UK had concerns/raised red flag about airport project since 2014
Recently, because of the UK’s Freedom of Information Act, a document was released on August 5, 2016, which shows a detailed correspondence addressed to Financial Secretary Mr Neil M. Smith, from James Ballingall and Paul Illingworth of Infrastructure UK.
The information unearthed shows some significant issues in 2016 that the UK had with the airport expansion project. It gives the project an overall rating for the delivery confidence of the project as Amber/Red. This means that in the UK’s view, “successful delivery of the project is in doubt, with major risks or issues in a number of key areas and urgent action is needed to address these and demonstrate whether resolution is feasible," stated the officials of Infrastructure UK.
The UK also raised concerns about why the National Democratic Party (NDP) government was trying to push the airport project before the 2015 snap elections. Since the report, the NDP Administration has claimed that all the issues were addressed.
UK had early concerns about runway project since 2014
But recently, information obtained again demonstrated that long before it was made public two months ago (August 2016), via the Freedom of Information Act, then Minister for the Overseas Territories Mark J. M. Simmonds detailed in a June 2014 letter to Premier Dr The Honourable D. Orlando Smith, an At Large Member, his concerns about the project.
The former Minister told the Premier while he understands the Government’s aspirations on the VI economy, Dr Smith needs to “develop and articulate clearly for your own purposes as well as to build market confidence in the project,” referring to his concerns about the airport expansion project way back in 2014 about a year after they first approached the UK about the airport runway expansion project, having to seek approval under the Protocols for Effective Financial Management.
In the 2014 letter, the former UK Minister Simmonds detailed “that there will be some significant commercial challenges in delivering this project in a way that can ensure the continued fiscal sustainability of the BVI Government’s finances.”
With early red flags by the FCO about the Airport runway going back to 2014, Mr Simmonds warned Premier Smith that “it will also be important that your team continues to closely engage on this with my Economic Advisor.”
Is there still an airport project?
Recently, the Airport Runway Expansion Project has been mired in controversy with the government leaning to giving the work to a Chinese company with a lower bid and offering them many concessions over another company with local involvement, a decision that has split the Dr Smith Cabinet and the public.
It was also unearthed that millions of dollars have been spent on consultants on the airport runaway expansion project, however, not a ‘rock has moved’.
On top of all this, the Government has been silent for months on where the project is and when the contract will be awarded to move it forward.
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20 Responses to “UK had concerns/raised red flag about airport project since 2014”
Johnson need it ?
Why build such a expensive runway and the broke airline we buy will be using the present runway in and out
Where is the people of the Bvi
We don't need the runway let the airlines buy jets that could land as is
Common not to popular in the Bvi but our political leaders don't understand the small people ways of surviving that's why they make so many unpopular no comman sensual decisions for we in the Bvi
Educated political fool distroy the world
We need street politician with common sense now to take over from the career politician without common sense
If even the banks don't trust them that tells me a lot!