NEW HARBOUR fees at the three harbours controlled by Dorset Council have been agreed – most going up by three per cent.

They include Weymouth, West Bay and Lyme Regis harbours.

The fees were questioned by Dorchester councillor Les Fry who claims the scale of charges appear low.

“They appear very good value, particularly when compared to taking a caravan or a tent,” he said, later questioning whether they might be too cheap.

Harbours committee chair Mark Roberts claimed there had been no adverse reaction to the increases and said he believed they were set at a competitive rate.

“We did benchmark against other harbours and we feel that we are positioned very well. The fact that we have small waiting lists for most leisure boats suggests we have got it just about right. If we didn’t have a waiting list we might possibly be over-charging and if we had big waiting lists we might be able to think about bigger increases. On balance we are doing a very fair and sensible small increase this year,” he said.

A report to the Dorset Council meeting which approved the charges admits that Weymouth Harbour is running at a loss: “It is recognised that expenditure is greater than income and relies on the harbour reserve which is not sustainable,” said the report.

Cllr Paul Kimber, a former harbours committee member, said he worried that the fees might be too high and could result in the harbour starving itself of fees.

Cllr Roberts said harbour users had been consulted and the majority had accepted that the council had arrived at a fair compromise given the council’s financial position. He said he believed this was why there had been no adverse reaction to the increases.

The fees voted on by councillors include stays of up to 24 hours at Weymouth at £3.05 per metre with a set fee of £2.50 for plug in power. Marina berths are charged at around £350 per year, less for local residents, or charity groups.

Mooring fees are currently £7 for vessels up to 6m for up to four hours, £9 for 6-12metres and £11 for over 12m.

The harbour also offers discount schemes with those staying four nights getting a fifth night free with a similar scheme for short stays. The use of showers and water is included in the fees.