Islanders Association money accounted for

Monday 29 October 2018

One of the founder members of the Islanders Association said every penny donated to the political organisation is safe, amid some concerns about the group's 'go fund me' campaign.

Some people who donated to the Islanders Association when it was launched in a flurry of publicity earlier this year had said they were concerned after two of the founding members quit its executive committee following a disagreement among members.

Deputy Carl Meerveld (above left) said the disagreement was over expenses he had claimed, with Deputy Peter Ferbrache (above centre) and Deputy Joe Mooney (above right) both resigning from their committee roles, along with Chairman Harvey Marshall last week.

The shock announcement a week ago even came as a surprise to Deputy Meerveld, who had said he was unaware his fellow committee members were resigning. 

Pictured: Deputy Meerveld.

Speaking to Express last week, Deputy Meerveld said the trio were still talking to each other, and other Association members to find a way forward.

"We're still discussing things and how to take things forward, including with each other. We have had a clash of characters, a difference of opinion but I want to move beyond that and work together one way or another.

"I think we all have the same aspirations for the Association, and want to see it work. We've had this fantastic success and we want to move forward so we will find some way of making it work."

Deputy Meerveld said the Association continues to hold the funds donated to it, which were once believed to be around £26,000.

Pictured: The fundraising page hosted by the Islanders Association. 

Deputy Meerveld said the funds donated were intended to pay for the setting up of the Association and the campaign to introduce island wide voting "and beyond." If anything were to happen which caused the Islanders Association to shut down, then the money would go to local charities. 

"Some money has been spent on the process so far, and there is a balance remaining," he said, "and that's an ongoing process, but the way we structured the vehicle was, the Islanders charity owns the Islanders Association.

 "So, if the Islanders Association were ever to wind up, that money would go to the charity and that charity is designated only to donate and support local causes, so any assets that were left over would automatically go up to the charity to disperse, in the unlikely event the political association were to wind up, so we've already thought of that in advance in the way we structured the organisation to make sure there was never any issue with who was going to get the money."

Pictured top: The founding members of the Islanders Association, Deputies Carl Meerveld, Peter Ferbrache and Joe Mooney.