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Published:
April 16, 2009
150%
price hike hits boat users launching from Burnham-On-Sea jetty
Sedgemoor
District Council has this week defended its decision to hike up
the charge for boat users using Burnham-On-Sea jetty by a whopping
150 per cent.
The
annual cost of launch permits for water craft using the town's
jetty has leapt from £20 to £50 - much to the anger
of frequent users who say the decision will turn visitors away
from Burnham.
 Ricky
Holmes, Chairman of the Burnham-On-Sea Water Users' Forum, which
represents dozens of water users in the town said his members
are unhappy about the sudden price rise.
He
told Burnham-On-Sea.com: "There is a lot of concern and we're
planning to hold a special meeting of the group to discuss the
matter in more detail."
However,
Claire Faun, spokeswoman for Sedgemoor District Council, defended
the decision, telling Burnham-On-Sea.com: "We currently have
a policy of bringing our fees into line with other coastal towns
due to our difficult financial position."
"We're
trying to keep our charges as low as possible. The big increase
has come about due to the charge being so low before."
She
added: "The extra money will help us fund beach cleaning
services and provide lifeguards, beach wardens and a jetty supervisor."
But
the price hike has condemned by water users on Burnham-On-Sea's
discussion forums here
over recent days.
One
user, waterskier, wrote: "I just went into the Tourist Information
to purchase a jetty permit for the year and it is now £50,
so for that you do not get a slipway as it is not in use, and
all Sedgemoor District Council do is check your insurance document
and issue you with a permit. This is outrageous! Does Sedgemoor
not want boat users to come to Burnham?"
 Another
forum user, busta, added: "You would have thought they would
want to push our town as a resort to come to in this economic
climate."
"People
coming on hols for a few days or just a week are not going to
pay £50 to launch, they will go to cheaper neighbouring
towns to launch. They will then be taking their spending families
to these other locations as well."
And
another boat owner, who asked not to be named, contacted Burnham-On-Sea.com
this week, saying: "Given that the jetty is crumbling apart
and nothing is being done to make the facilities any better before
the autumn, it's disgraceful that the council expects us to pay
extra to use it over the summer. We should be getting a rate reduction,
not an increase."
Burnham-On-Sea.com
was first to report in February
that thousands of pounds worth of repairs are to be carried out
to the jetty this autumn to stop its condition further deteriorating.
Sedgemoor
District Council will begin a restoration project this September
– with the overhaul expected to be completed by the end of
2009.
Julian
Street, Group Manager of Support Services, told Burnham-On-Sea.com
this week: "We are on track with the project, having recently
appointed a project manager and we are now preparing to tender
for the work."
"We
do not wish to disrupt the summer season with works and our planned
timetable envisages that we start work in September and complete
it in November."
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