Captcha - Yarmouth
MINUTES OF ANNUAL TOWN MEETING HELD AT CHOYD TUESDAY 19th APRIL 2016 AT 6:30 pm
PRESENT: Councillors S Cowley (Town Mayor), J Jackson, P Cronin, J Allen
IN ATTENDANCE: Brian Jacobs (Town Clerk), Sergeant Mark Lyth, Martyn Collinson (Yarmouth Town Trust, Derek Moore (Yarmouth Society), Rebecca Blake (CHOYD) and 6 members of the public.
APOLOGIES: Cllrs R Corbett, K Cowley, A Ingram, Cnty Cllr S Hutchinson
1. WELCOME BY THE MAYOR
The Mayor welcomed all present to the Yarmouth and Thorley Town Meeting, and introduced the Councillors in attendance and the Clerk.
2. MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL TOWN MEETING HELD ON APR 21st 2015
RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the Annual Town Meeting held on April 21st 2015 be taken as read, confirmed and signed as being an accurate record of the proceedings.
3. MATTERS ARISING
None were raised
4. REPORT OF THE ACTIVITIES OF THE TOWN COUNCIL
The Mayor Steve Cowley made a verbal report based on the written document (Appendix1 attached).
5. TO RECEIVE A REPORT FROM THE WIGHT RURAL WEST NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICING TEAM
Sergeant Lyth presented a report of police activities in the Yarmouth and Thorley area over the last year (Appendix 2 attached).
Mark Lyth is to be relocated to Newport Police Station as Custody Sergeant. Mayor Cowley expressed his disappointment at this news, and Yarmouth Town Council’s approach to this will be discussed at its next monthly meeting.
6. REPORT OF THE ISLE OF WIGHT COUNCIL MEMBER
The Clerk read out a report by Isle of Wight Councillor Stuart Hutchinson, which appears as Appendix 3. There were no questions.
7. REPORT OF THE YARMOUTH TOWN TRUST
Martyn Collinson, Chairman of Yarmouth Town Trust spoke to the written report (Appendix 4).
Jill Cowley offered the facilities used for the recent Yarmouth and Thorley Voices Project to assist the YTT with archiving photographs.
8. REPORT FROM YARMOUTH HARBOUR COMMISSION.
Chris Smith of the Harbour Commission spoke to the written report (Appendix 5).
Debbie Cotton thanked the Commission for all their help with the Old Gaffers Festival.
A member of the public asked if there was any backup plan to deal with the erosion on Yarmouth Pier in the event of failing to attract Lottery funding, but Mr Smith replied that there was not.
In response to a query about the necessity for the additional one metre height of the proposed rebuilt sea wall, it was advised that this was necessary.
There were no further questions.
9. REPORT FROM THE COMMUNITY HALL FOR YARMOUTH AND DISTRICT (CHOYD)
The report for CHOYD was presented by Chairman Rebecca Blake (Appendix 6).
10. REPORT ON THE YARMOUTH CARNIVAL COMMITTEE
The Clerk read out a report by Chairman of the Carnival Committee, Chris Waddington (Appendix 7). There were no questions.
11. REPORT ON THE YARMOUTH SOCIETY BY THE CHAIRMAN DEREK MOORE
The Clerk read out a report on the activities of the Yarmouth Society (Appendix 8). There were no questions.
13 TO CONSIDER RESOLUTIONS OF WHICH WRITTEN NOTICE HAS BEEN GIVEN
As no written resolutions had been received the Mayor thanked everyone for coming and closed the meeting.
Signed....................................................................................... Date................................
APPENDIX 1: REPORT OF THE ACTIVITIES OF THE TOWN COUNCIL
APPENDIX 1:
Mayor’s report 2016
The last year has been both challenging and rewarding. Our team of Councillors has been bolstered by the Co-option of Jamie Allen.
Working with our Community Partners, we have achieved two major needs identified in the Yarmouth and Thorley Community Plan.
Firstly, working with the old Institute a new independent Charity has been set up to establish a Community Hall open to all. The Town Council raised a loan of £60,000 from the Government’s ‘Works Loan Body’ to grant to the new charity to purchase the assets of the Institute. The Chair of the Trustees will report on this.
Secondly, the contract has been signed to renew the children’s play area at the Rec. Cllr Kizzy Cowley, chair of the Rec Committee, has worked with the Chair of the Town Trust to raise the money to bring this project forward so that it can be completed this summer. We are working to clear a path from the Rec to the old railway line; work on this was begun this last Autumn with the kind assistance of environmental group Green Gym who cleared a meadow and several paths through the ‘jungle’ area, and will continue later this year with a local contractor when the nesting season is over. Also, when ground conditions permit, drainage work at the west end of the Town Green Rec will be carried out to help prevent the risk of flooding neighbouring gardens.
The Town Council has taken over the maintenance of the green areas around the town that have been abandoned by the IWC. We are extremely grateful to local residents who have, without prompting, taken on some of the work including painting the old buoy, grass cutting and working on the flowerbeds.
Most recently the Town Council has taken over the responsibility for both the toilets in Bridge Road and at the Common. This was not an easy decision as the direct benefit to local people is limited. We felt the effect of not having local public toilets available for the Town was likely to be damaging to the Town’s cleanness, quality of life for residents, visitors and businesses. The IWC has promised to transfer the freehold of both buildings this year followed by the green areas around the town that we are now maintaining.
Yarmouth Coastal Defence Working Group on which we have representative is well ahead of other local communities in helping to protect Yarmouth from flooding now and in the future. Work in this area is vitally important.
Marine Conservation Zones: despite strong objections raised by a large number of groups, individuals and local Councils, the Needles has been designated as a Marine Conservation Zone. Defra has said that the management measures will have minimal impact but we wait to see what actually happens. We know that the MCZ which includes the Yarmouth area may be included in the next tranche for consideration but no timing announcement has been made apart from that designations will be confirmed in 2018. The impact on the harbour, town and all marine activity could be serious and the Town Council will take part in the local response if our area is listed for possible designation.
The IW Council has recently announced 2 consultations on which the Town Council is preparing its responses:
1. Local Flood Risk Management Strategy – a 6 week consultation with Town and Parish Councils deals with a strategy for the next 5 years, including identification of areas at risk of flooding and a set of actions to manage the flood risks.
