With Anguilla continuing to experience much financial need due to the coronavirus and its devastating effect on tourism, the mainstay of the economy, Premier Dr. Ellis Webster is looking forward to more aid from the UK Government in 2021.
Speaking to The Anguillian newspaper, Dr. Webster, who is also Anguilla’s Minister of Finance and Health, began his discourse by expressing gratitude for financial assistance in the recent past. “There is the Memorandum of Understanding for financial aid for Covid-19 that was signed back in June of this year, he recalled. That governs a lot of the provisions or conditions that we have to meet to continue to get that aid until the end of 2020.
“I have been in talks with Baroness Sugg, and Mr. Ben Merrick (Director of the Overseas Territories), and found the talks to be very productive. Of course we have to commend Governor Tim Foy for all the work he has done including getting us the sixty million pounds after Hurricane Irma; working to get the one hundred million EC dollars in Covid-19 aid. Everybody knows that Anguilla is dependent on tourism and tourism will not be the same – as it was going forward – probably for at least a couple of years. And so the United Kingdom Government understand that they will need to help us in 2021. The amount of that aid is dependent on our needs, so what I am doing is relaying to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office the needs of Anguilla. Government needs to continue to run – and there are social programmes that we need to put in place to protect our people and also to make sure that they flourish. I believe that an economic stimulus package is necessary because we just cannot go from hand to mouth.
“We have to make sure that the projects that were started under the Anguilla Programme are completed. We know that a deficit is there because, even before we got into office, there was rumour of fifteen million dollars under-budget in terms of what is needed. We are realising that as we go forward and listen to where the projects are, what is being spent, and what is needed, that we are going to need more money than the sixty million pounds to finish those projects. We still have to get the Blowing Point Ferry Terminal started and done.
“We thank the Governor who is working to get us some more money in that regard. But we know that once those projects are completed that we still have to make sure that the construction industry is continuing – and that foreign direct investment comes into Anguilla. This includes a number of MOUs that we met, on coming to office, and some that we are working on right now with potential investors. We have to make sure that we find work for the people of Anguilla; that there is more tourism and that this industry has to be diversified. These are some of the things I am discussing with the Governor, the Director of the Overseas Territories, and Baroness Sugg, the Minister.”
