A replacement Windermere car ferry will not be delivered as early as first thought, it has been revealed.
Removal of a total of £4.5m for delivery of the new boat from Westmorland and Furness Council’s capital programme was approved by a meeting of the shadow council’s cabinet on Friday.
The new ferry is to be a speedier, electric model and will replace the existing ‘Mallard’ vessel, which is more than 30 years old.
Last year, Cumbria County Council, which owns and runs the boat, said it was targeting delivery of the new ferry in the spring of 2024. This now appears, however, to be off the table.
In a report produced ahead of Friday’s meeting, Councillor Andrew Jarvis, cabinet member for finance on the Westmorland and Furness shadow authority, said an ‘extensive procurement process’ had taken place and that CCC had made the decision not to award a contract to deliver the replacement ferry.
He said: “Therefore, the existing ferry, the Mallard, will need to remain in service for longer than originally planned.”
A total of £894,000 has been included in W&FC’s 23/24 capital programme for, said Councillor Jarvis, ‘essential works to the ferry and slipway’ and to ‘invest in the infrastructure required for the new, electric ferry’.
Councillor Peter Thornton, cabinet member for highways and assets on the Westmorland and Furness shadow authority, said the authority remained ‘committed’ to ‘providing a reliable and sustainable service on the much-valued Windermere Ferry’.
“We will be picking up the matter from the county council and looking to a new procurement process to secure a new, electric-powered ferry,” he said.
“In the meantime, we will be doing some work on Mallard to extend its life and increase reliability in high winds.”
No estimate has been given for when the new boat will be delivered.
Cllr Keith Little, CCC cabinet member for highways and transport, said last year: “The brand-new electric vessel will be much more reliable, with an improved service for users, able to carry more vehicles and passengers every day whilst reducing emissions.”
The unitary Westmorland and Furness authority, currently working in ‘shadow’ form, is to begin operating from April 1 of this year.
