On Tuesday the States agreed to make the Ports of Jersey a fully incorporated body which will have responsibility for running the Island’s harbours and the Airport. The company will be responsible for raising money and planning new developments.
Doug Bannister, chief executive of the Ports of Jersey, welcomed the move and said that any potential future projects could be completed more easily than before.
The States overwhelmingly agreed to adopt the proposals during Tuesday’s sitting after the debate was delayed on several occasions. It is hoped that the incorporation could be completed this autumn.
Mr Bannister said: ‘We have been doing a lot of work in preparing for this move. We have been implementing a customer satisfaction survey to find out what the public want, and we have been receiving good feedback.
‘One of the main things incorporation does will be seen in the medium to long term, as things like Harbour charges can be controlled better. It means there will not really be any price increases to fund changes to the Ports. It is good news for people and businesses that want to travel through our gateways. One of the main principals of incorporation is that we can keep providing a high level of service.’
[breakout]Click here to check the latest arrivals and departures at the harbour and Airport[/breakout]
Mr Bannister added that because the fees charged to firms using the ports are less likely to be increased, it should mean a better deal for travellers.
The adoption of the proposals mean that ownership of the harbours and Airport will be transferred from the States to the newly incorporated body, although Treasury Minister Alan Maclean rejected any suggestion that the government was ‘selling the family silver’. During the debate, he said: ‘This proposition is in essence about the long-term planning to secure the financial and operational future of our ports.
‘The harbours and Airport will need to invest an estimated £420 million in infrastructure just to keep open, safe and secure for the next 25 years. This capital expenditure would create a potential cash shortfall of up to £314 million over the 25-year period and would need to be funded from a mixture of ports revenues and States central reserves.
‘Incorporation provides an alternative and removes that risk from the public purse. The incorporation model is not new and is widely recognised globally.’
Union representatives had expressed concerns that wages, benefits and contract terms may be changed as a result of incorporation, although Senator Maclean said that there should not be any changes to employee contracts.
The proposition was supported by the Economic Affairs Scrutiny Panel, which conducted a review into the proposals to incorporate the Ports.
An amendment lodged by St Helier Deputy Geoff Southern calling for a three-year ‘period of calm’, during which the former employees of the harbours and the Airport will keep their right to apply for jobs in States departments, was rejected in two parts – by 39 votes to six and 38 votes to seven. The overall proposition to incorporate the ports was passed in four stages.
A TOTAL of 90,000 more people travelled through Jersey’s ports last year than in 2013.
Just over 2.2 million people went through the Island’s Airport and Harbour in 2014, which was a 4.4% increase on the figure for the previous year.
Sea passengers to and from the Island saw the biggest percentage increase, with nearly 20,000 more people travelling through the Harbour than in 2013, equating to a 6.21% rise.
Doug Bannister, Ports of Jersey chief executive, drew attention to the route development team’s work and the lack of bad weather as reasons for the success.
‘Our efforts in working with transport providers to increase capacity and product ranges have contributed to this success,’ he said.
‘We have seen a relatively quiet year in terms of operational disruptions and inclement weather affecting the ports in 2014, which can of course hinder passengers’ travel plans and therefore affect overall passenger numbers.’
