Not spending on cliff and coastal repairs is a false economy
IF I told you the story of the Guernsey bus company that saved a fortune by not servicing their fleet of buses for five years and then went bust because all their buses broke down and they could not afford to replace them... You would not believe that anybody or any organisation could be so stupid. But you would be wrong. There is such an organisation and it is called The States of Guernsey.
Our States, or specifically our Environment department, are saving money by not repairing sea walls, collapsing cliffs, cliff walk steps etc. It must be coming up to four years now since the Fermain Bay wall was breached and, as any normal person would know, the lack of attention means that the damage gets worse with each passing year. The steps at Petit Port are constantly being threatened with closure as the States cannot afford to have annual remedial work done to them. Divette Bay is closed to the public since winter storms damaged the access. Soldiers Bay is closed for the same reason and now we are told that Marble Bay is no longer accessible to the public for similar reasons. When asked when repairs will be carried out. The answer, as always is... We have no money so work will not commence in the foreseeable future.
So in the same way as our unfortunate fictitious bus company earlier, the States are initially saving money but at a horrific cost in the future. Unless, that is, they have no intention of making the necessary repairs and just letting our beautiful bays plus all the others which are bound to be affected in time to come to simply remain hidden gems that the public cannot get to. Hardly the best way to attract visitors to our island is it?
Now forgive me if I have missed off the aforementioned list your favourite part of the island which I am sure is suffering as well, but I am a St Martin’s resident and can only speak with certainty about my own patch and nearby bays.
Surely the States must have records detailing the amount spent annually in years gone by to keep our paths, steps, sea walls etc. in good repair and should have budgeted for similar sums to be spent annually but no, they seem to assume that no budget is necessary as nothing will go wrong but if it does, we will simply leave it alone or, like L’Ancresse, tip a load of rocks there and keep our fingers crossed.
Come on you deputies, get your act together, and if you are not capable of looking after our island then get out and let other more able folk step into your shoes and get something done. The phrase ‘we have no money’ wears somewhat thin after a while.
GERRY TATTERSALL,
Le Petit Bois,
Sausmarez Road, St Martin’s.