This Strategy will be relevant to our Yarmouth Community Flood Plan which has been in action since 2013.
2. West Wight Coastal Flood and Erosion Risk Management Strategy – a 3 month public consultation ending 30 June. There will be a drop-in 'roadshow' in Yarmouth in May for this consultation. The Strategy has been delayed by lack of funding since 2007, since when the Working Group set up by the Town Council and Harbour has lobbied for it to be resumed. The area runs from East Cowes to Freshwater Bay. The Strategy will look at effective management in the present economic climate to deal with the risks of flooding and erosion along our coastline which could increase significantly if sea levels rise as predicted.
For the first time, whilst I have been a councillor, we have been hit by thoughtless vandalism. The Community Orchard at the Mount has been damaged by someone attacking the trees with pruners to damage the trees growth, we now hope that they will recover with some careful pruning in the future. Someone ran into 3 planters by the bus station and destroyed them; we await settlement of an insurance claim.
There have been continued demands on our grants budget.
We continue to support the West Wight Sports and Community Centre, the Carnival Committee, Yarmouth and Thorley Cemetery maintenance. During the last year we have also supported Yarmouth Primary’s new classroom, Friends of Freshwater Library, the Christmas tree in the Square, Wight Nature Fund leaflets for Mill Copse and the West Wight Time bank.
APPENDIX 2: Yarmouth Annual Police report
Sergeant Lyth explained that organisational changes had resulted in the area under his control being greatly extended to include an area from the Medina to Ventnor, apart from Newport.
He explained that focus had moved from safeguarding vulnerable people to safeguarding all those deemed at risk. The Team had also assumed responsibility for licensing issues, apart from those relating to Cowes Week.
The 2015 Old Gaffers Festival gave little cause for concern with only one reported incident and one arrest. Hard work over the years has resulted in good co-ordination with all groups involved, and most ongoing problems resolved; this is rather ironic, with the Festival not taking place in 2016.
The West Wight area, like much of the Island, enjoys a low crime rate. A recent spate of burglaries resulted in 5 arrests, and positive forensic evidence is likely to lead to substantial prison terms for the culprits.
Countrywatch takes up around a third of police time. There has been a massive increase in wildlife-related crimes, and members of the public are now reporting incidents directly to the police, because of cutbacks in other bodies operating in the same area.
There has been a dramatic increase in communication via social media, and, as a result, attendances at public meetings have grown at an impressive rate.
The main problem areas for the Police Team are inconsiderate motorists, youth engagement and burglaries.
The Team has been reduced by one officer because of cutbacks which have resulted from increased expenditure in other areas, such as counter-terrorism.
APPENDIX 3: West Wight Ward
Report to Calbourne, Shalfleet and Yarmouth Annual Parish Meetings 2015
West Wight Ward is the largest on the Island and covers 14 separate communities from Yarmouth in the west to Mark's Corner and Thorness Bay in the east, within the parishes of Calbourne, Shalfleet and Yarmouth. This report covers the work I do for the Island Council and within the ward.
The last year has been an extremely difficult year financially for the Island Council. On top of the £36 millions previously saved, there is a requirement to save a further £28 millions over 3 years including £14 millions in the current year.
Unless there is an Island-wide referendum, the rates are capped at 1.99% increase, yet against that we have a very substantial loss of government grant and increasing demand for services, especially the rapidly expanding cost of Adult Social Care. This means that we have had to ask Town and Parish Councils if they would take on some services, especially such things as toilets, grounds maintenance, beach cleaning and environmental management, all of which are often local to a particular town or parish. We have been forced to curtail some services and increase charges for others. I personally opposed the increased parking charges which I believe will damage our tourist economy and the businesses in our high streets.
However we have during the year successfully partnered with voluntary organisations such as Age UK which enable services to be supported by the use of local volunteers. Many services such as the Good Neighbour scheme, and the Libraries support could not be managed without them. In addition the three healthcare providers, IWC for public health, the Clinical Commissioning (GP's) Group for primary care, and the NHS are now working much more closely together within the “My Life” framework, which I was pleased to inaugurate as the first Chairman.
As well as Isle of Wight Full Council meetings I continue to serve on the Appeals Committee, Audit Committee, Employment Committee, Scrutiny Committee and Pensions Committee. I also act as Shadow Cabinet Member for Resources and am currently leading a specialist Task Group looking at how the Council procures and manages it's contracts. Doing this more effectively than we have in the past will become particularly important as the council seeks external public sector, voluntary and commercial providers to help deliver it's services.
Locally, I serve on the Yarmouth Harbour Advisory Committee and the Yarmouth Flood Defence Working Group.
To keep in touch with issues in the ward, I attend and report to the meetings of the Town Council and the two Parish Councils and attend local social events from time to time, such as Wellow Coffee Mornings, Porchfield Tea and Chat and Yarmouth Society. Because of a series of operations that my wife has had over the past year, I have spent time supporting her and have not been able to attend as many of these as I would have liked.
I write a regular monthly column for the Yarmouth and Freshwater Magazine, which always carries my contact details and an invitation to contact me if there are issues I can help with. Those details are also printed each month in the local Parish magazines.
I'm pleased that during the year I have been able to assist many individual residents and businesses with a range of issues, from planning to housing, to highways, social care and education.
I have attended and spoken at meetings of local residents concerned with the proposal to site two giant wind turbines at Parkhurst which would have had a major impact upon residents in Mark's Corner. I opposed these at Planning Committee and was pleased that they were rejected. I note that the developer has now decided that he does not have a sufficiently good case to appeal.
I also spoke at Planning Committee to oppose the proposal for 24 poorly designed and sited dwellings on the edge of Shalfleet Village, with almost no connection to the village and no indication as to how these would be managed for the benefit of local people.
I have quarterly meetings with the Chief Executive and senior staff of Wightlink and am supporting the initiatives to create regular dialogue through an Islandwide Ferry Users consultative group as well as the local groups giving feedback on individual ferry services.
