‘It needs to happen’ - Alderney assured on runway repair
An assurance that Alderney Airport’s runway will be repaired was given by Guernsey politician Jonathan Le Tocq yesterday during an interview on Alderney’s Riduna Radio.
Deputy Le Tocq, who is Policy & Resources' lead on external relations, was challenged by presenter Dougal Bohan to explain why the committee had decided to increase air fares by £5 each way between Guernsey and Alderney.
Deputy Le Tocq said that the fact that there was a £600,000 overspend on the public service obligation subsidy was known to Alderney’s senior committee and should not have come as a surprise to them.
‘We can’t just overspend by that degree, 30%, without repercussions, particularly not in this financial climate,’ he said.
‘I realise that it could be quite a shock, but it’s not surprising, because right across the board, Guernsey is having to say to departments to keep within their limits, because we have a funding issue generally, and we can’t afford to go over budget, but particularly not by that high amount.’
But he said that there was no question of the runway not being repaired.
‘That has got to go ahead. We’re not saying that will not happen. It needs to happen.’
However, it was now clear that the option approved initially by the States of Guernsey, for a new terminal and fire station, was not affordable.
Had the States accepted the lesser option at the outset, Deputy Le Tocq said that work would have started by now, but in the current situation he was not able to say when the repairs could be undertaken.
He referred to a visit to Scotland when he was chief minister and spoke to representatives from the Hebrides, Orkneys and Shetland Islands and how shocked he had been at what he heard.
‘Many of the islands that used to have air routes no longer did... I suddenly realised we have major, major advantages.’
New members in Alderney States provided a good opportunity for the two islands to sit down and look at what was workable, he said.
‘Perhaps there needs to be more focus on connectivity than on health or on social benefits,’ he said.
‘We may have to look at this in the future in Guernsey, and that is compulsory insurance for secondary care, or elements of secondary care, and that would be a sea change.’
