Agenda and minutes

To note any changes in membership of the Committee made in accordance with Part 4B paragraph 5 of the Constitution.

Apologies were received from Cllr Oliver, Cllr Medland and Cllr Bacon. Cllr Churchman was substituting for Cllr Oliver.

To confirm as a true record the Minutes of the meeting held on 27 September 2023.

RESOLVED:

THAT the minutes of the meeting held 27 September 2023 be approved.

To invite Members to declare any interest they might have in the matters on the agenda.

There were none received at this stage.

Questions may be asked without notice but to guarantee a full reply at the meeting, a question must be put including the name and address of the questioner by delivery in writing or by electronic mail to Democratic Services at democratic.services@iow.gov.uk, no later than two clear working days before the start of the meeting. Therefore the deadline for written questions will be Friday, 5 January 2024.

There were no public questions.

An update for Newport Harbour was provided to the committee by the Assistant Director of Neighbourhoods. It was reported that all income lines were up and this was encouraging. There was a slight increase to expenditure due to increases in costs for supplies and services. It was shared that Newport Harbour was forecast to end the year £27,000 in profit. There were no reported concerns at this stage and the positive outcomes were due to the work of the team. The committee was pleased with the positive report.

RESOLVED:

THAT the finance report be noted.

The committee received an update that a management contractor was now in full charge of running Ventnor Harbour so the finance report was not as detailed as that for Newport. Figures reflected that there was a reduction in costs to IWC but that income was not to increase as this was kept by the management company. It was discussed that the management company provided officers with a quarterly performance report and it was agreed that this would be shared with the committee going forwards.

A discussion was held about the recent landslip issues along the coast and if they have had any impact on the harbour itself. Other than there being more sediment in the water, and the car park being closed for works, it was shared that there was no damage to, or current concerns for, the harbour.

The committee asked if there was any feedback from customers since the management changeover? The Senior Harbour Master shared that all existing residents were still on their pontoons and seem happy. The management company was also reported to be inviting visitors again which had increased use.

A short discussion was held about a previous committee decision to investigate the option of closing Ventnor Harbour as a statutory port. The Harbour would remain open but would not be constrained by the  requirements of a Statutory Port. The Assistant Director of Neighbourhoods shared that it was being discussed with Legal Services and if a decision was made to close it, then a report would be provided to the committee.

RESOLVED:

THAT the finance report be noted.

THAT the quarterly report from the management company for Ventnor Harbour be shared at future committee meetings.

THAT the option to close Ventnor Harbour as a statutory port continued to be investigated by officers.

The Senior Harbour Master highlighted information contained in his report which included:

• The number of visitors to Newport Harbour had increased.
• Inspections from MCA and Trinity House were completed and passed.
• Newport Harbour quayside was used by Licensing Department for water taxi inspections.
• Due to high levels of rain, more boats were being pumped out regularly. Two boats were sunk but were recovered with a minor amount of pollution.
• The member of staff who was first on the scene of the body behind the hotel has been offered support and checked in with on a regular basis.
• Increased rainfall has meant more debris in the river which has been removed if felt it would cause further issues – mainly tree stumps and wood.

A short discussion was held regarding upcoming events to be held on Newport Harbour quayside in 2024.

RESOLVED:

THAT the Senior Harbour Master’s report be noted.

A verbal update was given on the progress of the Get Well plan. An audit held in September 2023 highlighted a couple of areas to work on for Newport Harbour and these were being dealt with.

It was reported that Marico will be completing a navigational risk assessment as well as a full survey of Ventnor harbour, its approaches and all structures. It was shared that this has not been done before and once done, would give more information and provide clarification on the responsibilities of the council and the management company.

The committee thanked the team for the considerable progress they have made with the Get Well plans and that items now on the list were mainly routine actions to be completed.

The Committee were advised that the annual audit results from Marico had been received, however due to an oversight had not been added to the agenda.

It was agreed that the report would be circulated to the committee for review and an informal meeting would be arranged with David Foster from Marico to present the results and answer any questions. Any issues raised at the informal meeting would be discussed at the next committee meeting on 27 March 2024.

RESOLVED:

THAT an informal meeting be arranged to discuss the Marico audit report.

THAT the report be noted.

To guarantee a reply to a question, a question  must be submitted in writing or by electronic mail to democratic.services@iow.gov.uk no later than 2pm on Monday, 8 January 2024. A question may be asked at the meeting without prior notice but in these circumstances there is no guarantee that a full reply will be given at the meeting.

Cllr Redrup asked if the Senior Harbour Master (SHM) knew that Island Harbour would be closed from next week for 2-3 weeks to allow the lock gates to be repaired? The SHM was not aware of this but would raise it with Folly Ventures as some residents may want to move to Council pontoons during that time. 

Cllr Jordan asked for further information regarding the capital bid request for an extra pontoon. The SHM shared that there was an idea to join the East A pontoon at the Folly Inn with the Green King’s to create a walk-ashore pontoon. It was reported that Green King was interested but do not have the money to do it, the Senior Harbour Master wanted to make a case in advance for this to be funded to make it more likely to happen. Visitor numbers at the Folly have been decreasing for a number of reasons but having a walk-ashore pontoon would mean more could be charged for a berth. The permanent residents currently on East A would be transferred to another pontoon.