New coalition Government set to end port rates fiasco

WAITING on Westminster...

That is the position our ports companies find themselves in as the new Government prepares to right the wrongs of the previous administration and abolish backdated port rates.

Newly-elected North East Lincolnshire MP Martin Vickers has been told to expect an announcement next week by Bob Neill, the Conservative who championed the issue from the port offices of Immingham shipping giant DFDS.

A view of Grimsby taken from the Dock Tower.

And with the Liberal Democrats following the Tory lead pre-election and stating they too would scrap the charges, the coalition's take on the issue would appear to be a no-brainer.

A freeze on collections is most likely, to be followed by legislation to ensure firms are not liable for backdated charges when the mistake lies with the Valuation Office Agency.

For more details – and the pledges of key players in the move – see today's Grimsby Telegraph.