UNPOPULAR proposals to significantly increase harbour fees in Ceredigion should be resurrected as part of a plan to develop the county’s harbours, a consultant has claimed.

Cabinet members agreed on a rise of 21 per cent after angry harbour users in Aberaeron, New Quay and Aberystwyth fought against council proposals to increase the fees by 25 per cent.

But a report from consultants AECOM, appointed to look at how to boost the harbours in the county, have insisted that further fee increases should be considered as part of plans to develop the harbours and increase their role in boosting the economy.

While the report says that the harbours bring in over £7.5m to the county’s economy, the harbours themselves made a loss of over £260,000 which was met by the council.

The report insists that more should be done to attract visiting boats to the harbour by improving facilities and also making improvements that would make the harbours more popular as a destination.

Russell Hughes-Pickering, of the council’s economic and community development service, said: “The issue of council berthing fees versus commercial fees is discussed and a key recommendation is to raise the existing fees.

“This has been agreed by the council in the current financial year, albeit not to the level the report recommends - perhaps giving weight to future increases.

“The report also notes the very low income from visiting boats across all of the harbours and lack of any suitable facilities to attract them.

“The report recommends that the council should consider assessing how the harbours are managed and operated. This is not just a Ceredigion issue; it has been identified as a national issue in the 2017 ports review undertaken separately by the Welsh Government.”

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