BOAT owners demanded answers about steep price increases to launch from Brightlingsea’s hard at a heated meeting.

About 50 people filled the parish hall for the public meeting organised by Brightlingsea Town Council to discuss the controversial issue.

The Harbour Commissioners, which looks after the hard, wants to change the fees after finding a complicated pricing structure when it took over in 2007.

At the moment, people pay different amounts, based on the length of their boats and engine size.

Some people will see their costs decrease, but others will see huge hikes, thanks to the change.

Until now Brightlingsea residents had to pay £12 a year to launch. However, this will increase to between £25 and £75 with residents losing their discounted rates.

The changes have angered residents, many of who believe they should not have to pay anything to launch as the hard was given to the town by owner William Pannell in 1898.

Gary Humm, who has a boat at the hard, said: “Brightlingsea residents are not happy we’re losing our dispensation for being Brightlingsea residents.

“It was clearly gifted to the town, which means the people.

“I wholeheartedly believe more consultation is needed before this issue can be resolved.

“There is no clear reason the process should have been altered.”

The council ran the hard until 2007 when it decided it needed an outside body to run it to a better standard and more cost effectively.

Some boat owners believe the total cost of the hard should be added to council tax.

Currently a small amount of council tax goes towards paying for it and residents are angry at having to pay for it twice, through existing council tax and the new rates.

But Alan Goggin, councillor responsible for the hard, said what they were asking for was no different to if someone wanted to hold an organised football match on the recreation ground, where they would pay a fee. One resident proposed a vote of no confidence in the way the council had handled the matter, followed by a handful of hands.

Responding, mayor Vivien Chapman, who chaired Monday night’s meeting, said: “We have done our level best. This is not fair on the 11 of us who are sitting here.

“We’ve worked very hard to come to some solution.”

The Harbour Commissioners was unavailable for comment.