Parish bills spark concern about impact on rates

Wednesday 01 May 2024

Parishioners in St Brelade are facing a rise in rates as a result of a triple-whammy of bills that could reach almost £1.5 million.

Attendees at a parish assembly raised concerns after hearing from Constable Mike Jackson that decisions needed to be taken on three projects which he admitted could have a significant impact on future rates bills.

The liabilities include a potential bill of up to £763,705 for work to the parish hall, including re-roofing, exterior decoration and the creation of a new one-bedroom flat.

Constable Jackson said the parish also faced a total bill of £535,000 for a revamp of the Elephant Park, and was committed to re-roofing the rectory building, which he anticipated would cost between £100,000 and £150,000.

Pictured: Constable Jackson said the parish also faced a total bill of £535,000 for a revamp of the Elephant Park.

The meeting, attended by around 60 people including all four parish Deputies, heard that £55,000 had already been spent on preparations for the Elephant Park project, which was forecast to cost a further £480,000.

This would encompass the renovation of toilets and sewerage, installation of a canopy, and an accessible path onto the site.

A series of options to pay for all the work were outlined, including rate increases, sale of assets and borrowing, with Constable Jackson saying the parish also had a property reserve fund which currently contained £385,000.

Architect Carlo Riva said the re-roofing of the parish hall followed decades of under-investment in the grade-four listed building, with damage to the roof dating back – in part – to a fire that occurred in 1936 and some water supplies still coming via lead pipes.

The creation of the flat accounted for an estimated £190,000 of the parish hall project, with several attendees raising concern about the viability of this idea.

Pictured: "Most people are suffering as a result of the cost of living and any rate-rise should be as low as possible," said Deputy Montfort Tadier.

Deputy Montfort Tadier said: "It's a terrible time for this, with interest rates so high and lots of bills.

"We need to get back to basics of fiscal prudence and do the minimum maintenance, not have grandiose ideas with money we don't have.

"Most people are suffering as a result of the cost of living and any rate-rise should be as low as possible."

Constable Jackson said he noted the concerns from attendees and would return to the next parish assembly, on Tuesday 26 May, with more information about the projects and a detailed of properties and other assets owned by the parish, but warned that a decision would need to be taken at that point.

"It's easy to keep kicking the can down the road, but this tender [for the parish hall] is due to fall away in the middle of June," he said.

"The holes in the roof are clear – we have put this off for too long."