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Cllr Deirdre Ferris.
A LOCAL Sinn Féin councillor has asked why fishermen were paying their full harbour fees when she said they were not getting a proper service.
Cllr Deirdre Ferris was very unhappy with the Council’s reply to her motion at the Tralee Municipal District meeting of Kerry County Council on Monday.
She asked that the Council update members on the situation regarding Fenit Pier regarding the lack of concessions on harbour fees as a result of loss of business due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Councillors were informed that the fishing industry continued to operate during the COVID-19 restrictions as it was classified as an essential service and has continued as ‘outdoor work’ since that time.
Therefore the Council does not propose to waive harbour fees for the remainder of 2020. The average berthing fee for fishing boats is €195 per year.
Cllr Ferris said this was not good enough as there is still no CCTV to monitor potential stolen catches and the crane which was promised to be back on the pier in early October after being sent away for repairs, had still not arrived.
At the September meeting of Tralee MD, Cllr Ferris said local fishermen are currently paying €200 per lift to a private company because the Liebherr driver is not insured to lift their boxes out of their boats.
Tralee Municipal District manager Michael Scannell said he had been informed on Monday morning that the crane had been repaired and would be back soon.
