New Forest District Council’s recommendation not to support £250,000 Hythe ferry repairs blasted by Cllr David Harrison

A lack of council funding to reinstate the Hythe ferry has been blasted as a “shocking failure”.

As reported in the A&T, the service, which connects Hythe and Southampton, has been out of action since last August after engineers declared the boarding pontoon unsafe.

The Hythe and Southampton Ferry Company, which was set up in 2023 following Red Funnel’s purchase of the service, says it needs £250,000 for a new pontoon as the existing one cannot be repaired.

Earlier this month a plea to Conservative-run New Forest District Council to support the “well-loved” historic service with a one-off £60,000 grant was dismissed, which has been branded “shocking” by Cllr David Harrison of the Lib Dem opposition.

He said: “Surely, the district council should be allocating a small amount of the CIL [Community Infrastructure Levy] monies it receives every year from development in the area?

“Despite the revenue deficit that the county council has, it could very easily find a capital sum to repair the pier and permit the service to run as the best of the season approaches? One can't help but conclude that it is only party politics that is getting in the way here. Everyone suffers when a transport link isn't functioning.”

A report to NFDC’s cabinet, which is set to meet on Wednesday, says there is a lack of detail about the proposal to rebuild the pontoon, including what other options have been looked at.

It notes while the ferry encourages tourism, improves connectivity to jobs, education and leisure, as well as having environmental benefits and being “an important part” of local heritage and culture, there has already been “significant” public subsidy.

The report states: “There is no guarantee that the ferry will continue to operate on a sustainable financial footing in the future. In this regard, the complexity of the ownership of the different components of the service creates further uncertainty [and] a lack of wider funding commitment.

“Officers have not been made aware of any other funding commitments made by either the current operator/owner or indeed the two councils with statutory responsibility for transport on this route – Southampton City Council and Hampshire County Council.”

However, the report says if infrastructure improvements can be secured through a new pontoon “over and above the previous operation model”, the project may be eligible for bidding for funding from the Community Infrastructure Levy.

In 2021 the district council agreed to pay £7,500 a month for three months in a bid to keep the service afloat after Lee Rayment, managing director of operator Blue Funnel Ferries, had warned it faced going under.

In the same year a fundraiser by local resident Ashleigh Mutimear – who now works for the Hythe and Southampton Ferry Company – also helped bring in much-needed funds after her target of £37,500 was reached thanks to generous donors.

A book by local author and illustrator Simon Chadwick, which told the tale of a friendly seal, also helped to raise £10,000.

A spokesperson for the Hythe and Southampton Ferry Company said: “Whilst we understand NFDC has contributed to the ferry service in the past, we must stress that under the current ownership, the Hythe and Southampton Ferry Company has received no financial support.

“All operational and emergency infrastructure costs to date have been covered solely by our parent company. Support in the form of a one-off contribution from the council will open up funding opportunities from an anonymous donor and our parent company Red Funnel Group.”