Latest news with #StatesOfGuernsey
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Children are suffering due to lack of education decisions
New deputies will be decided, familiar faces will return and some will see their hopes of being elected slip the voters have decided who will make up the States of Guernsey, it will soon be the turn of the newly-elected deputies to make crucial choices for the island. There will be hundreds of decisions made by the next assembly; from education, social care and transport to housing immigration and finance. The BBC has been asking islanders what they think the big issues are likely to be. Finance The financial situation of the island will always be a priority for islanders and the States recently reported a £44m annual deficit in core services. Bob Murray, an outgoing deputy and former member of the Committee for Policy and Resources (P&R), said it was critical to understand the importance of being realistic when it comes to the island's said: "The new P&R will find that our financial situation is as critical as we have claimed."They will find themselves in exactly the same position of having to convince a new assembly to grasp the need for immediate action, and to disappoint many that their hoped-for manifesto promises are simply not deliverable." One of the biggest talking points of this term has been tax and, more specifically, Goods and Service Tax (GST). In November, plans for introducing a goods and services tax were set to be worked up as an income tax rise was rejected by the States. Fast forward to election results day and GST+, the amendment proposed by Deputy Peter Roffey, is still a big talking point. Housing Housing was brought up multiple times in the last has included the suspension of GP11, the planning policy that requires a portion of housing developments to be affordable or social housing. Other issues discussed have been islanders struggling to pay rent and the removal of medium term employment are issues that workers who have relocated to Guernsey hope are addressed by the next worker Emily Piki said: "There's not enough to accommodate everyone, all the people that are coming, because there's no doubt that there's many foreigners coming in from other places but it really is hard to find voter Chloe Presland told the BBC Guernsey Election Roadshow that the next States need to work hard to keep young islanders here, as house prices were giving them no choice but to leave. Education Outside the polling station at Beau Sejour the buzz word was voters felt the future for the island's children would be the making or breaking of the next Andy Wade said education and how the States would pay for for all the decisions were the most important issues. He said: "I just want to see them makes some decisions, they've been talking about it for years and years, meanwhile kids education has been suffering, just do something." Social care Social care has also been constantly raised as a challenge for the next deputy Peter Roffey wants new deputies to think about how best to fund the rapidly increasing amount of social care how much of that cost will fall on the care recipient themselves and how much on the whole community through the Long Term Care Insurance is not just social care that will be a challenge for the next assembly, questions have also been raised by voters about how those who may find themselves without a home will be cared for. The other issues There are more than four main decisions that will need to be made by the next states and the view of voters and outgoing deputies reflects that. Other topics that have been raised include transport, utility costs and Artificial Intelligence (AI).Outgoing deputy Andy Taylor believes AI will be the future for the island. However he said it was important to understand how it would work and how it could be used also raised the issue of what capital projects the states needed to prioritise. He said: "Between grants for vitally needed social housing provision, the hospital modernisation, a new dairy, Alderney Airport and so on there is not going to be enough cash to fund everything which could be deemed to be essential".
BBC News
2 days ago
- Climate
- BBC News
Two-week maintenance project underway at Guernsey park
Further maintenance work has started at Saumarez Park in Guernsey, the States of Guernsey has two-week-long project started on Thursday and will see contractors remove dried out silt from the sides of the pond next to the playground. A States spokesperson said this would ensure effective drainage of both the park and wider catchment area would park will remain open but the rear car park off Ruette des Saumarez and working areas around the pond will be closed to the public. On 26 and 27 June, work will take place to prepare the grounds for a replacement net on the pirate ship at the playground. Saumarez Park playground will be closed during these days.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Polls to open for Guernsey Election 2025
Polls will open from 08:00 until 20:00 for the Guernsey General can head to eight polling stations across the island - Beau Sejour, Les Maingys Activity Centre, Styx Community Centre, Castel Douzaine Room, St Martin's Parish Hall, St Peter Port Constables Office, St Andrew's Douzaine Room and St Sampson's Community follows two days of advance polling on Sunday and Tuesday at the three super polling stations at Beau Sejour, Les Maingys and who chose to vote by post but who have not posted their envelopes can drop them into any of the super polling stations before polls close. Voters can each cast 38 votes - one for each of the deputy positions in the States of previously said 27,316 people had registered to count is taking place at Beau Sejour and is due to start at 08:30 on Thursday.
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Surveyors 'pretty sure' WW2 bombs remain in Guernsey field
Surveyors have said they have likely identified three out of four unexploded World War Two bombs in a field in company is still on the search for the existence of the fourth at the site in St Peter Port, but said they would likely be finished by the end of this Cooke, the managing director of the company, said the suspected ordnances did not "present an immediate hazard" unless anyone interfered with them with a "great deal of energy or force", which is he said was "unlikely" at their Cooke said the survey system they used was "pretty accurate" but in order to verify that they were unexploded bombs, they would have to be excavated and visually identified. He added the types of ordnance being sought were British 2000lb (about 900kg) armour piercing bombs. The States of Guernsey contracted 6 Alpha Associates to inspect the fields next to Route Isabelle, after islanders raised concerns a previous survey had not looked deep enough for original survey in 2019 went as deep as 4m (13ft), but the latest survey indicates they could be at a depth of about 8m (26ft). What happens next? The company will hand over the details to the States to discuss the route the government wishes to Cooke said if it was decided they would be detonated, the bombs would "stay in situ" and be detonated beneath the added there was "some risk" in digging down to the bombs but, again, they would have to be struck with a lot of force to set them off."We've got ex-military bomb disposal technicians that know what they're doing and have been trained to deal with this sort of thing and they'll make sure they don't do that" Mr Cooke said.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Amazon replaces local businesses as States' stationery supplier
Amazon is to replace local businesses as the stationery supplier to the States of Guernsey, following a review of its "sourcing process".The States of Guernsey's Procurement department said the worldwide online retailer had provided efficient and competitive rates compared to invited local and off-island suppliers, potentially saving it "up to £100,000 per annum based on anticipated purchases"."We previously had agreements in place with local suppliers for stationery, however, these agreements have come to an end," a States spokesperson said."While it's disappointing that a local supplier wasn't able to win this business, we have a responsibility to spend taxpayers' money responsibly." The department said stationery as a procurement category had not been reviewed fully for about five years."We use Amazon in the same way, and for the same reasons, that thousands of individuals and families use Amazon across the island," they continued."These are low value consumable items, often bought repetitively and across the business this amounts to several thousand transactions annually. It is therefore important that we can buy these efficiently and competitively." The procurement category was reviewed in 2024, during which the States "decided to undertake a sourcing process, inviting local and off-island suppliers". "The scoring for this tender process was weighted to recognise the economic benefit of having on-island suppliers, however, following a competitive tender process with on-island and off-island suppliers, even with this local weighting, Amazon were successfully awarded a framework agreement to supply stationery."We are expecting that this new agreement could save the States up to £100,000 per annum based on anticipated purchases."
