Cullercoats fishermen say council has 'burned bridges' as boatyard row escalates

Tensions are escalating between council bosses and a group of irate fisherman who claim their livelihoods are being placed under threat.

North Tyneside Council and the Cullercoats Fishermens Association are engaged in a feud over the state of a boatyard in the village. Local authority chiefs are moving to stop boat owners from carrying out repairs to their vessels at the Cullercoats Boatyard, complaining that the Victoria Crescent site has become a cluttered safety hazard plagued with derelict crafts, diesel spills, tractor tyres, and discarded nets.

But fishermen say that the yard has been used for maintenance for generations and have warned that the council’s regulations could risk an end to centuries of maritime heritage in the village, saying they have nowhere else for the work to be done. At a full meeting of North Tyneside Council last week, Labour councillors voted down a Tory motion which called for the fishermen’s future to be safeguarded and for them to be allowed to conduct boat repairs at the yard.

Afterwards, the association’s Paul Robinson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the borough’s ruling party had made a “cocktail of unfounded accusations, misrepresentations, and downright lies” and accused the council of having burned its bridges with the fishing community. During the council debate last Thursday night, Tory councillor Lewis Bartoli said that fishing remains a living, breathing part of the North East and fishermen deserve “nothing less than our full support”.

But Labour’s Jane Shaw told colleagues that she lives within view of the boat yard and has watched it deteriorate and become less used over the years, reporting that she had only witnessed two of its boats launched from Cullercoats this year. Coun Shaw said: “Yes, Cullercoats has a proud fishing heritage. But, sadly, fishing is no longer a significant part of our economy. While there are many reasons for that, I am confident to say that none are the responsibility of this council.”

After Labour moved to amend the Tory motion and cut a line which would have committed the council to “protecting the fishermen’s livelihoods and supporting their traditional way of life”, Coun Bartoli replied: “Why would they want this section removed if they weren’t trying to harm the fishermen’s future?”

Labour mayor Norma Redfearn later accused the fishermen of having failed to produce a plan of how to grow their industry, while Coun Shaw added that she was “as sad as anyone” that fishing in Cullercoats was no longer thriving “but it just doesn’t happen”.

The Cullercoats and Whitley Bay South representative said: “The whole situation is just really sad. Perhaps if the boatyard gets tidied up and isn’t such a health hazard, then other people would want to use it and maybe we will get something going in Cullercoats.”

Speaking to the LDRS on Friday, Mr Robinson claimed the debate represented “the funeral of democracy in North Tyneside Council”. He said: “There was a stage-managed debate and pre-determined outcome. When your own elected representatives won’t support you on things, you must take help from others who will and have offered it. The ward councillors and others destroyed the spirit of the motion by an amendment which bears almost no resemblance to the motion itself.”

Mr Robinson added: “It shows a very poor knowledge of the practical requirements and statutory obligations placed upon fishermen and their vessels. The sheer nastiness and hostility of some of the comments was breathtaking. In the end, disputes require negotiation. That was not a good example of how to proceed. Instead of building bridges, they have burned and destroyed them.”

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