The latest “Straight Up Conversations” event, previously held on 15th October 2025, brought together Anguilla’s government leaders and the island’s youth for a candid discussion on the nation’s most pressing issues. The open forum covered a wide range of topics — from education, employment, and opportunity to border security, maritime surveillance, and fisheries management – both previously covered in parts one and two of this article series respectively.
In this latest instalment, the discussion turned to something much closer to home — the cost of living, housing, and how Anguilla plans to balance modern ambition with economic reality. What emerged was a lively debate weaving through renewable energy, public housing, government salaries, and where exactly that .ai money goes?
The question that set the tone came from a young audience member: how can the government make independent living more affordable for young people?
The Hon. Minister Jose Vanterpool was quick to draw the connection between the price of rent and the cost of electricity — a bill that shadows nearly every aspect of island life. “It affects everything — from your AC at home to the cost of food in a supermarket, because businesses have to pay more to keep their freezers running.” To tackle this, he explained, the government is working with Anglec and the Caribbean Development Bank on an aggressive push toward renewable energy. “We’re looking at 10 to 12 megawatts in the first instance — much larger than the one-megawatt solar plant that Irma destroyed in 2017,” he said. Land has already been allocated, and the aim is to see tangible results on the ground by next year.
But renewable energy, Vanterpool stressed, isn’t just about cheaper bills. “It’s about sustainability and resilience,” he said, warning that global instability — from COVID to the war in Ukraine — has shown how vulnerable small islands are to energy shocks. “If the cost of diesel doubles or triples, what happens to us? Renewable energy gives us a way to stand on our own two feet.”
Not everyone agreed on how far or how fast, that transition should go though. Former Minister of Tourism, Haydn Hughes, argued that while renewable energy is necessary, partial measures won’t suffice. “We should go 100% off fossil fuels in one go,” he said. He also called for the government to explore waste-to-energy and wave energy technologies, even citing local talent like Jibri Lewis, whose hydroelectric prototype once caught attention at a school science fair.
Hughes, however, was far less enthusiastic about the idea of public housing. “Public housing projects, everywhere in the world, have become a den of criminality and drugs,” he warned. “I don’t believe it would be any different here.”
The Hon. Premier Cora Richardson-Hodge was quick to clarify that Anguilla’s vision for housing was not the high-rise projects seen abroad. “We’re talking about standalone homes — quarter-acre lots, two-bedroom houses that people can expand over time. The idea is to help young professionals purchase land and build.” She further explained that this could be done through public-private partnerships or government-led developments, with buyers going through a pre-approval process rather than relying on direct government guarantees. “It’s not about underwriting loans,” she said. “It’s about helping people access what’s already within reach responsibly.”
The Hon. Minister Cardigan Connor added a humanitarian note, urging that government housing support must also extend to single mothers and vulnerable families. “You don’t want to have single parents, especially mothers with children, being knocked about when they could have a home, even temporarily,” he said.
Opposition member Merrick Richardson, meanwhile, shifted focus back to the rising cost of living, suggesting that Anguilla revisit price control — not just for fuel, but for essential goods. “We’re overdue for price control,” he argued. “There are certain things everyone needs to eat. If food keeps rising and you can’t afford to eat, you don’t care about the light switch.” He pointed out that Anguilla already exercises price control at the pumps, a model that could extend to basic food baskets. “When GST was introduced, certain basket items were exempted,” he said. “The same approach can be used to keep essentials affordable.”
But Hughes cautioned that price control can be a double-edged sword, noting that some businesses raised prices by 400% instead of the agreed 40% limit when the policy was extended in 2020. He added that price control can also lead to shortages, as companies shift costs to other items or stop importing unprofitable goods altogether. “There’s a lot to consider when addressing the cost of living in a place like Anguilla. It has to come with strong consumer protection.”
The Hon. Minister Kyle Hodge agreed that the issue was far from simple. “Fuel is easy to regulate — it’s one product,” he said. “But for items in a store, that’s a different story. Sizes, brands, and weights all change. What we’re doing for now is a price awareness mechanism to encourage competition before moving to full control.”
And then came the question that had many in the audience leaning forward: where does the .ai money go?
The answer, as explained by Hughes, was straightforward. “It goes to the Consolidated Fund,” he said. “Every dollar that comes into government — whether customs duty or .ai revenue — goes into one pool. Then, through the budgetary process, it’s allocated where needed. That money goes towards the airport development, paying salaries – a number of different things.”
Vanterpool added that while the .ai funds now represent a significant share of government revenue, the spending priorities are determined collectively. “Some sectors, like education and health, don’t generate revenue but still need funding,” he explained. “We’ve also started including public feedback in the budgeting process to help guide spending priorities.” He confirmed that conversations are ongoing about establishing a sovereign wealth or national development fund — a mechanism to preserve .ai income for future generations.
The conversation circled back to something all Anguillians could relate to — pay. With PwC currently reviewing government salaries, a question arose about how the firm’s work would ensure fair outcomes, especially given dissatisfaction toward their work seen in the BVI.
Her Excellency the Governor Julia Crouch explained that PwC’s review would be “evidence-based,” considering regional wages, cost of living, and recruitment challenges. But she warned against speculation. “If you hear a figure, don’t believe it,” she said. “No one knows until the data is in. And not everyone will be happy — we have to manage expectations.”
Hughes agreed, if a bit more bluntly. “No salary increase is ever enough,” he said. “Public service has to remember there’s a pool of money — it doesn’t just pay salaries; it keeps the country running. Roads, schools, health care — it all comes from that same pool.”
Between talk of solar farms, salary scales, and the shadow of rising costs, it’s clear that balancing the needs of a small island with the ambitions of a modern economy is no small feat.
Next week’s final instalment of the Straight Up Conversations article series will give a closer look at Leadership, Public Service Vacancies, and the Legislative Process.
By Janissa Fleming