I have regular meetings with Sergeant Mark Lythe about policing issues in the ward, and I speak regularly to the Chairman of the Police and Crime Panel about them, though I am delighted to say that within the ward we are fortunate to have little crime and have one of the safest and most attractive areas of the Island in which to live. Long may that continue.
APPENDIX 4: YARMOUTH TOWN TRUST
Annual Town Meeting – Report on the year ended 31 March 2016
As reported last year the Trusts main priorities during the last 12 months have been:-
The Town Hall
Mill Road cottages
Recreation Ground/Children’s Play Area
Archives/Website upgrade -Phase I
The Common including the benches and monitoring the condition of the Seawall.
Graveyard Copse – maintained & reimbursed by DLT
1 – Financial Matters
A – The annual accounts of the Trust will be considered by the trustees at their next meeting on the 9th May. There are not expected to be any unpleasant surprises nor items of a significant nature. Once the accounts have been approved by the trustees, they will be sent as usual to the Charity Commission and eventually appear on the Charity Commission’s website.
B - The Town Hall was used on 191 days during the year ended 31 March 2016, compared with 193 days in the previous year.
C – The trust made a donation of £1,000 to the Yarmouth Primary School’s renovation fund.
D – In order to incur lower bank charges the Trustees decided to move their Accounts from Lloyds to HSBC
2 – The Town Hall
The ground floor windows and main door were refurbished in the summer and the downstairs interior and staircase were re-decorated early in 2016 following further damp penetration on the South wall.
Hillbans have rechecked the roof timbers and confirmed they are all in good order.
We continue to monitor the condition of the War Memorial where some decay is inevitable.
3 – Mill Road Cottages
As most people know the rentals from the Mill Road cottages are the Trust’s only income, excluding any donations that are received from the Public or other Charities and modest bank interest.
A survey was commissioned by Tombleson Associates in the summer on all 5 cottages to ascertain the work needed on the infrastructure and the outside of the cottages including approximate costs and recommended timescales. While generally in good condition for their age a number of areas were highlighted for repair and replacement. The Trustees allocated an initial budget of £7,000 for the more immediate items to be attended to.
Quotations for maintenance work needed were obtained including inspecting such items as drainage, guttering etc. and detailed layouts of each cottage were drawn up. Further expenditure is being progressed in respect of replacing faulty windows and 2 new boilers.
Spence Willard also carried out routine 6 monthly check ups.
A database has now been created documenting recent work carried out to each cottage together with known work that is still needed in the short term. An on-going maintenance plan covering a five-year period will now be produced in order assist the Trust in budgeting the funds required to keep the cottages in good order.
4 – The Recreation Ground/Re0newed Children’s Play Area
Renewed Children’s Play Area: Advice was sought re the tax implications of the Town Trust Fund Raising for this project and and making an appropriate Grant to the Town Council. Permission to proceed with the Fund Raising and the Grant was then obtained from the Charities Commission. The Town Trust then worked together with the Town Council to successfully raise the necessary funds to make this important project a reality.
During the year the Town Trust has raised £39,268.75 including Gift Aid towards the Children’s Play Area. Money is still required by the Town Council for such extras as fencing, hiring of diggers and unforeseen items so fund raising will have to continue for a little longer.
New Yarmouth Sports Pavilion: The situation is still on-going regarding the possible construction of a new Yarmouth "Sports Pavilion" for the inhabitants of Yarmouth, the Yarmouth Primary School and the Yarmouth & Calbourne Football Club.
A number of meetings have been held with these parties with a view to ascertaining the possible needs for more sporting facilities on the Recreation Ground as well as a new Sports Pavilion. This may even include a running track, high & long jumps etc.. A survey has been completed by the school parents & children and this show strong support for facilities of this kind.
5 – Website Upgrade – Phase 1
After undertaking research of the available options a decision on which of the 3 quotations received was made in January based on an agreed selection criteria. Pepper Creative, located in Newport, was chosen to upgrade the Website in order to hold some 350 archive photographs and over 100 documents including the use of modern software to monitor usage and enable searches to be made by the public.
Pepper Creative have now completed the website and initial testing has started with the loading up of 100 photographs and 20 documents.
6 – The Common
The physical condition of each memorial bench on the common was reviewed, listed and a specification produced for the remedial work needed. This was completed by the year end. . Our thanks go to Sylvia Mence and Mike Dorey for all their hard work in this area.
The state of the sea wall continues to give cause for real concern and the Trust continues with correspondence with the IWC about this issue.
7 – Trustees
The Trustees remained unchanged during the year. The present trustees are: John Caulcutt, Rodney Corbett, Steve Cowley, Mike Dorey, Richard Leonard, Sylvia Mence, Sue Poston, Bernie Tucker, and myself.
APPENDIX YARMOUTH HARBOUR COMMISSION
APPENDIX 5: YARMOUTH HARBOUR COMMISSION:
FINANCIAL POSITION
Introduction
MODERNISING TRUST PORTS (SECOND EDITION)
IN THIS 2015 ANNUAL REPORT YARMOUTH HARBOUR COMMISSIONERS (YHC) ARE ATTEMPTING TO FULLY COMPLY WITH THE GUIDANCE IN ‘MODERNISING TRUST PORTS (SECOND EDITION)’. THE GUIDANCE TELLS TRUST PORTS TO ‘COMPLY OR EXPLAIN’; IT IS THEREFORE YARMOUTH HARBOUR COMMISSIONERS’ INTENTION IN THIS DOCUMENT TO ‘COMPLY’ AND WHERE WE ARE UNABLE TO ‘COMPLY’ WE WILL ‘EXPLAIN’ WHY WE HAVE NOT COMPLIED. IF YOU FEEL THAT WE HAVE DONE NEITHER PLEASE LET US KNOW AND WE WILL TRY TO RECTIFY THE OVERSIGHT IN FUTURE ANNUAL REPORTS.
2015 Accounts and Results of Operations
FINANCIAL POSITION (AT 31/12/2015)
THE FINANCIAL POSITION OF YARMOUTH HARBOUR COMMISSIONERS REMAINS STRONG.
Turnover at £2,404,703 in comparison to 2014 is a decrease of 0.5%; this is largely due to a fall in oil prices affecting fuel sales. However, operating Profit (or Surplus) at £359,690 was up on 2014 by 40%.
