Hansard

I congratulate my colleague Stuart McMillan on bringing this important matter to the chamber and on his work over nearly two decades in supporting the recreational boating industry

The Clyde is important to the history and identity of the west of Scotland. Many Glaswegians fondly remember travelling “doon the watter” on Clyde steamers to visit or holiday in one of the many picturesque seaside towns such as Largs, Millport and Saltcoats, in my constituency.

Since the mid-1800s, yachting has been very popular in the Firth of Clyde, when it became famous worldwide for its significant contribution to yacht building, with notable designers such as William Fyfe of Fairlie.

When it was first reported that Peel Ports planned to introduce a conservancy fee—or rather, a Clyde estuary tax—for leisure craft sailing in the Firth of Clyde, I was contacted by dozens of constituents, who expressed their outrage at the proposal. Those included sailing club members, hobby boaters and marina representatives. All rightly view the potential annual fee of £100 plus VAT as an unjustified and harmful imposition that will negatively impact leisure activities, tourism and the health and wellbeing of many—often elderly—boaters. One constituent said:

“This fee could in time become the deciding factor on whether to keep a boat on the Clyde or not with the knock-on economic impact on the tourism and marine industries.”

Indeed, several small sailing clubs depend heavily on membership subscriptions to survive, and they could well struggle or close if members decide not to keep their boats in the water. Boaters say that they have not seen any valid reasons whatsoever for the fee and that they feel that Peel Ports is exploiting leisure boat owners as an easy source of income.

Next Tuesday was to be the date for the introduction of the Clyde estuary tax. However, Peel Ports did not publish any reasoning for its introduction, why it is being imposed now and what services would be delivered to boaters from the resources obtained. The ostensible justification for the fee is that it will support the on-going management and upkeep of the port area under the provisions of the Clyde Port Authority Confirmation Order Act 1965 and the Harbours Act 1964, both as amended.

The principle of a statutory harbour authority charging leisure vessels a reasonable fee for harbour dues when mooring is accepted normal practice within the more limited area of an actual harbour. However, in this case, imposing the fee on the 1,150 square kilometres of the entire Clyde estuary would go way beyond that, stretching from Glasgow’s Albert bridge all the way to the Isle of Arran.

Boaters feel that Peel Ports has a monopoly over the entire cruising area but provides minimal benefit in return. For instance, Peel Ports Clydeport claims that the fee will contribute to covering the cost of dealing with accidents, despite that being the job of the marine accident investigation branch.

At the November meeting of the cross-party group on recreational boating and marine tourism, which I attended alongside the convener, Stuart McMillan, and Clare Adamson, members of the leisure boating community and sector representatives convincingly expressed their concerns about Peel Ports’ proposal and its failure to engage with the CPG about its plans. One showed us a communication from Peel Ports suggesting that boats whose owners did not cough up would be boarded—that is piracy, no less. It is my strong belief that the Clyde’s waters belong to the people of Scotland—as Stuart McMillan indicated—and not to corporate interests that are looking to squeeze money from those who enjoy and rely on those waters.

In January, it was reported that the billionaire Whittaker family behind Peel Ports recently saw their earnings increase, despite a fall in profits at the group, with the family enjoying a dividend of £153.9 million, up from the previous year’s more modest £138.9 million. They do not need the Clyde estuary tax. The proposed levy is at any time—let alone at a time of record shareholder earnings—an unfair and ill-conceived imposition on the boating community’s activities, and it must be abandoned immediately.

Failing that, I trust that Scottish ministers will today commit to work with the sector, and with the UK Government if required, to identify legislative steps that can be taken to challenge this unwanted Clyde estuary tax.

I thank my colleague Stuart McMillan once again for bringing the debate to the chamber.