Agenda item

To submit a report by the Senior Harbours Officer.

To note and accept the report.

The reports were presented by the Maritime Services Manager and the Senior Harbours Officer.  Attention was drawn to the following main points:

 

It was confirmed that 81 boats had been on annual moorings in Aberdyfi harbour this year. This was noted as a slight increase on the previous year, where there were 72 annual moorings. It was hoped that this figure would continue to increase in the future.

 

It was explained that anyone wishing to register their powerboat did so through the Council's website. It was reported that 1013 powerboats and 1044 personal watercraft had been registered this season. It was also noted that 84 boats with engines below 10hp had been registered, i.e. a total of 2141 vessels for the season. It was recognised that this was 368 lower than the previous season, where there were 2509 registrations. The main factors for this reduction were considered to be unsettled weather and the current financial climate.

 

It was ensured that the harbour complied with the Port Marine Safety Code, which sets out a national standard for every aspect of maritime safety. It was noted that the Service was currently reviewing the Code to ensure compliance with recent statutory amendments. Members were encouraged to contact officers if they had any observations on what should receive consideration when adapting it.

 

Mr Thomas Walton, who had been appointed Assistant Harbourmaster since April this year, was welcomed. Gratitude was also expressed to the seasonal beach wardens who worked in Aberdyfi and Tywyn for the season. Particular attention was drawn to two officers who had contacted the Coastguard about a serious incident which was unfolding on the other side of the river. They were thanked for responding promptly and it was noted that there was a request for a Lifeboat commendation following the incident. It was announced that the Senior Harbours Officer had embarked on a retirement process and would finish with the service in early March 2025. He was thanked for all his work over many years and best wishes were conveyed to him for the future.

 

Members were guided through the harbour's financial performance for 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. The following main points were detailed, emphasising that it was a projection of the complete budget expenditure at the end of the financial year that had been shared, based on expenditure up to 31 August 2024, and that the situation could change if an emergency arose:

 

·       Employees – An underspend of £1,894 was anticipated in salaries and operational costs budgets due to the Assistant Harbourmaster taking up his role at a date later than 1 April 2024.

·       Property – An underspend of £10,333 was anticipated in this budget, which covered grounds maintenance, refuse collection, etc. It was explained that there was an underspend in the budget as there had been no significant costs thus far. ⁠

·       Transportation – It was considered that there would be an underspend of £218 in this budget by the end of the current financial year. It was explained that this budget did not include the running and maintenance costs of the service vehicle, but was used for patrol boat fuel and staff travel expenses. It was noted that there was an underspend in this year's budget as unsettled weather prevented staff from making full use of the patrol boat, resulting in a saving in fuel costs.

·       Services and Supplies – An overspend of approximately £14,242 was anticipated within this budget. It was explained that the budget was used for a number of products such as equipment, signage, lighting, navigational aids and electricity. It was confirmed that discussions were taking place because this budget was thought to have been set too low for this year (£6,630). It was hoped that this budget would be set higher in the future, causing less overspending.

·       One-off spending - Funding from the Department's Funds – It was confirmed that a budget had not been set for the use of funds for this financial year. However, it was confirmed that £7,294 had been spent on the 'temporary' cabin for harbour staff. It was acknowledged that this expenditure had been identified as overspending because a budget had not been set for it this year. It was emphasised that the expenditure did not have an impact on the financial performance of the harbour for this financial year as it was one-off expenditure from the fund.

 

It was explained that the harbour was anticipated to overspend by around £9,292 more than the budget set for the current financial year (£108,900). However, pride was expressed that the harbour had managed to receive £11,167 more income than the target set for the year, i.e. £43,510. This was stated to be very positive news for the future of the harbour and highlighted that there was a significant amount of use of the harbour's services. Attention was also drawn to the fact that charging a fee for parking trailers on harbour land had generated more income this year which will continue in the future.

 

It was reported that an underspend of £9,170 was anticipated in the complete harbour budget by the end of March 2025 when considering the above expenditure and the income that had come in thus far.

 

It was acknowledged that the rates of harbour fees and charges would be adjusted in the near future in line with the level of inflation. It was noted that officers would strive to ensure that fees would be increased sufficiently to address costs but not to increase them too much. It was noted that consideration would be given to the fees of the neighbouring Local Authorities when reaching a decision. It was explained that the final decisions on next season's fees would be made by March 2025.

