Changes could be made to the Weymouth Harbour Consultative Group which has been described as ‘not fit for purpose’ by one councillor.

Littlemoor and Preston councillor Louie O’Leary says the group is not representative of all harbour users and needs to be shaken up.

He claims that others need to be considered for membership and if the group is to continue the main harbours committee needs to take notice of what is said at the group’s meetings and consult properly with it.

Richard Bright-Paul says that it appears that no items or feedback from the Weymouth Harbour Consultative Group were brought forward for action by the Harbours Committee in the whole of 2019.

He also says that other complaints about how the group was being run, including a formal complaint, have not been acted on and the group had not been consulted on proposals to relocate the commercial fleet.

“The consultation process in Weymouth is clearly failing on multiple levels.  Is the Harbours Committee not concerned that the failed Weymouth Harbour Consultative Group model is being rolled out, unaltered, to the other two harbours (West Bay and Lyme Regis) without the underlying issues having been in any way diagnosed or addressed?” he said in a question to the main harbours committee.

Cllr O’Leary said there had been many complaints about the consultative group and it needed sorting out if it was to continue.

Harbour committee chairman Mark Roberts said one change which had already been made was that the harbourmaster would no longer have to take the minutes of the meetings. He said he was happy to see an online open meeting to discuss the future of the group with any suggestions being seriously considered.

Said Cllr O’Leary: “Harbour users should pick who their representatives are. I just don’t understand why anyone who doesn’t have a valid claim to the harbour by paying in, is represented.”

He said the issue was also about the ongoing failure to consult the group on topics such as the quayside regeneration and pedestrianisation.

“At the moment it’s a bit of a lame duck group and I think you’ll find plenty of its members who will concur with that,” he said.