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What facilities is there at your local charter pontoon ?


glennk

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I was talking to some of the local skippers yesterday who are still sounding rather peed off with Scarborough borough council for not providing them with any toilets. This got me wondering, are they just moaning minnies or have reel issues. I would like to learn of what facilities are available in other ports and what the local councils provide across our country.

I have to admit I have a dislike of scarborough council. It appears to me they are running a business rather than providing services. A view of the prices at the local leisure centre and a comparison to those up the road in cleveland confirm that for me. But thats a side issue and just my opinion.

 

What is available at your local charter port ? Toilets ? showers ? electric ? Or sod all ? do you have to take a p in public and risk your neck on broken planks ? (thinking of going down that one myself and getting a claim in).

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ANGRY Whitby charter boat skippers are refusing to pay their passenger dues until the borough council provides public toilets for their customers.

 

But if they fail to pay up, Scarborough Council could take legal action against them.

As reported last week in the Whitby Gazette, the charter boat skippers claim the closure of public toilets in Church Street is driving their customers away and ruining their businesses.

Up to 200 customers who arrive at 5am after journeys of as much as three hours desperately need to use the toilet before they get onto the boats for a day's fishing.

With no public toilets open they are urinating in the street.

Whitby Charter Boat Skippers Association members have each been invoiced by Scarborough Council for £462.48 for passenger dues.

Association secretary Jon Whitton said: "This is an extra charge over and above harbour and pontoon dues and it amounts to more than £7,000 a year from our members alone.

"Whitby is the largest centre for sea anglers on the east coast and the business is estimated to be worth more than £2m a year to the local economy.

"But there are other places and if the borough council continues to refuse to provide our customers with the basic facilities they need they'll go elsewhere."

Chairman of the skippers' association Paul Kilpatrick said the charter boat skippers had a contract with the borough council to moor at a pontoon next to Church Street because there were public toilets and parking facilities close by.

"The council got grant money to install the pontoon and at the beginning we had to sign a contract with them to use it for at least five years.

"We agreed because of the facilities.

"But they have reneged on the contract by closing the toilets."

But Scarborough Council claims the Church Street toilets, which were the only ones in the town to stay open all night, were heavily vandalised and used by drug addicts.

Council officer Bernard Goulding, head of street scene, said: "They were a particular problem. We were pulling out between 20 and 30 needles every day from the drains that were constantly blocked.

"And the cleaners who looked after them were often threatened by drug users. As a result they became too costly to maintain."

Officer John Riby who is in charge of harbours said: "I think it's misguided of the boat skippers to withhold their dues and if they continue to refuse to pay we will have to take appropriate action, possibly a legal one."

Coun Beryl Christon, portfolio holder for harbours who voted for closing the toilets, said she is not responsible for them and had no comment to make.

Coun Jane Mortimer, who is responsible for public health, said the council had offered to let the fishing association take over the toilets and pay for their maintenance.

Mr Whitton said that offer had been rejected because the association already pays harbour and passenger dues which members feel should be used to provide services like toilets.

 

taken from

 

http://www.whitbytoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2....ticleID=1582399

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What is available at your local charter port ? Toilets ? showers ? electric ? Or sod all ? do you have to take a p in public and risk your neck on broken planks ? (thinking of going down that one myself and getting a claim in).

 

Hi Glenn

 

Here's my list

 

Falmouth - public toilets, car park near by, pontoon boarding

 

Exmouth - toilets in cafe, car park near by, pontoon boarding

 

Dartmouth (Kingsweir) - toilets in Royal Dart hotel, car park near by, pontoon boarding

 

Salcombe - public toilets, car park near by, board from edge of slipway

 

Weymouth - no toilets nearby, car parking a nightmare in summer, pontoon boarding

 

Minehead - public toilets nearby, car park 200m away, steps down harbour wall - often have to climb across 2 boats to yours

 

Clovelly - pub toilets, car park 500m away up steep hill, steps down harbour wall

 

All the best

 

Dave

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glennk

 

would it not be an idea for the charter skippers to ask the council for a key for the toilets

 

then open them for the anglers early and before they sail lock them again job done

 

or is this to compilicated for council/skippers

Women need a reason to have sex. Men just need a place.