The total of all outstanding bank loans amounts to £434,251.
Wightlink remains the harbour’s largest customer. Income from Wightlink has remained consistent.
28,335 visiting yachts spent the night in the harbour, an increase of 6% on 2014. These figures include long term visitors (LTV).
Income from berthing (excluding Wightlink) rose by 5% which is directly linked to an increase in long term visitors.
Visiting Boat Numbers
THE TABLE BELOW COMPARES FIGURES OVER A FIVE YEAR PERIOD. OVERNIGHT NUMBERS INCLUDE LONG TERM VISITORS (LTV) AND SHOWS AN INCREASE OF 6%. SHORT STAY VISITS HAVE DROPPED BY 5%; HOWEVER, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF YACHTS VISITING THE HARBOUR HAS INCREASED BY 4% AT 33,828 IN COMPARISON TO 2014.
|Visiting Boat Numbers |
|Year |Overnight |Short Stay |Total |
|2015 |28,335 |5,493 |33,828 |
|2014 |26,681 |5,785 |32,466 |
|2013 |23,296 |5,150 |28,446 |
|2012 |20,437 |5,077 |25,514 |
|2011 |20,840 |4,313 |25,153 |
Long Term Visitor Numbers 2013-2015
[pic]
Long term visitor (LTV) berthing
THE GRAPH BELOW SHOWS THE TREND IN INCOME RECEIVED FROM LTVS OVER A FOUR YEAR PERIOD. INCOME OF £55,286 IN 2015 IS AN INCREASE ON 2014 OF £11,923 OR 27%. LTV INCOME AMOUNTS TO 10% OF THE TOTAL VISITOR INCOME AT £526,060. YARMOUTH HARBOUR COMMISSIONERS LIMIT THE NUMBER OF LTV BERTH ALLOCATIONS IN ORDER TO MAXIMISE THE NUMBER OF AVAILABLY BERTHS FOR OVERNIGHT VISITING YACHTSMEN.
[pic]
Resident and Commercial Berthing
YARMOUTH HARBOUR’S ANNUAL BERTHING RATES REMAIN COMPETITIVE AND IN FACT ARE SOME OF THE CHEAPEST MOORINGS IN THE SOLENT AREA, AS SHOWN IN THE TABLE BELOW.
Berths are allocated efficiently when they become vacant to reduce waiting times and maximise income. Yarmouth Harbour currently has 260 resident berth holders.
wider market annual walk ashore berthing rates
SOURCE: YARMOUTH HARBOUR MARKET ANALYSIS
[pic]
Source: Yarmouth Harbour Market Analysis
Fuel Sales
SALES OF GAS OIL ROSE FROM 466,629 LITRES IN 2014 TO 496,518 LITRES IN 2015, AN INCREASE OF 6% AND A MARGIN OF £49,626.
Petrol sales show a decrease from 124,971 litres in 2014 to 106,696 litres in 2015, a variance of 14% and a margin of £14,530.
property
ALL YARMOUTH HARBOUR COMMISSIONERS PROPERTIES WERE OCCUPIED DURING 2015, INCLUDING WAYPOINT YACHT BROKERS, A NEW TENANT, WHO HAVE TAKEN OVER THE SPACE IN THE HARBOUR’S RECEPTION AREA.
There have been no sales or purchases of property in 2015.
A valuation of YHC commercial and residential investment properties was conducted in the latter part of 2015. The market value of these properties show an estimated increase of 15%.
Harbour Maintenance and Expenditure
|THE MAIN ITEMS OF EXPENDITURE FOR 2015 |£ |
|PROVISION FOR PIER REPAIR |113,500 |
|DREDGING |42,400 |
|NAVITUS BAY |26,700 |
|I.T. (E-HARBOURS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM) |23,000 |
|MOORINGS AND CHAINS |5,400 |
|RECEPTION CARPET |4,700 |
|DORY ENGINE |4,200 |
|ELECTRICITY METERS (PONTOONS) |3,200 |
Stakeholder Benefits
YARMOUTH HARBOUR COMMISSIONERS SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY IN A LOT OF WAYS, MANY OF THEM UNSEEN BY OUR STAKEHOLDERS. ‘MODERNISING TRUST PORTS (SECOND EDITION)’ RECOMMENDS THAT WE NOW TRY TO QUANTIFY THESE AS ‘STAKEHOLDER BENEFITS’. THE COMMISSIONERS CONSULTED WITH YARMOUTH HARBOUR ADVISORY COMMITTEE ABOUT THE CONTENTS OF THIS LIST. SOME OF THESE VALUES ARE ESTIMATES. THIS LIST DOES NOT INCLUDE EVERY BENEFIT THE COMMISSIONERS PROVIDE FOR THE STAKEHOLDER COMMUNITY BUT DOES COVER THE MAIN ONES.
