After conducting private negotiations for some months, negotiations that were discovered by accident after an FOI to a government department revealed an email, DHB announced on Wednesday 14th November that they had reached an agreement to sell their Freight Services Agency (FSA) to Motis.

"Long Term Future of the FSA secured", was the headline on the press release accompanying the announcement. It is believed that the future of the FSA was only in doubt because of DHB's privatisation plans, a community solution to the future of the port secures this profit centre for the business within the overall business. Employees of the FSA have been told that they will become subject to TUPE to the new owners on 30th November 2012. This partial privatisation of the port's operation comes at a time when a community decision on the future of the entire port is eagerly anticipated and runs counter to the best interests of the stakeholders. The DHB is still a company that is firmly in the public sector, it is not a private commercial enterprise.

There appears to have been no tendering process and no effort to ensure best value made by the DHB in securing the privatisation of this part of their undertaking. This latest sale of part of the business follows a pattern set by the DHB over the last few years of outsourcing key functions with little or no regard for local community or other stakeholders.

Stop this private sale, whether piecemeal or wholesale, of our port.

Dover Forever - Pencester Gardens 8th September 2012 1030-1300

Come along to 'Dover Forever' at Pencester Gardens on Saturday 8th September 2012 between 1030 and 1300. Live music from young local bands on the bandstand, stands in the park promoting community based activities, Western Heights Preservation Society, Dover Town Team. Demonstrate opposition to Dover Harbour Board's  plans to sell the port by signing the Charter. Speakers include Lord Glasman, Charlie Elphicke and the Deputy Leader of UNITE the Union. Messages of support from Labour Shadow Cabinet and Clair Hawkins.

Enjoy the music and the family atmosphere, then why not make a day of it and visit the Grand Shaft, Roman Painted House and some of Dover's historic churches.

Click here to view the presentation

Over two sessions on 13th July 2012, Charlie Elphicke MP, Lord Maurice Glasman and Neil Wiggins, Chair of DPPT, presented the case against privatisation of the Port of Dover, gave advice on how to make a submission to the Department for Transport and highlighted the fact that there was a constructive alternative available that would deliver ownership of the port to the people of Dover and Dover District in Perpetuity for the Nation.

The above link will open the presentation that Neil Wiggins gave in a new window.

After many months of work in the background, including a change to UK legislation in the Public Bodies Act 2011 which allows the Secretary of State for Transport to make an order requiring the Dover Harbour Board to wind itself up and transfer all of its functions, assets and liabilities to a new organisation defined in the order, DPPT is ready to accept the mass membership for which it was constituted.

During the first week of March 2012 letters and application forms will be sent out to every address within the Dover District inviting eligible persons and businesses to become members of the Trust by buying a Membership share for £10. The application forms and letters will be arriving as a bulk post from Royal Mail, please look out for them and do not file with the junk mail. Membership application forms will also be available to download from the membership page of this website as will a full copy of the Society's rules and constitution.

Dover Town Referendum (Parish Poll) Result

The Question: "Do you oppose the private sale of the Port of Dover as proposed by the Dover Harbour Board and support its transfer to the community of Dover instead?"

The Answer:       

Yes = 5244

No = 113

 Spoiled papers = 22

Turnout  25%

 97.5% in favour of Communitisation, a People's Port.

Separate Polls have been conducted by The Dover Society and the UNITE union.

Results for onboard polls are unknown as yet, but the Dover Society Poll and UNITE Poll results are below:

Dover Society Poll:  

Yes = 264

No = 11

Abstain = 3

Replies from 62.6% of members

94.96% in favour of Communitisation, a People's Port.

UNITE Poll:

UNITE asked two questions in the poll that they conducted and the results are expressed as a percentage of those members who responded.

Are You Against Privatisation of the Port of Dover as Proposed by the Dover Harbour Board?

93% of respondents said that, yes they were against the privatisation.

Are You in Favour of the Transfer of the Port of Dover to Community Ownership?

88% of respondents said that, yes they were in favour of Communitisation.

View comments

Post a comment

We have established a community trust - the Dover People's Port Trust Limited ("People's Port Trust"). Anyone can donate to help our cause and everyone will be welcome to invest in our project. Anyone living in the Dover District will be able to become a member and have a stake in the future of our community. The photo is the community bid being delivered to the Prime Minister at No 10 Downing Street. A summary of what we hope to achieve can be found here.

We believe the gateway to the nation should not be sold off overseas. We want to see investment that is needed to make the best of the port for everyone living in Dover and for the UK as a whole. Our vision is to create a new partnership between the town, port and ferry companies - a partnership that will make Dover a really amazing place for travel, to visit and enjoy.

The Peoples Port would show what a great difference the Big Society could make. The port is worth hundreds of millions of pounds. This is a project that is all about us getting together to fight poverty and deprivation.

We hope to forge our prosperity anew. Our community has seen too few jobs and money in recent times and we want to change that.