THE HEAD of Newlyn's beleaguered harbour commission has vowed to look to the future, despite the board losing four of its 11 members within 24 hours last week.
The trust port authority was rocked to its foundations last Tuesday when three commissioners were voted out: John Lambourn, Nick Howell and Juliet Taylor. Another member, Dave Munday, resigned in protest at a board meeting the following morning.
A week on, chairman Gilbert McCabe admitted the upheaval had caused him to reflect on his role.
"If I had known we were going to have this level of lack of cohesion a year ago, I wouldn't have taken the chairmanship," he told The Cornishman.
Mr McCabe defended his decision to allow a secret ballot to evict the trio, saying all commissioners had been involved in the decision and "well over the majority said we are just not functioning properly".
"If a board fails to act cohesively, it either must fold or you have to remove those who are in the way," he said.
Defend
The most recent incarnation of the harbour commission began 12 months ago with the Department for Transport appointing its members under the Harbour Revision Order.
Facing its first big challenge, members voted against funding for a new £5m fish market on the basis that it needed to get its house in order first.
And Mr McCabe said much of the past year had been taken up with reviewing the running of the harbour, with cash being spent on new fendering and property consultants among other things.
"The expectation was high and I think when we made that vote in August (against the fish market), a lot of the steam was let out," he said. "People said it was our last chance but I said it was our first chance."
The evicted commissioners had been among the most vocal in calling for changes in the port.
But according to Mr McCabe, some board members had been unwilling to leave their baggage at the door and he hinted that bickering had blighted the board.
"The lack of respect, the lack of trust, led to an undermining of the ability of the board to function effectively," he said. "I would never expect 11 people to agree with each other, but I would expect that they would give each other a fair, unprejudiced and unbiased hearing."
A statement issued on behalf of "the people of Newlyn" earlier this week claimed the chairman had acted in an "unconstitutional and arbitrary way" and was now "trying to concoct a puppet board".
It read: "Outsider Gilbert McCabe has led a path of destruction against all regeneration and future prospects for Newlyn, and has failed to provide leadership or dynamism."
But Mr McCabe rejected calls for his resignation, saying he had the backing of his fellow board members. "If the majority of the commission were dissatisfied by my performance in any way, I would step down immediately.
"The key goal in the short term is to make the harbour work better than it does today."
article copyright THE CORNISHMAN