Boat users in the Teign estuary are set to face an inflation busting 9.5 per cent rise in mooring fees next year after Teignbridge councillors voted to back the executive's decision to increase the charges.
On Friday, the overview and scrutiny committee heard representations from Cllrs Chris Clarance and others who were challenging the proposed increase on the grounds that the rise was excessive and brought about by the council's inefficiency and greed.
Cllr Clarance advocated 'big cuts' in the council's spending and questioned the £50,000 it cost to collect just under £60,000 in fees from the 605 moorings. He said that to him the charges seemed like 'a good way of swelling the coffers' at the council. The cost of the lease itself is an additional £21,000 a year resulting in a loss for the council.
Cllr Clarance asked the committee how a part time moorings assistant's salary of approximately £6,000 per year could result in a total wage bill of £46,000 to which Cllr David Howe's response was: 'That's the cost of democracy. Another operator could cut costs but TDC (Teignbridge District Council) has to do it 100 per cent right',
Cllr David Weekes claimed that the decision was based on 'a lack of rational and objective information' to which Cllr Howe responded by saying that the decision was made 'purely on the facts we had before us.
Cllrs Weekes and Clarance also asked why it was that only boat users were being charged.
Council solicitor Simon Barnes said that under the terms of the lease the council was obliged to licence mooring holders. He explained that they had considered who else could be charged for their activities but 'unfortunately it's only the poor old boat users.'
Cllr Roy Phillips suggested that the root of the problem lay with the greed of the Crown Commissioners, not the district council, and urged that responsibility for the moorings should be devolved to Shaldon and Teignmouth councils. Cllr David Cox felt the Crown's power in this situation amounted to 'a feudal extortion racket.'
Cllr Mary Colclough said that as it had cost her at least £10 a night to park her caravan when on holiday the proposed increase was 'very reasonable.' After the meeting, boat user Chris Hazledene said that caravan users are offered a range of facilities on private land while the boat user gets little in return for his fee on what amounted to public land.
Cllr John Clatworthy said that it was hard to find a pint of beer for the same cost as the proposed increase.
Members were asked to vote on two issues with the result that an overwhelming majority (11 to three) felt it appropriate to back the 9.5 per cent increase and another majority voting to examine the possibility of charging the 98 non-Teignbridge residents who have a mooring the full market value- expected to be in the region of £210 -to help offset the cost for local users.
After the meeting Cllr Ron Evans, chairman of Shaldon Parish Council, asked: 'Is the cost of democracy hiding the cost of inefficiency? They (TDC) are not responsible for the sinker, the rising chain or the buoy – all they have to do is make sure the one square metre of seabed stays where it is.'
q The lease with the Crown Estates ends next year and is due for re-negotiation.