Commercialise the airport…
Thursday 5th February 2009, 2:35PM GMT.
THE airport should be commercialised, an independent report has recommended.
Public Services commissioned the operational review against the backdrop of recruitment, retention and standby issues with the Airport Fire Service.
But consultant Frank Burchill’s recommendations are understood to have gone further than many people expected.
‘Operational management should be accountable for collective bargaining and its outcome,’ said the report.
‘This requires the context of a board-level business plan with appropriate targets set for management and monitored.’
Mr Burchill envisaged Public Services retaining responsibility.
‘In principle, the Guernsey Airport authority could be responsible for its own collective bargaining across the whole range of its employees.’
The airport was expected to record an operating surplus of £2.117m. last year and £2.012m. is forecast for 2009.
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Is this the same Frank Burchill who said in 2007;
‘The airports outer perimetre should ideally be used as an agricultural strip for aggressive dairy herd farming’
and
‘that one of the airport hangers could be used for extensive poultry farming during summer months’
If the words in the article above are the words of the same Frank Burchill, who I belive still drinks sherry at Le Cordeliers, then on behalf of us all, keep up the good work Frank.
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These are the words of Frank Burchill – Frank Burchill who in 2007 said that;
‘the airport perimetre should be used for aggressive dairy herding, ‘
and
‘that one or more of the hangers could be used in summer months for extensive poultry farming.’
Frank my friend I salute you Sir. If you read this, I’ll be sure to pop into Les Cordelliers later this week to share a Sherry or 2 with you. Remember the last time we went on a Sherry crawl through town?!
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There are 2 very important things that Guernsey relies on:
1. Communications
2. Air Links
We sold off Guernsey Telecoms.
We secured a local airline.
Lets not sell off control of the airport!
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Malcolm Barnes should be very careful whom he includes when he glibly states “…on behalf of us all”.
Tell me Mr Barnes, WHO are “…us all…”?
For instance, your personal agreement with ‘commercialising’ the airport does not include myself nor…I would hope for the islands sake…does it include the majority of Guernsey residents. Indeed, I demand an explanation. Is ‘Commercialised’ another word for ‘Privatized?’
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he means privatised
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The airport could be commercialised without being privatised.
In general, we seem happy with the result of commercialising the Electricity Board. I think this is the way to go for other services now provided by States departments. Apart from the airport and harbours they should also consider States Works, the Leisure Centre and the Museums. Strategic guidance would remain with the owners (The States) but management would run the businesses according to good commercial principles without political interference.
There were teething problems at “Northside” during the period when staff were getting used to the idea of no longer being civil servants but all now seems to be running smoothly.
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Expat80, I really can’t agree with your comments. As I stated the airport should not be commercialised but I do think Frank Burchill has done some incredible work within the community, have you not seen the extraordinary restoration work in the market?! Maybe we speak of a different man. I never said I supported commercialisation.
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Very funny MB. I salute YOU :)
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Tip of the cap to you too Jackie ;)
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What we should be asking the states is why does commercialisation work so much better than States-run business. In the main it is the same staff – perhaps even more of them – except they are earning better salaries and have extra benefits too! I use the electricity board as an example but are the profits higher for the shareholders (the States)? If they are, perhaps the States needs to consider commercialising everything!
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‘Rational’. Thank you for your courtesy and indeed your kindness in pointing out that which you state is my spelling error in the word ‘privatis(z)e’.
However, it was not an error, rather a ‘slip’ brought about by my residence in countries additional to Guernsey where I was obliged to form the habit of spelling words as expected of me in those countries. Much to my frustration the Americans, for instance,choose to place a ‘z’ instead of our English ‘s’ in many words that make up the English language, and old habits take time to change, if ever they do.
‘Privatized’ with a ‘v’ is indeed correct spelling of the word in America as is commercialize, paralyze, pasteurize and countless other words. Understandable really when you listen to the words actual ‘sound’ in which the ‘s’ sounds more like a ‘z’. In words such as ‘listen’ and ‘pistol’ though, they have left the ‘s’ letter in because presumably because a ‘z’ would not permit the word to ‘sound’ correct.
My ‘English’ became somewhat compromised ( Yes!! I remembered!) when becoming familiar with the French language too, a real shocker that one, but that’s another story.
Hope this explanation relaxes you, and as for the content of my post, my sentiments remain precisely as written. Meanwhile I will do my best to remember the old adage ‘When in Rome….
Thank you.
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Malcolm Barnes. You are indeed correct and I extend my apologies to you for my confusion in claiming that you supported commercialising
( privatising) the airport when you did not. Indeed as you said, it was Frank Burchill who proposed commercialisation ( privatisation) of the airport, a proposal that, through experience of other ‘privatization’, I am not in agreement with.
I do agree Frank Burchill made a fine job of the market, but for me he is offering bad advice to the people – repeat the people – of Guernsey when he advocates commercialisation of the airport.
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