Background to the harbour board
The Ilfracombe Harbour Board was formed in November 2007 following an assessment of recommendations made in the central Government produced publication, 'Opportunities for Ports in Local Authority ownership: A review of Municipal Ports in England and Wales', and also the findings of the independent review, 'The Future Governance of Ilfracombe Harbour' undertaken by Marine Enforcement Limited, after a period of consultation with the residents of Ilfracombe.
The recommendations and findings of these pieces of work clearly demonstrated that governance arrangements required change and that a dedicated harbour board should be formed that provided an open, accountable and fit for purpose management structure.
To support the harbour's governance arrangements and involve harbour users and community groups, a harbour community group has been established, called the Ilfracombe Community Harbour Forum. This group is linked to Ilfracombe Harbour Board within the board's constitution and provides a mechanism for harbour related issues, proposed projects and other aspects being considered by the harbour board to be discussed in a relatively informal setting and form part of the formal consultation mechanism for the harbour board.