Our case: Call to action to uphold democratic standards

Bristol's harbour community are seeking a Judicial Review against Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees' Cabinet decision to implement unreasonable new harbour fees and charges, without conducting stakeholder consultation. 

Consultation was promised repeatedly over the course of the last five years. We want to hold Bristol City Council (BCC) to account for making these promises and then subsequently abandoning the process altogether with no warning, giving harbour users just three months' notice before imposing unreasonable new fees upon us. In some cases this represents an increase of over 150%, pushing many stakeholders into financial hardship.

We anticipate that significant legal fees will be incurred by our case against BCC. As a community-driven case, we desperately need your support. We are asking for financial contributions towards legal costs. Please donate if you can and share this page now!

What we want to achieve 

We want BCC to conduct the consultation that was promised. We are holding local government to account and upholding democratic standards in order to protect the rights and interests of citizens.

We want to build a new, constructive relationship based on transparency and trust with BCC. We want to help turn the harbour into an inclusive, accessible place which is an asset for the city and which incorporates the interests, needs and ideas of the people who bring life to the harbour; this can only be achieved through meaningful consultation.

Next steps 

If BCC continues with their planned implementation of fees, our next step will be to issue a Claim for Judicial Review in the High Court. This has to happen before 23rd April.

We urgently need to raise an initial fund of £10,000 towards legal costs. Keith Lomax, at the Bristol-based firm Watkins Solicitors is acting for the three claimants. Keith is a highly-experienced and respected specialist in JR cases. You can find out more about Keith here.The three claimants bringing the action are; Bristol Boaters Community Association, Bristol Cruising Club and Cabot Cruising Club. 

These three clubs represent hundreds of boat owners in the Bristol Docks.

Thank you for your time and for considering our cause.

Please help us by pledging a contribution to the Bristol Boaters JR Fund.

We will donate any surplus funds to harbour based businesses who initiate community outreach and inclusion initiatives.