|Stakeholder Benefits – Year Ended 31 December 2015 |
|Benefits in the Harbour |£ | |
|RNLI lifeboat berth and facilities: | | |
|Equivalent cost of commercial mooring |800 |15.85m at commercial rate |
|Loss of income from mooring space |15,700 |Estimate |
|Commercial moorings - discounted rates (per mooring) |1,000 |Compared to non-walk ashore harbour moorings |
|Commercial moorings - electricity supplied |600 |Estimate (no longer on its own supply) |
|Commercial moorings - storage area |1,100 |Compared to cost of 3 IWC annual parking permits |
|Commercial discounts on gas oil |27,500 | |
|Refuse skip and recycling |12,300 |Cost of skips and bins |
|Waste oil deposit tank |40 |Disposal of oil |
|Slipways - free of charge to use |1,000 |Annual maintenance |
|Crane and wash-down facility |1,800 |Deficit in 2015 |
|Car parking in Harbour Office area |10,500 |30 spaces loss of income |
|Harbour taxi |600 |Net loss in 2015 |
|Shower and toilet facilities (income less cleaning costs, |18,900 |Net loss in 2015 |
|electricity, water, boiler repairs) | | |
|Shower refurbishment |15,000 |Average cost per year over 10 years |
|Environmental Provision | | |
|Estuaries Officer |10,000 |Contribution to IWC |
|The Green - maintenance |1,700 |Grass cutting and tree replacement |
|Norton spit |0 | |
|Green Gym |50 |Donation |
|Provisions for the Community | | |
|The pier |114,000 |Including annual provision for repair of pier head piles |
|Pier toilets |7,600 |Cost of water, cleaning, electricity and provisions |
|Overflow car park |1,500 |Compared to cost of IWC long stay ticket |
|Hanging baskets and flower borders |700 | |
|Watering of Yarmouth Town Council planters |300 |Maintenance time, plus a small sum for water |
|Support to Local Community Organisations and Events | | |
|Old Gaffers Festival |5,000 |Financial contribution |
| |500 |Loss of revenue - Pier Square |
| |500 |Loss of revenue - use of the Green |
|RYA Active Marina Training days |500 |Contribution |
|Support for charities - discounts, events |2,500 |Wetwheels charity |
|TOTAL |251,690 | |
|Other Stakeholder Benefits |
|Life jacket servicing point |
|Environmental designations work (SSSI, Ramsar, SPA, AONB, SAC, MCZ) |
|Yarmouth Community Flood Plan |
|Administrative support for Coastal Defence Working Group |
|Renewable energy projects (eg Navitus Bay and tidal turbine trials) |
|'Catch the Solent' sea level markers |
|Hosting of Tourist Information Point in Harbour Office |
|Free parking in Pier Square before 10am |
|Old Gaffers Festival - use of the Quay and the Green etc free of charge |
|Yarmouth Carnival Committee - use of the Green and Pier Square |
|Yarmouth Business Association Christmas Festival - use of Pier Square |
|Yarmouth Town Council/Yarmouth Town - labour assistance for events |
|Support for charities - discounts to charity vessels and support for events (eg Needles Relief) |
|Advertising and promotion of local businesses through facilitating vouchers and listing in Visitors Guide |
|Merchant Navy Day |
|YHC Spring Festival and Flare Amnesty |
HEALTH AND SAFETY
DURING 2015 YARMOUTH HARBOUR’S SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (SMS), RISK ASSESSMENTS (RAS) AND STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES (SOPS) WERE REVIEWED. A FORMAL FIRE RISK ASSESSMENT WAS CARRIED OUT BY WIGHT SAFETY FOR THE HARBOUR OFFICE AND WORKSHOP BUILDINGS. AS AN IMPORTANT STAKEHOLDER GROUP EMPLOYEES WERE ASKED TO REVIEW THE RAS AND SOPS THAT DIRECTLY RELATE TO THEIR ROLES WITHIN THE ORGANISATION AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT.
Peter Nicholson, the Designated Person under the Port Marine Safety Code (PMSC) conducted two audits of YHC safety systems and concluded that the harbour complies with the guidelines laid out in the Port Marine Safety Code.
YHC remain compliant with the PMSC. In addition, we have engaged the services of Wight Safety Consultancy as our competent health and safety advisors to help ensure that our shoreside operations conform to current HSE requirements.
1 – ACCIDENTS
THERE WERE NO SERIOUS ACCIDENTS RECORDED IN 2015. TWO REPORTS INVOLVED VISITORS INJURING THEMSELVES ON THEIR OWN VESSELS. ONE RELATED TO A MINOR INJURY TO YHC STAFF AND ONE TO A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC WHO COLLAPSED IN THE WIGHTLINK TICKET OFFICE. NONE OF THE INCIDENTS REQUIRED A RIDDOR SUBMISSION.
2 – employee ABSENCE
|YEAR |PAID HOURS |HOURS ABSENT |% |
|2014 |36,917 |245.50 |LESS THAN 1% |
|2015 |36,946 |308.50 |LESS THAN 1% |
3 – INCIDENTS
THE COMMISSIONERS CONTINUE TO RECORD INCIDENTS IN THE HARBOUR AND ENCOURAGE CUSTOMERS, EMPLOYEES AND OTHERS TO RECORD ANY INCIDENT WITH YHC. IN ADDITION WE HAVE A NEW CATEGORY ENTITLED ‘FIRE’ IN ORDER TO MONITOR AND PREVENT INCIDENTS OF THIS NATURE IN THE FUTURE.
YHC has recorded a total of 106 incidents during 2015, a 7% increase on 2014.
|Incidents 2012 - 2015 |
|Category |2012 |2013 |2014 |2015 |
|1 |Collisions |33 |29 |33 |43 |
|2 |Personal Accident |8 |13 |8 |11 |
|3 |Near Miss |14 |15 |6 |10 |
|4 |General Directions |19 |24 |7 |17 |
|5 |Pollution |7 |1 |3 |1 |
|6 |Flood |0 |0 |7 |0 |
|7 |Storm Damage |0 |0 |7 |1 |
|8 |Yar Bridge |3 |1 |3 |0 |
|9 |Suspicious Behaviour |1 |3 |3 |2 |
|10 |Fire |0 |0 |1 |2 |
|11 |Theft |8 |13 |4 |3 |
|12 |Loss |3 |1 |3 |1 |
|13 |Wightlink |2 |7 |6 |2 |
|14 |Miscellaneous |8 |16 |8 |13 |
| |TOTALS |106 |123 |99 |106 |
The number of collisions has increased on last year. 86% involved visitors and the remainder involved residents and commercial operators.
Although collisions have increased by 30% on 2014, the number of vessel movements has increased by 4%. Encouraging staff and visitors to report incidents is a part of this increase.
The number of incidents have remained relatively stable since 2010 and make up less than 1% of total traffic movements.
people
A BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT/COMMERCIAL MANAGER WAS RECRUITED IN APRIL 2015 TO PROVIDE SUPPORT WITH THE NAVITUS BAY PROJECT AND IDENTIFY POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THE RENEWABLE ENERGY SECTOR.
Commissioners
TWO COMMISSIONERS RETIRED IN MAY 2015, TIM FRANCIS AND JAMES HOWE, AFTER EACH SERVING A TERM OF 6 YEARS ON THE BOARD.
Anthony Stables and Sarah Turvill were recruited as Commissioners from 1 June 2015.
