Locate Guernsey to receive £1m more funding for another three years

Tuesday 24 July 2018

Locate Guernsey said it will further develop its role and remit following confirmation that it will continue to be funded for the next three years with another £1m of States fund going to the body.

Locate Guernsey, which was launched in 2016 originally as a three-year pilot, has responsibility for promoting Guernsey as a place to live and a location for businesses to establish, and will now also have a more focused role to support diversification of the economy and to promote the open market.

Deputy Charles Parkinson, President of the Committee for Economic Development, said:

"Locate Guernsey is an important economic enabler, and it will have a critical role in delivering parts of the new economic development strategy. We will be investing more than £1 million over the next three years to strengthen its offer, and the Committee believes that the refocused agency will be even more effective in future."

The announcement comes less than three months ahead of Locate Guernsey’s annual event in London, and at the same time as the search begins for a new Director of Locate Guernsey. The current Head of locate Guernsey, Andrew Carey, is moving to a new role outside the States later in the year.

Deputy Parkinson said:

"Andrew and his team have done a first rate job. Since its establishment in January 2016, Locate Guernsey has assisted in the move to the island of more than sixty relocations, with an estimated combined value to Government of more than £3 million, made up of document duty on property sales and income tax receipts on roles newly created by incoming businesses. On behalf of the Committee, we wish Andrew well for the future and thank him for his hard work."

Andrew Carey, the outgoing Head of Locate Guernsey said:

"Locate Guernsey facilitates personal and corporate relocation, helping to diversify and grow the economy and I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in that environment, but I am moving on to an exciting opportunity. I wish the new team well as they take Locate Guernsey to the next stage."

The annual event in London takes place on 11 October 2018 at the Leadenhall Building in the City of London, and will include contributions from individuals and businesses who have relocated to Guernsey supported by Locate Guernsey. It will also be attended by Deputies Gavin St Pier, Charles Parkinson and Andrea Dudley-Owen, who will outline Guernsey’s offer as a place to relocate.

Deputy Lyndon Trott, Vice-President of the Policy & Resources Committee and Chairman of Guernsey Finance said:

"I spoke at last year’s Locate Guernsey event and I was impressed by the quality of the guests and the event. More importantly, it’s a marketing and promotion initiative that is working. For that reason the Policy & Resources Committee is pleased to support the Committee for Economic Development’s funding plan. It is important that we support the Committee in investing in economic growth."