Keith, what you have to understand is, Dover Harbour Board is a State asset. It is owned by and run by itself, namely "the Board". Its profits cannot be invested other than in the Port (which then also includes salaries and pensions to DHB staff).
But it ultimately comes under the control of the Central Government, including the Department for Transport, and even the Cabinet.
It cannot be sold, therefore, or privatised. Unless the Government changes the Law on Trust Ports.
OK, if you've come thus far, try understanding what I've been pointing out all this time, and also in my representations:
it should remain a State asset, with its profits being invested only in the Port, therefor none of the Port's income could be invested in the town or anywhere else. It would retain its current Trust status as DHB.
The only difference would be, its status of State asset would be transferred from Central to Local Gov. Full Stop.
This would ensure it is nominally part of the Local Community! End of, Keith!
It would still be RUN by DHB, NOT by councillors, Keith!!!! OK?
Any town revenues, or district revenues, would come through a separate Port income, valid for all British ports, utterly distinct from the Port income. If we start detracting income from the Port's existing revenues for local regeneration in town and countryside, the Port would go bust, and at the most we'd get peanuts from it anyway.
The Port's existing revenue income cannot afford to finance the town and district, it's possibly not even enough for the Port's pension liabilities! Let alone a T2, the £87 million of restructuring necessary at Eastern Docks AND the Town and district!
Hopefully I don't need to repeat this over and again, Keith. Try reading my representation, it is in public domain, ask the DfT to send you a copy of it, or ask me, and I'll send you a digital copy.
Keith, if you had taken part in the original public consultation as I did, or Vic did, you would have received at some point all the copies of every other relevant representation, in 2010, and would have been able to read all the details with regards to DHB's financial situation.
So, once again, my proposal for a transfer form Central to Local Gov. is simply so that the Port remains a State asset, cannot be sold, and also becomes nominally part of the local Community! Right
