Trust port board seminars

Towards the end of 2009 the BPA held a successful first revised trust port briefing in Gloucester which was attended by board representatives from Newport, Gloucester and Teignmouth trusts. The programme included presentations by the DfT on port and transport policy, harbour duties and powers as well as a presentation on the Port Marine Safety Code.

Governance issues and some practical examples of “board dilemmas” were covered and discussed. For England and Wales this was the first exercise covering the Modernizing Trust Ports 2 guidance and we look forward to rolling this out further in 2010.

In Scotland, where the MTP2 document does not yet apply, we have suggested to the Scottish Government that it would be useful to have a series of briefing seminars, primarily aimed at new board members, using the existing guidelines but at the same time initiating a discussion on the usefulness of the changes enshrined in MTP2. We are now making plans for a first seminar and will contact members in Scotland with details shortly.