Meeting documents

Scarborough - Review of Whitby Harbour Board Pilot
Wednesday, 10 July 2013 10.00 am

Venue: Sneaton Castle, Whitby

Contact: St John Harris 

Items
No. Item

Invited witnesses

Mr Edwin Black, co-opted member of Whitby Harbour Board

Cllr Mike Cockerill, Portfolio Holder for Harbours, Assets, Coast & Flood Protection and Chair of Whitby Harbour Board

Cllr Dorothy Clegg, member of Whitby Harbour Board

Mr Nick Edwards, Director of Business Support, Scarborough Borough Council

Cllr John Flinton, member of Whitby Harbour Board

Mr Tony Hornigold, co-opted member of Whitby Harbour Board

Mr Geoff Lodge, Whitby Harbour Consultative Group

Cllr Herbert Tindall, member of Whitby Harbour Board

Cllr Phillip Trumper, Whitby Town Council representative on Whitby Harbour Consultative Group

Mrs Sandra Turner, former Borough councillor and member of Whitby Harbour Board

Capt Ian Vasey, Borough Harbour Master, Scarborough Borough Council

Mr David Wall, co-opted member of Whitby Harbour Board

 

Support officers

Mr St John Harris, Overview and Scrutiny Manager

Mrs Hilary Jones, Deputy Chief Executive

 

1.

Declarations of interest

Members are reminded of the need to consider whether they have a personal, prejudicial or pecuniary interest to declare in any of the items on this agenda.  If so, the nature of the interest must be declared at the start of the meeting, or as soon as the interest becomes apparent.

 

Minutes:

No declarations of interest were received.

 

2.

Review of Whitby Harbour Board pilot pdf icon PDF 30 KB

A programme for the review is attached.

Minutes:

(i) Welcome by the Chair of the Task Group, Councillor Jane Mortimer

Cllr Mortimer welcomed all those present to the meeting and explained the background, objectives, scope and format of the review.

 

(ii) Evidence of witnesses

 

Capt Ian Vasey, Borough Harbour Master

 

Key points

 

  • WHB better than previous system but has taken a long time to establish; problems with continuity: turnover of both Board members and management support
  • More expertise through sub-groups and improved communication with stakeholders
  • But still improving
  • Obstacle – WHB did not have a full picture of harbour assets, their condition and the budget required to fix them, for some time
  • Strategy for the harbour is evolving, no clear strategy as yet, but sub-groups are helping
  • Lessons – clarify role of WHB within SBC committee structure; identify assets and condition of those assets which are responsibility of WHB and so develop a full budgetary picture; improve and speed up induction of new WHB members; improve communications between WHB and rest of Council/Council officers;  and develop a more positive image of the Board

 

Geoff Lodge, Whitby Harbour Consultative Group

 

Key points

 

  • WHB has worked partially but not fully
  • Good WHB attendance at HCG meetings
  • One of problems is that HCG has been given out of date information about WHB and the harbour.  Better to be consulted on up to date activities and issues
  • HCG have standing item at WHB meetings
  • WHB could improve communications with both users and the wider public through regular updates – this would improve perception of WHB in the town
  • Poor public image of Board – seen as SBC by proxy
  • But there could be a positive story in there and the latest internal review seems to confirm this
  • Whitby Town Council is represented on the HCG and so has opportunity for constructive input, but Whitby/Scarborough politics gets in the way (Tony Hornigold / Edwin Black – poor attendance of WTC at WHB meetings, including Tourism Sub Group meeting to which they were invited, reluctance to cooperate)
  • Lessons – WHB members need to be familiar with what’s happening in the harbour( fortunate in having Cllrs Turner and Tindall); harbour needs better financing (and not from users); should not be seen as a body to rubber stamp SBC policies; danger that through composition (4:4), independent members do not exert enough influence or have enough input; at least one of the SBC members should have a good knowledge of harbour and of harbour users; suggest regular report from WHB to HCG on current activities and issues

 

Former Cllr Sandra Turner – former SBC member of WHB

 

Key points

 

  • Vital that have a SBC Whitby ward councillor on the WHB
  • Set up fundamentally flawed.  WHB should not be chaired by SBC Cabinet Member.  How can he make an independent decision if he is also responsible for Scarborough Harbour and Filey Coble Landing? The way it was set up caused a battle from the start – anger and resistance.  Added to existing tensions between  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.