Aberdeenshire Council chiefs are not giving up the fight to keep Macduff Harbour afloat – despite admitting they are haemorrhaging cash on the port.
Councillors this week brainstormed ideas on how to keep the centuries-old harbour running amid a cash crisis for the local authority.
Last month’s budget saw brutal cuts made to the port, with the nightwatchmen service axed and the controversial ice factory binned after only five years of operation.
This was met with scathing criticism from locals and elected members, with warnings that “lives could be lost” as a result of the cuts.
And now, councillors want to raise charges for boats coming into the harbour in a bid to turn around its dire financial situation.
How much trouble is Macduff Harbour in?
During the latest harbour sub-committee meeting, elected members were told that Macduff Harbour is the most profitable from the seven ports across the region.
It plugs £11.2 million into the local economy every year and supports close to 280 jobs.
However, it is also the most expensive one to run – draining a whopping 75% of the total expenditure on Aberdeenshire harbours, while operating at a loss.
And in a shock dossier outlining a range of issues, council officers urged the committee to act swiftly if they want to keep the port going.
Alan Wood, director of environment and infrastructure services, explained the local authority has missed out on tens of thousands since axing the fish landing fees last year.
The fees, which are normally 2.5% of catch value, were waived in a bid to encourage more people into the harbour. However, this has resulted in a £14,000 loss.
And the cashflow from the fees that fishermen pay to park up at the harbour are also down £37,000 from five years ago.
What are the council doing to save Macduff Harbour?
One of the new measures hoped to help balance the books is introducing extra electricity charges for for those using energy from the harbour.
Fishermen usually pay a flat fee for the power they use while their boat is plugged into the port.
But councillors fear the current system is faulty as the boats end up using a lot more electricity than what the owners have paid for.
To remedy this, the council now plans to install meters at the port so they can charge fishermen the exact amount of electricity they have used.
This is expected to come into force by the end of the next financial year.
The principal officer for the council’s harbours, Simon Jessel, said that this has been an issue at other ports too, with some energy bills coming “into the thousands every week”.
He added: “We have to make sure that doesn’t happen at Macduff, and if it does, it is properly metered and charged back to the customer making that use.
Council to look further afield for Macduff Harbour funding
Another avenue that could potentially bring further investment into the harbour is securing more government grants that could keep it afloat.
Councillors stressed the “strategic importance” of Macduff Harbour, and requested that officers probe both the UK and Scottish governments for extra funding.
Mr Wood said that talks are ongoing with both Holyrood and Westminster bigwigs over a possible cash injection.
He told elected members: “We’re hearing some positive noises, let’s see if that translates into action as well.”
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Council admits they ‘are not in a good place’
Macduff councillor John Cox gave a frank assessment of the worrying situation during the meeting, in which he admitted the council had angered harbour stakeholders.
Mr Cox admitted: “The key strategy in the way going forward is getting the confidence of the harbour users.
“I have to say, following the decision that was taken, we’re not in a good place.
“However, there is recognition that things will have to change, but we can’t compromise the tradition of fishing activity.”
The committee chair also stressed that the way forward was through engaging with harbour users, saying the local authority must “build that confidence going forward”.
You can view the full papers here.
Read more:
- End of an era for Macduff Harbour as council cuts mean ‘death of fishing’ at port
- Council tax goes up by 10% across Aberdeenshire as ‘bigger cuts needed than ever before’ amid rocketing health costs
- Plea to sell Woodhill House ‘for millions’ as talks to rent space collapse and Aberdeenshire Council scrambles to save cash
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