 

It was explained that there was a slight increase in the number of customers with annual agreements on harbour moorings, and that an increase had been witnessed for some years. It was pleasing that a number of enquiries were received from new customers as well as customers who returned annually. It was acknowledged that some customers had not returned following the pandemic and others had not returned due to the financial crisis.

 

Attention was drawn to the customer satisfaction questionnaire which was active since 2023. It was explained that customers could access this questionnaire using a QR code located in different areas of the harbour, as well as via an online questionnaire. It was reported that 86% of responses received indicated that their experience of the harbour was very good and positive comments were received about the professionalism and attitude of the officers. It was confirmed that not a single respondent had identified the services as 'poor'. It was acknowledged that officers were keen for more customers to take advantage of the satisfaction questionnaire to ensure that all aspects of the services provided received regular feedback. Customer satisfaction questionnaires for the beaches were also referred to, indicating that very good comments had been received.

 

A recent annual audit by Trinity House confirmed that all navigational aids were on their appropriate stations. It was elaborated that the Service collaborated with Gwynedd Consultancy to ensure that two navigation markers were painted in the Tywyn area.

 

Pride was expressed in that no Notice to Mariners was currently in operation in the harbour. Local contractors who assisted officers to move the aids as necessary were thanked. It was confirmed that officers also made use of a drone in an effort to observe changes in the channel.

 

It was explained that an increase was seen in the sand that continued to accumulate on the slipway near the Lifeboat Station and Dyfi Yacht Club. It was noted that it was challenging to remove the sand at this time as the sand level was generally high on the main beach.

 

Members were reminded that harbour staff had now moved to work from the 'temporary' cabin  while necessary renovation work was completed on the main office. Anyone in need of the assistance of  harbour staff was welcome to come over to the cabin for a chat. The Assistant Head of the Economy and Community Department added that Cyngor Gwynedd's 2024-2034 Asset Management Plan had committed £500,000 for the development of the office. It was noted that an application had been submitted to the Property department to appoint architects to design a building to suit the landscape and to reinforce the foundations. It was assured that the initial designs would be shared with the local organisations and agencies. It was anticipated that the new building would be completed by the end of 2025.

 

It was noted that there were a number of enquiries concerning animals and waste that had been washed up on the beach during the season. The importance of providing a reference for the location through What 3 Words or a grid reference was emphasised. ⁠ It was confirmed that there had been a sad case at the beginning of the year where sheep had been carried in the river flow and had been washed up on the beach. It was noted that the owners could be contacted if the animals were tagged and that they disposed of them. There was also reference to a number of cases where seals had washed up on the beach. It was explained that the officers then buried the animals. It was explained that officers had purchased a quad bike so that the carcasses of animals that had washed up in locations that the patrol boat could not reach could be disposed of. It was elaborated that staff were also investigating the purchase of a purpose-built trailer for this use.

 

Concern was raised about sand accumulating near the beach car park. It was noted that there was a possibility of the sand being blown into nearby drains following a high wind causing difficulties in water disposal. It was confirmed that discussions had been held to have a wall built in the car park to reduce some of these risks, but it was noted that thus far there had been no development in these arrangements.

 

The 'Plastic Free Aberdyfi' team were thanked for their voluntary work collecting litter on the beach. It was confirmed that this was a very valuable relationship for the harbour area and reduced the officers' workload. All visitors to the beach were reminded to contact harbour staff if they saw large waste that they could not collect, and assurance was given that a member of staff would collect the rubbish with the trailer and dispose of it.

 

It was noted that there was an increase in the number of canoes left behind on the beach. The Harbourmaster explained that a notice was placed on each abandoned canoe. It was elaborated that these were moved to the stores and people could pick them up. Reference was also made to a similar arrangement that was in place for larger boats, confirming that a disposal notice could be placed on them if they were not in use and caused problems.

 

An update was provided on a serious incident that occurred in harbour waters in May 2023. It was confirmed that the investigation by North Wales Police was ongoing and the case had been referred to the Crown Prosecution Service.

 

Information and details were shared about a number of events that had taken place recently including the Welsh Coastal Racing Boats Championship, the Welsh Sea Rowing Annual Regatta, WeSwimRun and Dyfi Aquathon.

 

RESOLVED

 

To note and accept the reports.