More delays plague Future Hospital funding plans

Tuesday 10 October 2017

Proposals on how to fund the £466million Future Hospital, which were due to be agreed nearly 10 months ago and have come under several delays since, have been pushed back again.

The plans on how to pay for the island’s largest ever capital project will now be put forward by the Treasury Minister in December, rather than in November as previously planned.

They were initially due to be agreed in January this year, but were withdrawn after it emerged that the island was unable to legally borrow another £400million in addition to £200million already borrowed to pay for social housing. Funding plans were then reviewed by Scrutiny, who brought forward their own funding idea – a mix of a bond and using the island’s rainy day fund.

The Treasury Minister later amended his own proposal, suggesting a similar mixed funding plan, but this was withdrawn on the night before the already heavily delayed debate in May after he was leant on by his Ministerial colleagues. He maintains, however, that this is the best proposal.

Pictured: Funding plans for the £466million Future Hospital project will now be put forward in December rather than in November as originally agreed.

Those plans were due to be brought back before the States Assembly in November, but this latest delay will push it back by another month – leaving it just five months before elections.

The Scrutiny Panel responsible for reviewing the build have expressed concerns over such delays, and the impact it will have on both their review and the project as a whole.

Deputy Simon Brée, Chairman of the Review Panel, commented: "As this is the biggest capital project the States has ever undertaken, it is paramount that Scrutiny is afforded sufficient time to undertake a review. The Panel is working to an extremely short timescale of six weeks and will only be able to complete its work in this timeframe if it receives the relevant documentation in advance.”