Education member opposes Guernsey post-16 funding plans

A member of Guernsey's Education Committee will oppose plans to pay for a new post-16 campus.

Deputy Andy Cameron said he cannot back the proposals because it keeps the island's sixth form students at La Mare De Carteret High.

Policy and Resources (P&R) proposed going ahead with spending £88m on the post-16 campus project in phases.

Work would start with the Guernsey Institute building at the old St Peter Port School.

If approved, post-16 students could be taught at La Mare De Carteret for at least the next four years.

The funding could come from £55m of borrowing and £33m from States reserves.

Guernsey's Building Trades Employers Association has welcomed the move by P&R.

The scheme from P&R has also proposed delaying the building of indoor and outdoor sports facilities to save £8.5m.

Education, Sport and Culture member, Mr Cameron, has been a regular critic of his committee's plans for the future of secondary and post-16 education.

He said "I really don't think we can move the sixth form into La Mare De Carteret, the amount of time we can use the building for is two years, and after that time it really starts to incur significant expenses to keep it sound."

Deputy Peter Roffey has been a critic of education's scheme, but said he would reluctantly support this funding solution from P&R.

"They're similar to a compromise I suggested alongside a group of deputies last year, so I am broadly supportive.

"However this remains unaffordable, as we've refused to do anything responsible with our tax base."

Deputies rejected plans to raise money through a GST and wider tax reform last year.

Mr Roffey said "between this and the Princess Elizabeth Hospital we're spending £200m on facilities that will not generate any income, so we are saying to the next assembly you will have to put up tax and put it up significantly".

Outside St Martin's Primary School parents told the BBC they wanted to see some kind of certainty on the future of post-16 education.

Nick Paluch said the current uncertainty had convinced him to sign his children up to the private colleges.

He said: "It's frustrating not to have any certainty, as primary education is great."

States members will vote on the proposal in the coming days as part of their debate on the government work plan.

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