NYC ‘Supersleuth’ CHRIS BOURNE

NYC’s ‘Supersleuth’ CHRIS BOURNE

• – an “In My View” article by NIGEL WARD highlighting a thoroughly disreputable example of North Yorkshire Council high-handedness, disrespect and rank stupidity at managerial level.

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Background

Beginning around the time of the replica Spanish galleon ‘Andalucia’ visiting Whitby and Scarborough Harbours (8th – 22nd July 2024, inc.), I found myself receiving angry and indignant reports from Harbour-users of both ports (fishermen, crabbers, charter-skippers, yachtsmen and leisure-craft users) expressing extreme disgust at the spectacle of the two Harbour Masters (elsewhere described as ‘Harbour Managers’) – i.e. ‘Captain’ Gary PEARSON (Whitby) and ‘Captain’ James BUCK (Scarborough) – strutting around the the Harbours seizing every available photo-opportunity to flaunt the full insignia and regalia accorded to real Merchant Marine ‘Captains’ – i.e. Master Mariners. Could it be true?

The bone of contention is that these regalia/insignia are not to be bandied about willy-nilly, but are earned through many years’ service on the high seas, entailing a climb through the ranks until the command of a vessel has been merited through demonstrable competence and experience.

Whitby Harbour Master Gary PEARSON

Harbour-users in Whitby, many of whom have themselves climbed a good part of the way up this highly-demanding ladder, have taken it as a personal insult that the relatively new Whitby Harbour Master, Gary PEARSON, (who, I am told, has reputedly never served a day at sea and, in fact, began his career with (then) Scarborough Borough Council quite literally hosing down fish-boxes on the Fish Quay), has been sporting a Mercantile Marine Master Mariner’s (Captain’s) uniform.

I am reminded, from my time in Hambourg, of a rather apt German maritime colloquialism – “Speigattaffen” [Compound noun (pl.): ‘Speigatt’ = scupper; ‘Affen’ – monkeys], quite literally, the “scupper monkeys” who sweep excess water off the deck through holes in the gunwhales and are generally considered to be one rung down the ladder from “grease monkeys” – whose responsibility it is to lubricate winches, davits, tackle and other moving parts.

A ‘Speigattaffe’ and a ‘Kapitan’ are divided in seniority by the full ship’s complement. No wonder, then, that lifelong seamen are affronted by Mr PEARSON flogging his ‘Captain Queeg’ routine.

Below, we see the young Gary PEARSON, obviously at home as one of the lads on the Fish Quay:

The ascent from hosing down fish-boxes to the dizzy heights of Harbour Master represents a prodigious feat of career-advancement for which Gary must be congratulated.

But what could he, or any other NYC employee, hope to gain by antagonising the real mariners with a completely superfluous act of trumpery?

Harbour Master James BUCK

Scarborough Harbour Master James BUCK is no more a Master Mariner than is his Whitby counterpart, Gary PEARSON, but, as this photo shows, he clearly delighted in sporting his Captain’s full dress uniform when joining NYC Councillor Janet JEFFERSON in the limelight for this photo opportunity aboard the ‘Andalucia’:

As for donning the regalia and insignia of a Master Mariner, surely the must be a law against it. I believe it is commonly know that impersonating a Police Officer is a criminal offence – Police Act 1996 – likewise imperonating a ‘designated officer’ – (Crime & Courts Act 2013).

What are the real Qualifications?

As explained to me, by a recently retired skipper, to achieve the rank of Master Mariner (Captain), one is expected to have served 15 years on the high seas, perhaps on both merchant and RN vessels. But it also requires stringent standards of logistical and adminstrative knowledge: maintenance, engineering, navigation, security, risk assessment and management, ship handling, cargo handling, commercial operations, etc, etc. No mention of hosing down fish-boxes.

In the circumstances of Whitby and Scarborough Harbours, there is also the matter of a Master Mariner’s ticket being required to skipper the dredger, ‘Esk’. As an achievement, attaining the rank of Master Mariner is arguably a position commanding the same order of respect as, say, a barrister, a forensic chartered accountant or a consultant obstetrician.

What does the Law say?

I am informed, by an authorative source, that the relevant legislation is to be found in s.57 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995:

Thus, it would appear to me that Whitby Harbour-users were not without justification in their ‘displeasure’, both on moral/ethical grounds and in terms of the law of the land. Readers are invited to form their own opinions. I do not believe anyone is expecting a prosecution – just that a halt will be called to this rather vulgar display of ostentatious pretension.

First as Tragedy . . . then as Farce

Throughout July and early August, more and more Harbour-users were expressing their anger but, true to maritine tradition, it was not long before bitter and simmering resentment was joined by an element of derisive humour. Some examples from my inbox:

As one wag put it:

“When a monkey takes over the bridge, he doesn’t assume the captaincy; the ship becomes a monkey house!”

A Sensible Resolution

Clearly, it could only be a matter of time before the anger and the contempt began to undermine both Harbour Masters’ authority. They could not be expected to respond well. Neither of them was well-liked before this snub to the ‘lower orders’. Understandably, their stock has not risen.

And it could so easily have been averted.

So, on Tuesday 27th August 2024, I decide to present the problem to NYC’s Karl BATTERSBY, Corporate Director of Environment (including Harbours), in the hope that he would intervene and defuse the burgeoning row with a prudent stroke of his mighty pen. But Karl was on leave.

