Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Councillor Llywelyn Rhys (Porthmadog Town Council) and Cricieth RNLI.

To receive any declaration of personal interest.

No declarations of personal interest were received from any members present.

To consider any items which are urgent matters in the opinion of the Chairman.

No urgent items were received.

The Chairman will propose that the minutes of the meeting of this committee, held on 11^th October, 2022, be signed as a true record.

The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee held on 11 October, 2022 as a true record.

To submit a report by the Senior Harbours Officer.

To note and accept the report.

The following reports were presented, and members were invited to give feedback on the safety matters and operational matters of the harbour.

(1)     The Senior Harbour Officer's report, giving a brief update to the committee on harbour matters for the year ending March 2023. 

Matters were raised under the following headings:-

Porthmadog Moorings and Boat Registration

Further to the contents of the written report, the Senior Harbours Officer noted that the underwater inspection of the moorings in the harbour had been held.  It was found that 20 risers needed replacing and it was hoped that the work would start soon, subject to the moorings contractor's commitments.

Port Marine Safety Code

Further to the contents of the written report, the Senior Harbours Officer noted that the 2023 Merchant Shipping Order (Watercraft) was coming into operation on 31 March, and that it would give more powers to the relevant agencies to prosecute owners and mariners for dangerous misuse of watercraft.  He has a meeting with the Police on 17 March to discuss the way forward, and he would be in a situation to report more to the members following that meeting.

The Assistant Head of Economy and Community noted that the lack of management / enforcement over personal watercraft had been quite a cause for concern over the years, and that the change in the legislation was a step in the right direction.  The arrangements and the regulations would develop over the next few months and years, and further details could be shared with the members in due course.

The Maritime Service Manager added that the new legislation was an additional tool for the Council if there was an accident or incident in the future.  He also emphasised that the Council had an effective registration system in place already, therefore if anyone was seen offending with a powercraft it was important to note the registration numbers in order to ensure it was possible to identify the individual.

Financial Matters

The Maritime Service Manager gave a full explanation of the harbour budget 01/4/22 - 31/3/23, and it was included as an appendix to the report.

It was questioned why the Harbours income was nearly £10,000 less than the target.  In response, the Maritime Service Manager noted:-

·         That not all moorings had been filled, and that the income was dependent on the busyness during the season.

·         That the 2022 season was not as busy as the 2021 season, when there was a restriction on travelling abroad due to Covid.

·         Generally, it was foreseen that there would be an overspend of around £6,000, but that there were other significant costs likely to arise during the next month, such as purchasing mooring chains and completing maintenance work on the harbour's boat, therefore the overspend was likely to increase a little by the end of the month.

The Assistant Head of Economy and Community Department added:-

·         That it was likely that the budget was based on historical numbers, and a reduction had been seen generally in the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To elect an observer to serve on the following -

a) Aberdyfi Harbour Consultative Committee

b) Barmouth Harbour Consultative Committee

c) Pwllheli Harbour Consultative Committee

To elect the following to serve as observers on the following committees:

a)    Aberdyfi Harbour Consultative Committee – Councillor Gwilym Jones

b)    Barmouth Harbour Consultative Committee – Councillor June Jones

c)    Pwllheli Harbour Consultative Committee – Councillor Gwilym Jones

The committee was invited to elect an observer to receive information or attend the meetings of the other three harbour committees.

RESOLVED to elect the following to serve as observers on the committees below:-

a)         Aberdyfi Harbour Consultative Committee - Councillor Gwilym Jones

b)        Barmouth Harbour Consultative Committee - Councillor June Jones

c)         Pwllheli Harbour Consultative Committee - Councillor Gwilym Jones

To note that the next meeting of the Porthmadog Harbour Consultative Committee will be held on 3rd October, 2023 (subject to confirmation by the Full Council).

It was noted that the next meeting would be held on 3 October, 2023.

The Assistant Head of Economy and Community Department noted that there was no need for the members to wait until the October meeting if they have a matter to raise between now and then, and they were welcomed to contact the Harbour Office in the meantime.

A question was asked about whether it was intended to hold the next meeting of the committee on Zoom, or face to face in the Centre in Porthmadog, as it was understood that not all members were comfortable using the technology.  In response, the Democracy Services Officer noted that the Council's current policy, in accordance with Part 3 of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021, was to only hold meetings of the Full Council, the Planning Committee, the Cabinet and scrutiny committees in hybrid form, with every other committee remaining as virtual meetings.