Thanet scales back port plans
0Thanet District Council is scaling back plans for its ferry port that could be crucial to post-Brexit shipping.
The Port of Ramsgate, which is owned by the Kent council, has not run a ferry service since 2013 and is closed while dredging work is carried out and paid for by a private firm.
The port is the second closest to France but has not been included in government contingency plans.
The council’s deadline for setting a budget and closing a funding gap of £1.8m means that, as one of its biggest costs, expenditure for the port will be cut.
If there is no contract to start a ferry operation by 7 February, then £500,000 of investment will be removed and a further £130,000 of savings, totalling £630,000 (or £730,000 in a full year) will be made.
A report to councillors warned: “There is limited scope for future investment in new assets or making improvements to existing building.”
