were already increased earlier this year, with all boaters paying a rise of at least 10% under new plans.

Bristol City Council has now claimed the rise in April was insufficient to balance the books.

The harbour currently costs the council £1.7m more to run than it makes through income and fees.

Deputy Mayor Craig Cheney believed fee increases would put the docks on a "self-sustaining and financially-secure footing for the future".

The cabinet voted to begin a long legal process of changing how the harbour is run during a cabinet meeting on 4 July.

The council planned to continue paying from its general account to run the harbour for two more years, and then hoped it would break even and pay for itself, reported the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Cllr Cheney continued: "We're creating almost a separate authority that will have a ring-fenced account."

At the meeting, questions were raised by boaters about the income made from harbour-side properties sold by the council.

Ben Ewing, a houseboat resident, said: "If the entire historic harbour estate was included within the boundary, I wouldn't have thought that there would be a financial deficit for the harbour estate."

According to a cabinet report, extra income could be sourced from car parks, commercial buildings, fee increases and changes to services.

Additional reporting by Bea Swallow