Harbour groups threaten city council with legal action over “unreasonable” mooring fees hike
Three groups representing boat dwellers in Bristol Harbour have sent a pre-action letter to Bristol City Council over planned increases in mooring fees, claiming a lack of consultation made the decision unlawful.
The groups behind the potential legal action are Bristol Boaters Community Association (BBCA), Bristol Cruising Club and Cabot Cruising Club.
On its Crowd Justice page, BBCA said: “Consultation was promised repeatedly over the course of the last five years. We want to hold Bristol City Council to account for making these promises and then subsequently abandoning the process altogether with no warning, giving harbour users just three months' notice before imposing unreasonable new fees upon us.
“In some cases this represents an increase of over 150%, pushing many stakeholders into financial hardship.”
According to The Bristol Cable, the fee increases, which are due to come into force in April, have been justified by elected mayor Marvin Rees as a necessary move to make the harbour financially self-sufficient, fix infrastructure and become commercially viable.
The council had until 4pm on 30 March to respond to the pre-action letter. The BBCA said that, depending on the local authority’s response, the claimants, who are represented by Keith Lomax of Watkins Solicitors, would have to apply to bring judicial review proceedings before 23 April.
The BBCA said: “We want [the council] to conduct the consultation that was promised. We are holding local government to account and upholding democratic standards in order to protect the rights and interests of citizens.
“We want to build a new, constructive relationship based on transparency and trust with [the council]. We want to help turn the harbour into an inclusive, accessible place which is an asset for the city and which incorporates the interests, needs and ideas of the people who bring life to the harbour; this can only be achieved through meaningful consultation.”
So far they have raised more than £6,000 towards a stretch target of £10,000.
A spokesperson for Bristol City Council said: “As with all legal claims we are unable to comment.”
Harry Rodd
