Agenda and minutes

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 15 March 2023.

The minutes of the last meeting held on 15 March 2023 were confirmed and signed.

To disclose any pecuniary, other registerable or non-registrable interest as set out in the adopted Code of Conduct. In making their disclosure councillors are asked to state the agenda item, the nature of the interest and any action they propose to take as part of their declaration.

If required, further advice should be sought from the Monitoring Officer in advance of the meeting.

Cllr Penfold declared a non-pecuniary interest as the Chairman of SCOPAC (Standing Conference on problems associated with the Coastline) and as a member of the Special Coastal Interest Group.

Cllr Roberts declared a non-pecuniary interest as the holder of a mooring at West Bay Harbour, a member of the LGA Special Interest Group – Wessex Regional Flood and Coastal Committee and Chairman of Southern IFCA.

Richard Tinsley declared a non-pecuniary interest as he holds a mooring in Weymouth Harbour.

Representatives of town or parish councils and members of the public who live, work, or represent an organisation within the Dorset Council area are welcome to submit either 1 question or 1 statement for each meeting.  You are welcome to attend the meeting in person or via MS Teams to read out your question and to receive the response.   If you submit a statement for the committee this will be circulated to all members of the committee in advance of the meeting as a supplement to the agenda and appended to the minutes for the formal record but will not be read out at the meeting. The first 8 questions and the first 8 statements received from members of the public or organisations for each meeting will be accepted on a first come first served basis in accordance with the deadline set out below.  Further information read Public Participation - Dorset Council  

All submissions must be emailed in full to joshua.kennedy@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk by 8.30am on Friday 2 June 2023.

When submitting your question or statement please note that:  

·       You can submit 1 question or 1 statement.

·       A question may include a short pre-amble to set the context.

·       It must be a single question and any sub-divided questions will not be permitted.

·       Each question will consist of no more than 450 words, and you will be given up to 3 minutes to present your question.

·       When submitting a question please indicate who the question is for (e.g., the name of the committee or Portfolio Holder).

·       Include your name, address, and contact details. Only your name will be published but we may need your other details to contact you about your question or statement in advance of the meeting.

·       Questions and statements received in line with the council’s rules for public participation will be published as a supplement to the agenda.

·       All questions, statements and responses will be published in full within the minutes of the meeting.

There were no public questions or statements.

To consider a verbal report by the Chairman.

The committee received a verbal report from the Chairman, who noted the successful launch of the Weymouth Harbour Watch Scheme and the visit of El Galeon, a replica Spanish Armada ship, to Weymouth Harbour. He was also reassured by the results from the testing of sediment from dredging, which posed no risks to harbour users.

To note the minutes of the Bridport, Lyme Regis and Weymouth Harbour Consultative Groups.

The minutes of the Bridport (West Bay) Harbour Consultative Group meeting held on 27 March, were presented by Simon Miles the Chairman of the group.

The minutes of the Weymouth Harbour Consultative Group meeting held on 17 May, were presented by Dave Caddy the Vice-Chair of the group.

The committee noted the minutes of the Bridport, Lyme Regis and Weymouth Harbour Consultative Group meetings.

To receive updates from the Weymouth and Bridport & Lyme Regis Harbour Masters.

The Bridport Harbour Master delivered the updates for Lyme Regis and West Bay harbours. The Harbour Master provided the statistics for the Harbours and noted that season ticket sales were down due to the weather, which also impacted income from the shops. The Harbour Master also welcomed new staff to the Lyme Regis Harbour team and made the committee aware of the current vacancies at Lyme Regis. The committee were informed of the current works being undertaken including the substation and ANPR camera to be installed in the carpark, to reduce staffing costs. The high wall in Lyme Regis had been closed off to allow for monitoring and the Bridport Quay had been reopened to the public and was also being monitored.

In response to questions from members, the Harbour Master updated the committee that the report from the designated person following the audit was due soon and despite the loss of an engineer position the team had been able to fill those duties with the staff available.

