A matter of setting priorities
STATES watchers may be disappointed that this summer’s political Battle Royale has been at least postponed, might be cancelled altogether. Education versus Health; Les Ozouets against Le Vauquiedor; it won’t be happening in July.
It seems that, for the good of government, Policy & Resources will do what it can to ensure that battle, that debate, doesn’t have to happen at all.
Pencil in September rather than July to draw battle lines for capital prioritisation, but the hint of ‘borrowing’ in the air, or in the press release issued by the senior committee, may give an indication that both tertiary education provision and the second and third phases of hospital redevelopment could be happening contemporaneously.
However funding the projects is one thing – actually getting them done is quite another. In trying to satisfy all parties, the States will have to bear in mind the capacity issues of the local construction industry, and keep ahead of the cost pressures and rampant inflation in that market.
The other option is to lengthen the term of the capital programme to enable today’s States members not to reject either major proposal. However that, and industry capacity, will still mean that at least one project will be kicked down the road, even for a couple of years. And that is likely to be unacceptable to its supporters.