States pump money into the community

Friday 30 August 2019

The States are looking to invest more money helping local community projects get off the ground.

Policy & Resources yesterday announced it would be granting quarter of a million pounds towards the KGV's work to create offices on the building's top floor.

The Committee is now encouraging other charities and organisations in the Bailiwick to come forward with their ideas on how to improve the islands.

"A couple of years ago we went to the States looking for additional flexibility in the authorities that Policy & Resources had, to be able to support our capital projects other than just States capital projects," explained P&R President Deputy Gavin St Pier.

"We had been approached on a number of occasions by various community groups saying 'we want to develop something that is for the benefit of the community, but we're just not going to be able to raise all the money ourselves. We recognise that was a fair enough challenge and you're cutting off your nose to spite your face if you completely block all those opportunities."

Pictured: The political members of the Policy & Resources Committee.

The KGV has been awarded £250,000 from the States, which will pay for the top floor office renovation work. Once the rooms are complete, the Health Improvement Commission and the Guernsey Community Foundation will move into the space.

"The request for assistance for the present phase was one that we thought was valid," added Deputy St Pier, "particularly in the context of supporting for example the Health Improvement Commission, which was an initiative of government.

"It's all about looking at projects which are seeking match funding for things which are seeking to drive government policy forward."

The remaining funds for this stage of work have been provided by the KGV, with about £3.5million raised towards the renovation of the entire building.

"We've had a number of very generous donations from individuals or corporates," said KGV Director Jonathan Creasey. "We do have a commercial loan in place and we are a trading entity, so whilst we are a charity and everything gets ploughed back into what we're doing here, we do have sports facilities that we do charge for. We have a public bar and again the profits from that get ploughed back into the charity.

Pictured: Works at the KGV have already begun.

"I would like to say thank you to Policy & Resources and the States of Guernsey for seeing the opportunity at the KGV."

The States are now looking for another project to support and will welcome proposals.

"It is for the community to come to us and present a good case," said Deputy St Pier. "In the case of the KGV they did that. It had the same level of scrutiny as we would give any project to ensure that we felt it was viable and credible and the case was made.

"We were first approached several years ago when we couldn't see a path through. This is one of the projects that was a catalyst for looking at whether we needed to change the authorities we had. KGV has been part of the community for years and we felt it was something that warranted it."

Pictured top: Jonathan Creasey and Deputy Gavin St Pier.