Commissioners’ attendance at board meetings 2015
| |FRANCIS |HOWE |WALTERS |MULLINS |PECKHAM |HART-GARBETT |COWAN |SMITH |ADAMS |STABLES |TURVILL | |26/01/2015 |PRIVATE |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 | | | |26/01/2015 |INFORMAL |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |0 |1 |1 |1 | | | |23/02/2015 |PRIVATE |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |0 |1 | | | |30/03/2015 |PRIVATE |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 | | | |27/04/2015 |PRIVATE |1 |0 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 | | | |27/04/2015 |AGM |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 | | | |09/06/2015 |PRIVATE | | |1 |1 |0 |1 |1 |1 |1 |0 |1 | |29/06/2015 |PRIVATE | | |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 | |27/07/2015 |PRIVATE | | |1 |1 |1 |0 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 | |21/09/2015 |PRIVATE | | |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |0 | |21/09/2015 |INFORMAL | | |1 |1 |1 |0 |1 |1 |1 |1 |0 | |19/10/2015 |PRIVATE | | |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 | |30/11/2015 |PRIVATE | | |1 |1 |1 |0 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 | | |TOTALS |6 |5 |13 |13 |12 |9 |13 |12 |13 |6 |5 | | |N/A | | | | | | | | | | | |0 |NON ATTENDANCE | | | | | | | | | | |
business risk
THE COMMISSIONERS CONTINUE TO MONITOR RISKS TO THE BUSINESS AND HAVE DEVELOPED A RISK REGISTER AS A TOOL TO MONITOR THESE RISKS THROUGH THE AUDIT AND RISK SUB-COMMITTEE. THE PURPOSE OF THE RISK REGISTER IS TO RECORD DETAILS OF ALL RISKS THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED, TOGETHER WITH THEIR IMPACT ANALYSIS AND PLANS FOR HOW THOSE RISKS ARE TO BE REDUCED OR ELIMINATED.
the breakwater
THE COMMISSIONERS CONTINUE TO EXPLORE DIFFERENT OPTIONS TO REPLACE OR REPAIR THE EXISTING BREAKWATER. VARIOUS STUDIES HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED TO IDENTIFY CONSTRUCTION METHODS FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE STRUCTURE; HOWEVER, FURTHER WORK IS REQUIRED TO ESTABLISH WHETHER REPAIRING THE BREAKWATER IS A REALISTIC OPTION.
the pier
THE PIER REMAINS AN ONGOING MAINTENANCE ISSUE WITH 54 PILES DUE FOR REPLACEMENT BY 2018 AND A LIKELY COST FOR CONSTRUCTION WORKS OF AN ESTIMATED £800,000. AFTER RECEIVING SOME GUIDANCE FROM THE HERITAGE LOTTERY FUND (HLF) AN APPLICATION TO FUND THE WORK REQUIRED ON THE PIER WAS RESUBMITTED IN NOVEMBER 2015. IT IS A VERY COMPETITIVE PROCESS AND THE ORIGINAL BID WAS UNSUCCESSFUL DUE TO THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS IN THE FUNDING ROUND AND THE LIMITED AMOUNT OF AVAILABLE FUNDING.
Isle of Wight Council pension fund
YARMOUTH HARBOUR COMMISSIONERS ARE AN ‘ADMITTED BODY’ TO THE ISLE OF WIGHT COUNCIL’S PENSION FUND, WHICH IS ONE OF A NUMBER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT PENSION FUNDS. THIS FUND WAS CLOSED TO NEW HARBOUR EMPLOYEES IN 2002. FOUR CURRENT EMPLOYEES ARE STILL IN THE FUND, AS WELL AS A NUMBER OF RETIRED EMPLOYEES, AND EX-EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE YET TO RETIRE. TO EXIT THE ISLE OF WIGHT COUNCIL PENSION FUND COMPLETELY IS LIKELY TO COST IN THE ORDER OF £3 MILLION, AS THE COMMISSIONERS WOULD BE DUTY BOUND TO MEET THE PENSION LIABILITY OF ITS CURRENT AND EX-EMPLOYEES. THIS IS ONE OF THE LARGEST LIABILITIES FACED BY THE COMMISSIONERS.
Strategy
THE YHC PORT MASTER PLAN IS CURRENTLY IN PRODUCTION AND THE TARGET FOR COMPLETION IS OCTOBER 2016.
Environment
THE ‘LOVE WHERE YOU SAIL’ PROJECT IS A JOINT INITIATIVE THAT RAISES AWARENESS OF WATER QUALITY ISSUES WITHIN THE RECREATIONAL BOATING COMMUNITY AND BEYOND. IT ENCOURAGES RECREATIONAL USERS TO HELP IMPROVE WATER QUALITY IN THEIR LOCAL HARBOURS / COASTAL ENVIRONMENT. THE PROJECT WAS PROMOTED IN 12,000 VISITORS GUIDES, THROUGH THE HARBOUR OFFICE AND ON THE WEBSITE. A NUMBER OF MEETINGS WERE ATTENDED TO ENSURE LOCAL CONSIDERATIONS WERE INCLUDED IN THE WORK OF THE INITIATIVE.
The annual saltmarsh monitoring continued in 2015. All of the data collected so far will be reviewed in 2016.
The Norton Spit vegetation survey was completed in the spring of 2015. This provides information about the rare plants that are protected by the SSSI and follows similar studies carried out in 1995 and 2005.
Meters have been put in place throughout the harbour to gather information on the use of utilities. This will be used to establish if more efficient use of resources is possible from an environmental point of view, to focus on areas that require improved communication and awareness and to assist with a better allocation of costs.
The scope of the environmental assessment that would be required for work on the breakwater project was discussed with consultants and the management team. The breakwater is part of the Yar Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) so any work will need to take account of bird use of the structure. Bird surveys were undertaken in the winter months in 2014 / 2015 and will continue in 2016 to develop an understanding of the pattern of use. This information will be required for any future application for work on the breakwater.
stakeholder communication
THE COMMISSIONERS HELD THREE PUBLIC MEETINGS DURING 2015, ONE FORMAL MEETING (THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING) AND TWO INFORMAL MEETINGS.
The Commissioners continue to work closely with the Yarmouth Harbour Advisory Committee as stakeholder representatives and hold six meetings a year.
Ten employee meetings were held throughout 2015.
