Extra money for the Connaught Care Home expansion was met with general approval during an people’s meeting on Wednesday evening.
The States of Alderney will convene for a special meeting today to approve or deny the request for an additional £737,000 needed to finish the 13-room extension.
‘No one in Alderney will vote against the extra funding for the Connaught Care Home,’ said Alderney States member Kevin Gentle.
‘Everyone knows the care home addition is necessary and needed.’
Mr Gentle said about 40 people came to the people’s meeting and discussion of the Connaught funding was wrapped up within 10 minutes.
‘Generally, the community is very supportive of this project,’ he said.
‘People had some questions and concerns about pricing and costs. Although individual parts and details of the contract are commercially sensitive and can’t be discussed, every consideration has been factored in.’
Connaught Care Home manager Liz Bowskill attended Wednesday’s meeting and believed that the Alderney community understood the island’s demographic and was fully behind the completion of the project.
‘We need to care for our wonderful population of elderly people,’ said Mrs Bowskill.
‘They are not a drain on our resources, they are a wonderful source of volunteers, they contribute to our economy by eating out and frequenting businesses. However, they have certain care needs that we need to be attentive to.’
For every 100 working people in Alderney, Mrs Bowskill said, there are 70 people over the age of 65. In Guernsey, there are about 31 over 65s per 100. In the UK, there are about 29.
‘Those 13 rooms are much needed and will be filled very quickly. They can’t be built quick enough,’ she said.
The final phase of the project was due to start March 2020, but was delayed by lockdown.
The pandemic, Brexit and the ‘pingdemic’ have since caused the price of building materials to increase. It has become more difficult to source the materials as well.
Mr Gentle explained the States of Alderney would either approve or deny the additional funds during the special meeting at 2.30pm. If the additional funds were approved, the matter will be handed over to the States of Guernsey for the final stage of approval.
The funds are part of Alderney’s capital budget and the item has been factored into the revised 2021 budget.
However, due to a financial agreement with Guernsey, the States of Alderney needs approval to spend more than £250,000 on a project.
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