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Here is a copy/paste from the latest Dover Chamber of Commerce newsletter produced by the Chief Executive, David Foley, on this subject...
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On the BBC 2 Newsnight programme on 3rd October 2012, the MP for Dover and Deal, Charlie Elphicke, made a dramatic announcement about the port of Dover. W ith Waterloo Bridge in the background, he suggested that the demise of the Dover Harbour Board might be drawing nearer. If not quite yet 'the nearest run thing you ever saw'. The President of the Dover District Chamber of Commerce said: "If we look at what is happening in Dover with the People's Port project to take over the Port of Dover, we are expecting a decision in the next month." He then listed some of the government's recent other initiatives to devolve power away from "centralised departments or localised authorities". Back in the studio, a subsequent interview provoked the comment from Phillip Blond, the Director of ResPublica and arch champion of Big Society initiatives, that: "If Dover gets its People's Port - brilliant." Charlie Elphicke's words mark the first public statement from Westminster that the extensive consultation over the future of the Port of Dover may be reaching a conclusion. Bidding to buy the port is Dover People's Port Trust Ltd (DPPTL) which has the fulsome support of the union Unite and the Labour peer Lord Glasman. In March last year, 97.5% of the Dover population who cast their vote in a parish poll opted for a community owned port rather than see Dover Harbour sold to remote interests, most likely overseas. DPPTL has set itself the target of ensuring that more of the passengers passing through Dover should become customers of East Kent companies and aims to reverse the decline in traffic which, with the exception of road haulage vehicles, has fallen steadily since 1997 as the following data shows.
Year
Passengers
Tourist Cars
Coaches
Lorries
1997
21,463,570
3,558,355
165,002
1,602,863
2011
12,764,699
2,653,127
84,938
2,069,945
Change
-41%
-25%
-49%
+29%
Source: Annual Traffic Statistics, Port of Dover 2012.
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Sorry the chart did not paste properly but it can be read by comparing the top line under each , the second and so on.