12,000 Visitor Guides were distributed to local residents and organisations, visitors to the harbour and Yarmouth town, as well as a number of harbours and marinas around the Solent and Channel Islands.
Various Notices to Mariners were issued relating to specific operations within the harbour’s jurisdiction.
In addition a great deal of information is now made available either on or via the Yarmouth Harbour website yarmouth-harbour.co.uk.
Information is also dispersed via the harbour’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.
And finally...
2015 HAS SHOWN, YET AGAIN, HOW MUCH OF A PART WEATHER HAS TO PLAY IN THE HARBOUR'S ACTIVITIES. WE - AND VISITORS - SUFFERED POORER WEATHER THAN IN 2014 AND THE EFFECTS SHOW IN OUR FIGURES. HOWEVER, WE HOPE THAT THE LONG TERM VISITOR GROWTH WILL HELP SMOOTH THE UNCERTAINTIES OF WEATHER, BUT WILL NOT IMPACT ON OUR OTHER VISITORS, FROM WHOM BOTH WE AND THE WIDER TOWN BENEFIT SIGNIFICANTLY. WE DO HAVE LARGER INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS THAT WE HAVE TO CONSIDER, BOTH IN THE SHORT TERM AND LONGER TERM, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO PREPARE TO DEAL WITH THESE NEEDS.
The harbour is linked inextricably with Yarmouth both literally geographically and in business terms; we continue to strive to work with local businesses and other stakeholders, and we continue to consult with our Advisory Committee widely to ensure that the harbour can take into consideration stakeholder comments and concerns in our planning.
One strength of the Advisory Committee over many years has been the Chairman of that committee. Sylvia Mence is retiring from that position in April 2016; we, and stakeholders, owe her a debt of gratitude for the hard work and effort that she has put into harbour matters over very many years, and the experience, advice and support that she has offered.
APPENDIX 6: REPORT OF THE COMMUNITY HALL OF YARMOUTH AND DISTRICT
by CHAIRMAN OF TRUSTEES, REBECCA BLAKE.
On behalf of the Trustees, I have great pleasure in presenting this first report of the Community Hall.
A community meeting place was one of the main aspirations of residents in the Yarmouth and Thorley Community Plan of December 2009. Whilst the Town Council was looking at possible sites, members of the Yarmouth Institute resolved at their 2011 AGM that the Council be asked to consider the Institute premises for this purpose. Therefore a joint Working Party of Council and Institute began to meet in December 2011. Although it made for slow progress, from then on all major decisions were referred by the Working Party to both Councillors and Institute Management for approval.
Having been advised to seek charity status, work began in March 2013 on the Charity Commission's model constitution of a Charitable Incorporated Organsiation. The name of Community Hall was chosen because the term 'community centre' was understood to have difficult charitable connotations, and the acronym 'CHOYD' was adopted. With the informal help of a retired solicitor and frequent consultations with Town Council, Institute and others, the amended constitution was ready to submit to the Charity Commission in February 2015. Charity status was gained on 24th March 2015 and the Working Party was replaced by Trustees for the first year recommended by Council and Institute. CHOYD membership, at £12 per annum, gives benefits such as voting rights at General Meetings and for election of Trustees, but the Community Hall is essentially open to all.
The Charity acquired the freehold of the former Institute premises on 1st July 2015, having received a grant to do so of £60,000 from the Town Council for the purpose of creating a Community Hall of Yarmouth and District. The Council was able to make this grant, followng public consultation, by taking out a Public Works Loan.
The Institute's Premises Licence was transferred to CHOYD and a separate trading arm, Eremue Trading Ltd, was registered with Companies House on 28th August 2015. This is the usual procedure for having a licensed bar in charity premises, with all surplus profits donated to the charity, CHOYD. It is set up and under the control of CHOYD but must be managed and run independently by the Company.
The Trustees have sought grants in order to make the premises fit for purpose and open to all. Work has included a new boiler and heating system, an electrical inspection and subsequent work, servicing of fire safety equipment, better external lighting, an improved and less costly alarm system, frontage improvements of new windows and repointing, some internal redecoration, and installation of Broadband, our own website, and Wifi. Funding has been obtained for a modern kitchen and plans are well in hand. We then hope to improve and make fully accessible the toilet facilities. We are grateful for donations from the Herapath Shenton Trust, the Delphi Lakeman Memorial Trust, the Daisie Rich Trust, the Harbour Commissioners, Spence Willard, the Wednesday Girls craft group and anonymous donors.
The Hall has a growing number of bookings. A Management Committee appointed by the Trustees is responsible for the general run of the building and activities. A Membership Secretary, Bookings and Publicity Secretary, and a technical Communications Manager are members of that Committee. These are supported by a vital and much appreciated range of volunteers.
Monthly Coffee Mornings and Tea Parties are much appreciated by many retired residents. Regular users of the Hall include 2 Yoga groups, Bridge Club, Messy Church, Bingo, The River Club, Quiz nights, members using the snooker and pool tables and dart board, and future Yarmouth Society meetings.
Individual hirings have included birthday and christening parties, funeral wakes, 2 cycling events,
4 History Talks, 8 charity events, Harvest Supper, Beef & Beer Bash with Morris Dancers, and Trad Jazz. We have had particular pleasure in 8 bookings from Yarmouth Primary School and its various groups, including PE classes last term when their own space was reduced by building work.
It is a Charity Commission requirement that all Trustees must retire at the first Annual General Meeting and may stand for election. This AGM will be held on Saturday 18 June at 11 am after which there will be a draw of the raffle for an original oil painting donated by Anne Toms. Her generosity is typical of the general support we receive from the local community.
Our future success will depend on continuing to attract sufficient volunteers and grant funding for building improvements. Given these, we can be confident of fulfilling our charitable purpose as in our Constitution, this being:
“The object of the charity is the provision and maintenance of a community hall for the use of the inhabitants of Yarmouth and district without distinction of political, religious or other opinions, including use for: (a) meetings, lectures and classes, (b) other forms of recreation and leisure-time occupation, with the object of improving the conditions of life for the inhabitants.”
occupation, with the object of improving the conditions of life for the inhabitants.”
