The Department of Infrastructure (DOI) has issued an apology after the publication of a proposed motorsport road closure fee increase triggered island wide anger amongst event organisers. The figures, which showed a jump from £275 to £3000 for motorsport events, were described by the Department as an “early internal proposal that was never approved and never intended for public release”.
The Department says the information was placed online by mistake and stresses that the figures were part of an internal discussion paper. It now claims the review of fees and charges is ongoing and is intended to bring costs closer to the actual administrative burden of processing road closure applications. This includes staff time, resources and the wider impact on the community. The Department says it will engage with stakeholders as any future proposals are developed.
Climbdown
This climbdown comes after organisers, a local authority member and businesses reacted with disbelief to the scale of the proposed increase. They were not consulted and many felt blindsided by a document that appeared to show a dramatic shift in policy. The island has already seen rising costs at Jurby Motordrome after the Andreas Racing Association hiked up hire fees and mandatory additional charges for services such as sweepers. When the Department’s fee schedule appeared online, many claimed it was just another government raid on the events.
The political context has now shifted as well. Infrastructure Minister Tim Crookall MHK has confirmed he will not seek re election, although he will remain in post until a successor is appointed after September’ House of Keys election. Organisers want to know who drafted the proposal, who saw it, who allowed it to reach a public page and why no consultation had taken place.
Alarm Bells Still Ringing
An event organiser told Manx.News “whilst we are pleased to hear these charges are not operative, we are highly concerned that they are being discussed in this way in the first place. The alarm bells are very much still ringing”.
The Department’s apology may calm the immediate fuss that this has created, but it does not answer the central questions. The motorsport community wants transparency over who is behind all this and they want accountability. They say that DOI is creating all the processes and procedures for road closures, but are then moaning about the cost of administering it all. It’s simple; make the process less bureaucratic.
They want reassurance that events will not be priced out of existence under the banner of cost alignment. Until those answers arrive, they say this matter is far from over.
