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Many boat owners are considering selling their vessels and surrendering their berths if new charges are agreed by the States, according to survey results commissioned by boating organisations and Guernsey Ports.
In the results and subsequent correspondence there has been renewed criticism of surpluses at the harbours and marinas being used to cover operating losses and infrastructure spend at Guernsey Airport.
But Guernsey Ports maintains that future investment at the harbours will far exceed anything spent on air travel infrastructure and warn against splitting out the two items in government accounts.
The States department announced in August that it would seek to increase mooring fees on sliding scale for the size of boat over three years, up to 150%, to raise additional revenue to cover recent losses.
The Guernsey Boatowners Association, the Guernsey Yacht Club, and Guernsey Marine Traders all surveyed their members on the changes, while Guernsey Ports committed to surveying berth holders itself.
The majority reacted negatively to the proposals, with many suggesting that additional revenue could be raised through the agreed inflation-linked increases to marina fees – which would a 7.3% hike for 2024 – and other projects such as the pool marina development, and paid parking for vehicles on the piers.
There were fears that by increasing fees between 50-150% it could reduce the number of boaters, therefore affecting the total additional revenue gained, worsening the Port’s financial deficit, and taking business away from associated marine trades.
“There will be 300-400 very disgruntled mariners when it comes to our next general election in 18 months time,” the GBA warned.
Pictured: Results from Guernsey Ports' survey.
A quarter of GYC respondents said they would be “forced” to sell their boats if the increases were approved, while nearly two thirds of boaters told Guernsey Ports they would have to “seriously consider giving up boating” for the same reason.
447 mooring holders responded to Guernsey Ports’ questionnaire. Most of the sample were over 55 and owned a motor cruiser of less than 10-metres in length and berthed in the QEII marina.
Recent cost of living pressures and the high rate of inflation have independently influenced leisure boaters, with many considering giving up due to costs and the quality of facilities in the past 12 months.
9% singled out the proposed mooring fee hike as a factor, although those with moorings in St Sampson were no less likely to consider surrendering their berth due to landside facilities.
Those with smaller vessels were more likely to support the banded increase in fees for larger vessels, while less than 20% of larger boat owners did not support the sliding scale of charges.
Pictured: Nick Guillemette.
All deputies have been invited to attend the annual general meeting of the Guernsey Boatowners Association on 14 November, where an open discussion on the proposed fee hike will be held.
The public meeting starts at 20:00 at the La Villette Hotel, and GBA President Nick Guillemette said it’s an opportunity to hear “grave concerns” over future charges which they feel could threaten the local boating industry.
“I am keen that this emotive topic is clearly in the public domain to alleviate any further misunderstandings by the Guernsey taxpayer that leisure boat owners have been accused by P&R in their 2024 Budget Report of being ‘an unfair additional burden on the taxpayer by subsidising mooring fees for those with boats’,” he said.
Mr Guillemette labeled this claim “false” and “blatantly incorrect” in his letter to deputies.
“The marinas have been showing a very healthy surplus for the past 50 years since the first marina was created in 1973, even during covid when boat owners were not allowed to use their craft. In 2022, according to the States’Accounts, they showed a profit of around £1m while the commercial operations of the harbours made an operating profit in excess of £2m."
He said these surpluses are supposed to cover operating costs, and depreciation of the assets and the land around the ports.
In response to its survey, Guernsey Ports said: “It does suggest that not all boatowners are opposed to the proposed tariff increases, but to what extent is impossible to quantify. It is reasonable to assume that someone in agreement with the changes may be less likely to participate in a survey or voice support than those opposed.
“The survey results do however provide evidence that there is very strong opposition to the changes and that is likely to be the majority view, neither of which is surprising. It is also fair to reflect that many respondents were considering the cumulative effect of the proposed increases over three years, which had been widely publicised, rather than the much lower proposed rises in tariffs for 2024.”
The States Assembly needs to approve any changes to user-fees at the harbours and airport.
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