APPENDIX 7: YARMOUTH CARNIVAL COMMITTEE
I really can’t believe that it is a year since I was last sitting drafting my report for this meeting.
As you are all aware, during the past year, the Yarmouth Carnival Committee have again organised, Carnival Week, The Guy Fawkes Party, Carols in the Square and the Senior Citizens Christmas Lunch. This year already we have organised the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Races and the Easter Duck Races.
These events take a lot of planning and organising and rely on the Yarmouth Carnival Committee and their very willing band of helpers , without which we could not continue. Thanks also to the continued financial support from local businesses, Wightlink and of course Yarmouth Council, offsetting some of the costs involved. This is why we are able to support, in some small way, the Earl Mountbatten Hospice and the Yarmouth School.
In August last year, the 105th Carnival Week, with the theme of “Magna Carta and All That” went extremely well considering the blustery, unseasonal weather, although several of the popular events were nearly compromised.
Frazer Turnbull was chosen as ‘Spirit of Carnival’ at the Prize Giving, held on the Green at the end of the week.
The parade was held on the last Saturday, but once again sadly, the buckets weren’t as full as we would have liked. However we did have some lovely positive feedback, thank you cards and letters from locals, holiday makers and yacht crews which made it all worthwhile.
Our Annual Guy Fawkes Party held on November 5th was marred by the weather which had been so bad that the local radio station broadcast the information that the event was cancelled, without our knowledge or consent.
This really did affect numbers attending but despite everything a fantastic evening was had and thanks to all, £3,000 was collected, not enough to cover the costs involved but far better than predicted. I would once again like to thank all involved in the organisation and running of this event including Yarmouth Town Trust, Police and yourselves, without whom it wouldn’t be possible.
Carols in the Square is always a very popular event, so much so that this year we sold out of programmes.
The evening started with children, holding their lanterns, gathered around the Christmas Tree with the “Spirit of Carnival” Frazer Turnbull, after which the Mayor, Steve Cowley welcomed everyone, said a few words and the Christmas Tree lights were switched on. Carol singing began, Elliot Beriman sang the first verse of ‘Once in Royal David’s City after which the community singing carried on under the leadership of Band Sgt George Mitchell and the Salvation Army Band assisted by the WI Choir and Slipshod Singers. Father Christmas managed to find time to visit the children, giving them all a small gift. The evening’s donations were given as usual to the Earl Mountbatten Hospice.
Our last event of 2015 was the very popular Senior Citizens Christmas Lunch held at the RSYC on Wednesday 16th December. We are so very grateful to the Yacht Club for their support by providing the venue and the preparation of the excellent traditional Christmas Lunch. Much of the food and wine is very kindly donated by suppliers to the Yacht Club, the lunch is prepared and cooked by the club and paid for by the Delphi Lakeman Trust. The tables are laid up by the Carnival Committee Members who also serve the guests and all take part in the customary sing song to finish.
Our first events of 2016 have already taken place starting with the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Races held in the Square
on 9th February. This year the Shalfleet school were unable to attend because there wasn't the room for them at the local school, this was caused by all the works going on with the building of the new classroom. However, over a hundred children came to the Square after their Church service and so together with an increased number of people involved from shops, pubs and businesses, helped along by the crowd of enthusiastic supporters, sustained by refreshments provided by the school PTA as well as ‘yummy’ pancakes supplied by the ‘George Hotel’, a great deal of fun was had by all. I was extremely pleased to have been able to hand over a cheque to Lizzie Grainger (headmistress) towards the building costs of the new classroom, cake sales and collection was also handed to the school.
Next, the Easter Duck Race took place in near gale force winds, preceded by the Annual Rowing Races in which the ‘Black Rock Trophy’ was won by RNLI Yarmouth, ‘Blue Blade of Yar’ won by RSYC and ‘The Dabchicks Rowing Trophy’ was won by the Dabchicks rowing club.
The ducks flew down the course literally!! The decorated ducks entered by Yarmouth Businesses’, of which Anthea’s “No 20” closely followed by Black Rock’s “Spock” won the race and third was “Off the Rails” after which the main race for the 1200 ‘baby’ ducks flew down the course finishing in about three minutes. The rain held off till the last minute, it was a good event, helped by the excellent cakes and beverages served by the Sailing Club – thanks to all at the Sailing Club for their hospitality.
I would like to conclude my report by once again thanking everyone who has supported and helped the Carnival Committee for another year. It is so good to live in a community that helps each other. We do appreciate it very much.
Chris Waddington, Chairman
APPENDIX 8: The Yarmouth Society Report for 2015/16
The Yarmouth Society Report March 2016
The Society is currently very healthy. We have a paid-up membership of C104 and typically 40-50 members attending each meeting, many more at popular events.
We have en executive committee of :
Clive Tappenden Vice Chairman.
Ian Dallison Speaker Secretary.
Fay Keen Secretary.
Janet Pitman Treasurer.
Frances Chard Membership Secretary.
Mal Butler
Ruth Mower Catering -(with Pat Dawson)
With such a quality team how could we fail ?
However, we do have some problems – both Ian and I have been in office for some years (not getting any younger) and would welcome some younger members to join our committee to shadow our jobs with a view to taking over at the AGM in December. Not onerous by any means, we only meet 4 times per year, the next time in September. In fact Ian has the 2016/17 speaker program almost complete.
Our finances are in the very capable hands of Janet Pitman and we have a Balance currently of C£2000.
Another problem, as you may know we maintain and distribute the Yarmouth Heritage Trail Booklets combined with the Heritage Trail numbered Signs around the Town providing a very interesting walk and introduction to the History Of Yarmouth for visitors.
The booklets have been available on the ticket office desk at Wightlink with a money box for donations. No involvement required by their staff.
However, we have been asked to remove them - which we have done, so no-where for visitors to get a book from at present. I have written to the Marketing Director of Wightlink twice over the last few weeks sending him a copy of the booklet so he could see what we provide. But I have not had a reply. (Copy letter attached.)
If you have a contact with Wightlink and can help us get the books re-instated it would be appreciated and of value to the visitors and of course the Town.
We have a very stable and successful society providing a service to the town and look forward to your continuing cooperation and support in the future.
Derek Moore
Chairman
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2014
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