Macduff Harbour cuts opposition continues to grow
Opposition continues to grow over cuts a local authority is looking to make at a town’s harbour.
At the budget meeting of Aberdeenshire Council last month, it was voted through to end the nightwatch provision and decommission the ice plant at Macduff Harbour for a saving of £170,000.
The area’s MSP and MP have voiced their opposition against the cuts.
There has also been protest from the fishing industry with a group set up to fight the decision and an online public petition has been created which has nearly 900 signatures.
The local authority looked to axe the nightwatch provision in 2017 but U-turned on this and it was maintained.
Banffshire and Buchan Coast MSP Karen Adam has strongly condemned Aberdeenshire Council’s decision to remove the nightwatch service at Macduff Harbour, warning that the move poses significant safety risks, threatens the harbour’s long-term viability and undermines the local economy.
The decision, made without consultation with key stakeholders such as harbour users, the harbour master or local businesses, has caused widespread alarm in the fishing industry and the wider community.
The nightwatch service plays a crucial role in monitoring harbour activity, responding to emergencies and ensuring the safety of vessels and personnel.
The MSP said she is taking immediate action, having written to Aberdeenshire Council, the Scottish Government and Transport Scotland to ensure they are aware of the potential hazards this will cause.
She said: “The nightwatch service is not just a security measure, it is a vital safety provision.
“Harbours are busy working environments, and removing this service puts vessels, workers and the public at unnecessary risk.
“If an accident occurs overnight, there will be no one on site to respond, and that could have catastrophic consequences.”
The MSP has raised constituents concerns that the council may be in breach of the Port Marine Safety Code and health and safety obligations, given the critical nature of the nightwatch role.
She outlined that beyond the immediate safety concerns, this decision threatens the local economy and the long-term sustainability of Macduff Harbour. The port is a key economic driver, supporting the fishing industry, shipbuilding and local businesses.
The MSP added: “To push through a cut of this magnitude without consultation is completely unacceptable.
“The council failed to engage with those who rely on the harbour daily, and that is simply not good enough.
“Decisions that affect public safety and the economy should be made in an open and accountable manner.”
Ms Adam has pledged to fight alongside local campaigners to try to overturn this decision. She has met with them to discuss the next steps and coordinate efforts while having an ongoing dialogue.
She said: “I want to assure everyone in Macduff and the wider Banffshire and Buchan Coast community that I will not let this issue go unanswered.
“I am pressing for a full review of this decision and for the council to reverse it before irreversible damage is done.”
The MSP is now awaiting responses from the Sccottish Government, Transport Scotland and Aberdeenshire Council on what intervention can be taken to ensure harbour safety is not compromised.
John Clark, harbour users group spokesperson, said: “These cuts could endanger folks' lives and jeopardise the local community of Macduff and its wider community.”
Meanwhile, Aberdeenshire North and Moray East MP Seamus Logan and Troup councillor Ross Cassie have also hit out at the decision by the administration in Aberdeenshire Council to cut the Nightwatch service at Macduff Harbour saying it is “ill thought-out and economic illiteracy”.
Mr Logan said: “This is a deeply concerning decision by the administration councillors of Aberdeenshire Council.
“I had a useful discussion with my colleague Councillor Ross Cassie who represents Troup ward and has been leading the fight against the cuts.
“Ross has my full support in his efforts and I will be making my own representations to Aberdeenshire Council urging a rethink.”
The council commissioned MKA Economics to produce an economic development plan for the harbour which outlined the port supports around 280 jobs and injects £11.2 million into the local economy.
Councillor Cassie said: “The decision taken by the administration to cut the nightwatch service at Macduff Harbour is as wrong and ill thought-out now as it was when last attempted in 2017.
“This is a vital service for all harbour users ensuring safe movement about the harbour.
“They carry out many functions in and around the harbour ensuring safety for all users and the public and this important service should not be cut just to save a few bob.
“This decision will impact on the whole of Macduff as their impact assessment correctly identified area deprivation as a possible risk.
“To threaten the local economy to the tune of £11.2 million to save £150,000 is nothing short of economic illiteracy.
“I will continue to speak up and speak out as this is too important.
“An entire town and its local environs are being sacrificed on the altar of austerity.”
An Aberdeenshire Council spokesman said: “The Macduff Harbour watchperson posts were created in the 1980s to patrol the harbour and ensure safety and security outside of normal working hours.
“However, activity at Macduff Harbour has changed considerably since that time, with the complete loss of cargo traffic and a substantial reduction in commercial fishing activity.
“In light of those changes, the discontinuation of the watchperson posts was identified and approved as a saving during the 2025/26 revenue budget agreed by Full Council on February 27.
“We continue to work with and support those colleagues impacted by the decision.
“The harbour continues to be covered by a 24/7 CCTV system which is monitored during the daytime shift with recordings available at all other times.”