Cllr Bawden delivered a statement to the committee, in which she thanked the Harbours team at Dorset Council for carrying out the testing on the dredged sediment at Lyme Regis and for their communication with residents during the process.

The Weymouth Harbour Master delivered the updates for Weymouth Harbour. He provided the up-to-date statistics and also informed the committee of an oil-spill response training exercise that had been undertaken by the Harbour staff. The Harbour Master also noted two incidents that had occurred, involving waste oil being disposed of in a bin and a diesel spillage. These incidents were discussed with the Consultative Group. The committee were informed of works at Weymouth, including the installation of a shed for 24-hour fishing storage, the completion of pontoon repairs and the replacement of railings on the pier.

In response to a question from a member the Harbour Master informed the committee that there are plans to provide more detailed reports including statistical analysis around incidents in the future. The Corporate Director for Place also commented that following the recent oil spill incident in Poole Harbour, all information was being shared across organisations and training exercises were taking place to ensure staff were prepared going forward. 

The committee noted the updates from the Harbour Masters.

To consider a report from the Weymouth and Bridport & Lyme Regis Harbour Masters.

The Bridport Harbour Master presented the Year End Budget report for Bridport and Lyme Regis Harbours. The Harbour Master noted that there was overspend relating to transport and services due there being two lots of dredging in June and March.

The Harbour Office Manager delivered the report for the Year End Budget and Budget Monitoring Report for Weymouth Harbour, who noted that there was increased income from filming taking place in the harbour and from commercial vessels. However, there were increased staffing costs due to the pay award and increased costs related to insurance and maintenance. The Harbour Office Manager informed the committee that the year-end balance was a stable and improving picture.

The Harbours Year End Budget reports were noted.

To consider a report by the Weymouth and Bridport & Lyme Regis Harbour Masters.

The Bridport Harbour Master delivered the Budget Monitoring report for Bridport and Lyme Regis, who noted that no variances were expected in the budget for either Bridport or Lyme Regis.

The budget monitoring reports were noted.

To provide an engineering update for Weymouth, Bridport and Lyme Regis harbours.

The Service Manager for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management delivered an update on the FCERM for Lyme Regis, West Bay and Weymouth harbours. Routine asset inspections were due to be undertaken in West Bay in the summer and were set to be completed in October. The Cobb wall in Lyme Regis had suffered storm damage and the walkway had been closed off to allow for repairs to be made. Inspections in Weymouth Harbour were set to be carried out in the summer.

In response to a question from the Chair, the Service Manager informed the committee that the Cobb is currently at a low risk of failure, despite it being an old structure.

The committee noted the FCERM report.

To consider a report from the Weymouth Harbour Master.

The Weymouth Harbour Master presented the report for the New General Directions for Weymouth Harbour. The Harbour Master informed the committee that the Port Marine Safety Code recommends that statutory Harbour Authorities seek powers of general direction.

Proposed by Cllr Penfold and seconded by Cllr Williams.

Decision: That the Harbours Advisory Committee recommend that the Portfolio Holder for Highway, Travel, and the Environment approve the Weymouth Harbour General Directions to go out to statutory consultation

To consider the Harbours Advisory Committee Forward Plan.

The forward plan was presented by the Head of Environment and Wellbeing, who noted that the Asset Management Plan had been pushed back to the September meeting and the Pilotage Review for Bridport would also be presented at the September meeting.

To consider any items of business which the Chairman has had prior notification and considers to be urgent pursuant to section 100B (4) b) of the Local Government Act 1972. The reason for the urgency shall be recorded in the minutes.

There were no urgent items.

To move the exclusion of the press and the public for the following item in view of the likely disclosure of exempt information within the meaning of paragraph x of schedule 12 A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

The public and the press will be asked to leave the meeting whilst the item of business is considered.

There is no scheduled exempt business for this meeting.

There was no exempt business.