[Mr Karl BATTERSBY, Corporate Director of Environment (including Harbours), formerly of Rotherham Council, where he gained such experience as he has of harbours and maritime affairs generally. Rotherham is circa 60 miles from the sea.]

However, his PA, Tricia RICHARDS, was good enough to reply on his behalf, pushing me down the glass pyramid to Mr Chris BOURNE (pictured very top), who is Karl’s immediate underling, holding the heady position of Head of Harbours & Coastal Infrastructure. Nothing from Chris.

No word from Karl; no word from Chris. So it’s goodnight from the Two Ronnies.

Late on the evening of Thursday 29th August 2024, I emailed Chris a polite reminder.

Just before close-of-play on the Friday afternoon (an old Council ‘spoil your weekend’ ploy), Chris BOURNE came back to me with a classic NYC “bunker mentality” brush-off.

“I have investigated the matters you have raised and am satisfied that the allegations are not true.

The following article may also be of interest to you Environment Agency waterways stars win back their stripes | Thames Anglers’ Conservancy (rivertac.org)“

Whoa, pretty boy. Chris conducted an “investigation” (overnight, in less than 18 hours?) – which I did not suggest or request – and he did so despite the fact that I made no “allegations”. What I had done was to ask him to intervene and I even offered to work with him to mediate an equitable solution.

The supposedly informative linked article in Chris’s email, by the way, is a 12-year-old limited-circulation press filler about lower ranked naval staff wearing naval uniforms on an inland waterway in the Thames Valley. It has no relevance whatsoever to Whitby & Scarborough Harbours, on the North Sea, in the present day. Sheer bunkum. Clearly, Mr BOURNE places accuracy and due diligence at the very bottom of his priority barrel.

In my brief response to Chris BOURNE, of Tuesday 3rd September 2024, I ventured to ask:

“You tell me you have “investigated”. I hope that, in a spirit of mutual co-operation, you will accede to my request for you to provide me now with the working notes and formal Decision Notice pursuant to your “investigation” without obliging me to engage the Freedom of Information process”.

At that point, Mr BOURNE went to ground. Ting! Gone! Like snow on the water.

However, the very next day (whaddya know?), I received an FOIA acknowledgement from Veritau (NYC’s information disclosure partner, co-owned with City of York Council), making it clear that Mr BOURNE had just shown me his middle finger again. It was to be a FOIA request whether I requested it or not.

So I acknowledged Veritau’s email, offering some detailed clarification of what exactly I was requesting – i.e. any/all recorded information that would show the length and breadth of Chris BOURNE’s so-called “investigation” which, frankly, I did not believe amounted to much more than a couple of Zoom calls.

No acknowledgement from Veritau. No ‘Right of Reply’ comments from Mr BATTERSBY or Mr BOURNE.

But on 24th September 2024, I received NYC’s response to my Freedom of Information request. Stripped of the repetition, it reads:

[The entirety of my emails with NYC on this subject is presented, chronologically, in the embedded-PDF document at the foot of this page and downloadable here].

So, beyond my expectations, Mr BOURNE’s “investigation” amounted to three chats. (In a satirical vein, I can picture them now [i] “No worries, Karl. I’ll soon head this one off at the pass”, [ii) “Gary, I want you to tell me you haven’t been dressing up again”, and [iii] “It’s all very flattering, you attempting to emulate Karl’s  beard, James – but people are calling you Cap’n Birdseye”. We all deserve a levity break from time to time.

But WOW, folks! And roll over, Sherlock! Roll over Poirot! SUPERSLEUTH ‘3-Chat’ BOURNE is now among us.

Surely, readers would agree that this is the second time that Mr BOURNE has found it prudent to evince his respect by raising his middle finger at me? Silly boy!

I could, of course, lodge a Formal Corporate Complaint against Mr BOURNE on grounds of disrespect, but what would be the point? Mr BOURNE holds the elevated position of Head of Harbours & Coastal Infrastructure, wheras I am Joe NOBODY – a snowball in hell. It would surely be dismissed.

I draw that conclusion from the fact that in its first year of existence (1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024), North Yorkshire Council received a total of 174 Code of Conduct Complaints against elected members.

Come year’s end, midnight on 31st March 2024, not a single Complaint had been UPHELD.

But far more disappointingly, another crack in the tentative bridge that former-Harbour Master Chris BURROWS (a genuine Master Mariner) had begun to build before his retirement has opened up.

From my own impressions, it is difficult to see Karl BATTERSBY or Chris BOURNE exhibiting the leadership skills necessary to restoring the Harbours, structurally or harmoniously, to their state before their ring-fenced revenues were diverted to the General Fund. The Court’s ruling on that is keenly awaited.

Meanwhile, the MMO has confirmed that NYC has screwed up the belated applications for the Whitby dredging licence by filling in the application forms all wrong. A little bird tells me it has GP’s fingerprints all over it.

As in so much of the NYC agenda, the disdain in which Officers hold their masters (the sovereign voters) and their clients (the end-users) even extends to their own staff – and elected members. In any unbiased view, an oligarchy of mediocrities is running the show.

What Mr BOURNE would do well to remember, before he disrespects me yet again, is that ordinary people like me lie in the ‘golden’ upper tier of the Democratic Hierarchy, whereas he lies (I use the word advisedly) somewhere in the middle of the bottom tier of arrogant pen-pushers, many of whom suffer from ‘Small Man Syndrome‘.

My Correspondence to and from NYC Harbours