Peel Ports drop Clyde Conservancy Fee While Increasing Medway Fees by 5.4%
Peel Ports have published the 2026 Port of Sheerness – Port Dues and Charges with Leisure fees up by 5.4%
At the same time it is in the news that Peel Ports have abandoned their plan to impose a £100 annual conservancy fee on leisure craft sailing on the Clyde.
The following is copied from the Facebook page of Kenneth Gibson MSP
More information on BBC News
Peel Ports has abandoned its controversial plan to impose a £100 annual “conservancy fee” on leisure craft sailing in the Clyde.
The proposal, which sparked widespread opposition, would have affected thousands of recreational boaters across the Clyde from Glasgow to Arran.
Historically, conservancy charges have been levied on commercial vessels to support the ongoing management and upkeep of the port area. However, extending these charges to non-commercial craft raised significant concerns regarding their proportionality.
Kenneth Gibson MSP commented:
“I am delighted that Peel Ports has dropped this ill-conceived Clyde estuary tax.
“The proposal was deeply unfair and would have had a damaging impact on tourism and the marine industry.
“Some clubs may have faced closure and many boaters questioned whether they should keep their vessels on the Clyde.
“Peel Ports failed to provide valid justification for the fee, and it looked very much like exploiting leisure boat owners as an easy source of income.
“While I hope this proposal stays shelved, Scottish Ministers must also remain vigilant and be prepared to take legislative steps if such proposals resurface.”
ENDS
The business model of peel ports is no different to the car ownership under government control, tax tax tax & more tax, what ever name you want to call it, the UK across the board is drowning in debt, and governments agencies can’t wait to add a bit more, pensioners paying tax in 2027 on a state pension, pay per mile tax on eved vehicles in 2028, the UK is a country in debt government & personal, it owns very little anymore of anything utilities shipping energy the list is endless, we rely on imports, and growth to pay for them, that relies on the masses buying, and our dismal GDP tells the story of Britain’s slow decline in that department, when a family do well achieve assets, but king & governments take those assets, and inheritance cost from the dead is paid by the living, that’s the cruelest tax in the world, peel ports are just another of many agency’s of governments who are untouchable, charging a private person to sail on a river is just what the UK is, don’t pay we take it away, good luck