At last week’s Isle of Wight council Scrutiny Committee, Leader of the Isle of Wight council, Cllr Dave Stewart, shared his concern about the high cost of running Ventnor Haven, saying “the situation is just not right”.
The remarks emerged during discussion about the latest Annual Report for Ventnor Haven (see below) which revealed the total operating costs plus ‘support services and other costs’ was £153,000 in 2016-17.
Cllr Stewart said,
“I can assure you I have been told we absolutely have plans to deal with the Ventnor [Haven] situation and I think we should.
“I think it’s wrong, I’m not sure that people will love me now but that’s not the point. I think we actually need to sort that out, it’s just not right, so we will push hard.”
Contract extended
As reported this time last year, Cheetah Marine has received over half a million pounds from the Isle of Wight council since 2010 for looking after Ventnor Haven.
As a result of the work being undertaken by Royal Haskoning to find a solution for the removal of seaweed from the Haven, Cheetah Marine’s contract has been extended through a deed of variation and will now expire on 31st March 2020.
Designers now consultants
Previously known as Posford Haskoning, Royal Haskoning designed the £2.4 million fairweather haven for the Isle of Wight council back in the early 2000s.
The same company is now being paid to solve the problem of seaweed gathering in the harbour.
Since the last Annual Report, the cost of removing the seaweed from Ventnor Haven has increased to £75,120 per annum.
Cost of running the harbour
The latest Annual Report reveals:
| Description | Cost |
|---|---|
| Employee costs (IWC employee) | £2,000 |
| Supplies and Services | £118,000 |
| Support services and other costs | £4,000 |
| Depreciation | £29,000 |
| Sub total | £153,000 |
| Income (moorings and rental) | -£17,000 |
| Total | £136,000 |
The report
Full details can be found in the report below.
Image: © With kind permission from Richard and Gill via the VB Flickr Group Pool
