A charity that trains hundreds of young islanders in maritime and leadership skills has warned it may be left without a fit-for-purpose home after the government slashed funding for its permanent base by more than two-thirds.
Jersey’s Sea Cadets – the largest group of its kind in the UK and Commonwealth, with more than 200 members – spoke out following the government’s decision to cut their long-promised funding from £4.9 million to £1.6 million.
Jersey Sea and Royal Marines Commanding Officer David Thompson said the group had been operating from temporary facilities for nearly 40 years – despite repeated promises of a permanent home.
“The initial plan that has been going on since the 1970s was to provide the Sea Cadets with a permanent facility (originally nothing to do with the Army Cadets). The Sea Cadets have been in temporary facilities for nearly 40 years,” he said.
“We deliver thousands of hours of training to young people. On-water training last year was over 5,000 hours, and all for the cost of £2 a week.”
Mr Thompson added that volunteers gave hundreds of hours each year to run the programme, which includes maritime training and vocational skills such as engineering, catering and IT.
“The £4.9m originally set to one side was to build a facility that was fit for purpose,” he said.
“We were already told that £4.9m was not enough to deliver what was needed in the current climate. It was nearer £7.4m, so I am unsure what we will get for £1.6m.
“The approach we would prefer would be to work with Ports, DFDS, Jersey maritime conservation, the RNLI and other maritime charitable organisations to deliver a maritime training hub that would support our organisations working together and provide on-island training for the maritime industry.”
It comes after Justice and Home Affairs officials told a scrutiny panel this week that the revised plan reflected a “change in approach” to deliver a permanent home for the cadet groups at a lower cost – insisting the department remained committed to the 2021 States proposition requiring a “permanent base of operations”.
Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny chair Deputy Catherine Curtis said her panel was “disappointed” that there was still no permanent headquarters, despite Constable Len Norman’s proposition for a fit-for-purpose facility being approved four years ago.
“However, the news that feasibility work is starting on a new project with funding allocated for next year offers some hope,” she said. “The Jersey Sea Cadets offer a huge amount to young people in the island and deserve a permanent home.”
The cadets are currently operating from what was meant to be a temporary headquarters at the former Rouge Bouillon police station.
