NPHC - concern from the community.

Out in the community there is growing concern that the lack of any public engagement with the Commission following the extraordinary NPHC meeting on June 1st. This notice on Barons' Newsagent noticeboard urges all those who care about the future of the harbour to contact local Mp Andrew George, David Whitehead at British Ports Association and Richard Bennett, head of the Ports Division at the Department of Transport. 


Local paper, The Cornishman reported on the latest information provided:

NEWLYN'S beleaguered port authority is yet to set a new date for a public meeting postponed at the eleventh hour last week.
 

The harbour commission was set to discuss a disputed secret ballot held on May 31 after which a decision was made to evict three commissioners from their posts. But, in the agenda for last Wednesday's planned meeting, two of those members, Nick Howell and John Lambourn, were listed as commissioners. The third, Juliet Taylor, claimed last week she was also still a valid member of the port authority. Harbour commissioner Ray Tovey was also listed and has since confirmed he will remain in his role as vice-chairman until a replacement is found. The councillor for Gwinear, Gwithian and St Erth was appointed to the commission for four years as a representative of Cornwall Council. It was believed that he had stepped down from his post at the commission's meeting on Wednesday, June 1, to concentrate on his new role as Cabinet member for localism and devolution.

But Mr Tovey insists he will stay on as vice-chairman until another commissioner fills the role. "I said it was my intention to resign as soon as the chairman replaces me to focus on my portfolio," he said. "As soon as I became a Cabinet member at the end of May, I signalled I would have to resign."

Also up for discussion at last week's cancelled meeting was the reappointment of commissioners Kevin Bennetts and Elizabeth Stevenson, whose 12-month terms had expired prior to the May 31 meeting. Another commissioner, Dave Munday, resigned from the commission in protest over the sacking of Nick Howell, John Lambourn and Juliet Taylor.

As it stands the next Newlyn Harbour Commission meeting is scheduled for August 3. The commission hopes to make three new appointments this year. The closing date for nominations was June 30, and selection and appointments were due to take place this month.

article copyright THE CORNISHMAN

"Disbelief as £3 million in grants turned down"

So ran the front page headline of the local paper the Cornishman in the wake of the Harbour Commissioner's vote by 7-6 to turn down the chance of a £5 million pound fish market with only having to invest (through borrowings) just over a million pounds of its own money. Both sides of the story were well reported in the paper on the inside pages and no doubt there will be a number of letters to the editor in next week's edition.  


The new editor of the paper headlined the editorial section with the words, "Opportunity for progress missed? We want answers."