 

The difference between light and hard is that you can sleep with a light on.

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glennk

 

would it not be an idea for the charter skippers to ask the council for a key for the toilets

 

then open them for the anglers early and before they sail lock them again job done

 

or is this to compilicated for council/skippers

 

Not sure about that Les. My current uderstand of the situation is that the toilets are to be demolished in the next couple of weeks so that wont be a possibility then :schmoll:

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glennk

 

would it not be an idea for the charter skippers to ask the council for a key for the toilets

 

then open them for the anglers early and before they sail lock them again job done

 

or is this to compilicated for council/skippers

 

Les you say why not let the council give the skippers a key to open the toilets for there customers sounds like a great idea , but here is the snag i personally had a meeting with representatives from sbc and they were hell bent on finding any way what so ever in not leasing or reopening the tiolets the first thing they said was if we give you a key for the toilets to open for your customers we want £7000 a year off you and if there is any problem with the drains these charges would also be imposed upon you for any work carried out.

This council are just unbelievable but the best thing was that not one whitby counciler voted to shut these tiolets they were done by scarborough councilers apart from two which live out side of the town and represent villages these tiolets are desperately needed for the anglers who arrive between 5 30 am and 7 am each morning to go fishing any where upto 200 anglers at any one time there is not one toilet now open in whitby for these anglers which may have been travelling any where upto 4 hours to get to whitby .

 

The councilers who voted to shut the toilets didnt even know there was charter angling fleet operating the incompetance beggers beliefe with these people the issue has made front page in the whitby gazette and has made news twice since and the council still ignor the issue i understand it is news again this week in the paper we are outraged with this council at the total arragance these people have but the people making the decisions live in scarborough and not whitby it speaks for it self.

 

Also there is is a health issue here by shutting these tiolets people are now been left no choice here as there is no public toilets open but urinate against a wall next to the tiolets which are now closed the council have created a situation where people have been left with the choice of pee against the wall or **** yourself which would you do it is 2006 not 1806 this is short of a discrace.

Edited by big_cod

http://sea-otter2.co.uk/

Probably Whitby's most consistent charterboat

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Dont loose heart Paul. These people have a habbit of holding out and hoping you will go away. Keep letting them know your about and unhappy with their level of service provision - (or non service provision) and they will eventually get sick of you and sort this issue out.

 

I would mention that broken board on your pontton too. Could cost the council big bucks if someone falls down that tomorrow and breaks their leg in true uncle albert style.

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Dont loose heart Paul. These people have a habbit of holding out and hoping you will go away. Keep letting them know your about and unhappy with their level of service provision - (or non service provision) and they will eventually get sick of you and sort this issue out.

 

I would mention that broken board on your pontton too. Could cost the council big bucks if someone falls down that tomorrow and breaks their leg in true uncle albert style.

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Dont loose heart Paul. These people have a habbit of holding out and hoping you will go away. Keep letting them know your about and unhappy with their level of service provision - (or non service provision) and they will eventually get sick of you and sort this issue out.

 

I would mention that broken board on your pontton too. Could cost the council big bucks if someone falls down that tomorrow and breaks their leg in true uncle albert style.

 

If Scarborough Council have problems with their toilets then Scarborough council should sort those problems out shutting them is just a plain cop-out and a disgrace. It is the councils problem NOT the fishermans/boatmans that the facilities are been misused with all those highly paid council chiefs sat in the corridors of power are you telling me that the only option open to them is to close the toilet block? It is pathetic and frankly if it was my desision Id be totally embarassed . Of all the toilets in all the towns/cities,in all the countries in all the world and Scarborough council cannot manage the one on Whitby seafront-PATHETIC. AND it gets worst, they even have the cheek to charge £4.20 to bloody park there.

Anyway I visit regular from nr. Driffield and shall have to continue to pee up the wall cause believe me Im busting.

Moving onto the broken plank now thats an accident waiting to happen I bet if the parking meter had broken it would have been fixed yesterday.

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Facilities? Sheesh, are you a man or his breakfast?

 

We have to swim out to our boat and then paddle 12 miles out to sea, whilst being whipped.

 

:D

 

Actually, come to think of it, there are some bogs.

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