Shipping Minister Mike Penning has called on Dover Harbour Board to publish additional information about plans to privatise the port – the largest ro-ro port in the UK.
The Port of Dover is a trust port, which means it has no owners or shareholders and any surpluses are reinvested in the port. In January 2010, the board published proposals which would enable it to privatise the port.
The minister wants the board to publish further work they have since carried out on the likely impact of the scheme, including details on proposals for a Port of Dover Community Trust and Share Employee Ownership Trust. He also requested a further period of consultation with interested parties, which will begin in the next few days.
The period for further representations is expected to begin in the next few days and will close on 27th August 2010.
Penning said: “Dover is a vital piece of our national infrastructure and it is important that local residents, port users and other organisations have a say in its future. I have therefore asked the board to publish some more information on their plans, as well as providing the opportunity for additional consultation. This will give all individuals with an interest in the Port of Dover a further and better-informed opportunity to comment on the board’s proposals.”
