ALDERNEY is to ask Guernsey for extra money for next year. The Policy and Finance Committee has agreed to do that after seven years of financial support with no real increase.
Since 2000, Alderney’s annual allocation has increased in absolute terms by just 12%. Savings have been made by postponing work and projects ‘ last year the island took less from the States of Guernsey than the year before ‘ but committee chairman Richard Willmott said that that could not go on.
‘In 2008 and beyond, it is almost certain that it will be necessary to request an increase in the revenue allocation from Guernsey. It is considered that such a request is both equitable and reasonable given the very real sacrifices that have been made over the past seven years.’
Mr Willmott said that corporate tax reform in 2008 had no impact on the request, but the change would also make Alderney’s finances more difficult. The Alderney committee has not yet spoken to Guernsey’s Treasury and Resources over the matter. But Mr Willmott pointed out that Alderney, which received £1.4m. in direct cash subsidy from Guernsey last year ‘ the value of transferred services such as health and education are not calculated ‘ raised ‘600,000 in document duty and thousands of pounds through indirect tax, all of which were paid to Guernsey.
The States of Alderney published its accounts for 2006 last week with outcomes ahead of projections. It made ‘29,000 more than expected and spent ‘148,000 less.
But it spent only ‘273,000 of nearly ‘1m. set aside for capital expenditure and Mr Willmott said that the practice of deferring projects year after year could not continue.
Alderney’s States should debate its capital priorities soon.
‘It’s a debate we’ve been having internally,’ he said, ‘and it’s right and proper that we should have that debate publicly.
‘It’s about making sure that some of these things actually happen. We have had a list of projects broken down into years and every year they all move to the right.’
With about ‘800,000 available now, plus an annual ‘200,000 from Guernsey, the States intends to get to work soon and use external project management to reduce the pressure on scarce staff time.
Mr Willmott said he expected that more money would be forthcoming to deliver the programme.
The States also plans to debate how revenues from gambling licence fees ‘ ‘1.8m. last year in a record year for the Alderney Gambling Control Commission ‘ will be used.
The committee has already agreed the principle that surpluses would be used to fund those elements of the capital expenditure programme, such as housing, which would otherwise be unlikely to happen.
Article posted on 10th April, 2007 - 12.00am
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