A DEPUTY has stated that the failure to bring in new mooring charges was due to a lack of consultation with boat owners.

Barry Paint (pictured), who is a former pilot and marine captain, said the Public Services Department should have talked to boat owners before laying out the charges.

‘There needed to be more discussions with the public,’ he said.

‘The Public Services Department should have found out why people were against the proposals, so they could tackle them, or they just end up fighting. I have to say that I’m very pleased that PSD has had a change of heart and that the whole matter can be properly open to consultation with all interested parties and possibly debated in the States at a later stage.’

One of his main arguments against the charges being raised was the fact that Guernsey boat owners are already being squeezed by the current financial climate.

‘Many boat owners are only just managing financially to keep their hobby. These increases may have been enough to make them sell their boats, if they could find a buyer, because they couldn’t afford the escalating costs.’