THE Department of Transport has confirmed that no formal investigation into the conduct of Teignmouth Harbour Commission is taking place. The clarification comes after Sailing Today editor John Goode raised the question at Monday's public meeting into mooring charges. He asked clerk to the harbour commission Graham Bond whether it was subject to an investigation by the government department. Mr Bond responded: 'Not that I am aware.' Andrew Bridges, of the Department of Trade Ports Division, confirmed that 'correspondence had been received from a number of individuals and organisations expressing some concerns about activities at the harbour. 'But this is not being formally investigated,' he said. The department does not have powers of investigation and cannot act as an ombudsman in such cases, said Mr Bridges. He added that the Harbour Commission had been made aware of the correspondence. The Department of Transport monitors trust ports in their compliance with government guidelines for good practice and accountability, set out in Modernising Trust Ports, published in 2000. All Trust ports were asked to act on an action plan for more openness within two years of the document. Teignmouth complied with a Harbour Revision Order in October 2003. In the document, the DETR, now DfT, asks that examples of unaccountable behaviour in the ports sector should be brought to its attention. It states that anyone believing that a trust board, its members or its servants are acting in an improper manner should raise it with the board and if the outcome is not satisfactory, should report it to the Port Division for further investigation.
