St Helier residents to decide how to spend £600k windfall

After years of lobbying, the parish Constable Simon Crowcroft this year succeeded in persuading the States to bring about law changes so that government starts paying rates on its buildings.

The move means that more than £900,000 will be paid to the parishes each year, with the largest slice going to St Helier, which will receive more than £600,000 annually.

It was intended for the first payment to be made this year, but the move was blocked by the States at the eleventh hour in last year’s Budget because of technical concerns.

An amount had already been set aside for the payment of rates for this year, however, which has now been released to the parishes after another proposition lodged by Mr Crowcroft was approved.

The Constable said that St Helier ratepayers would get to decide how the money should be allocated at a meeting which is due to be held on 31 January.

He explained that the parish had four proposals on how the money might be spent:

*A feasibility report for a village improvement scheme at Havre des Pas.

*Refurbishment of Halkett Street.

*Road safety improvements in Tower Road.

*Another parish apprenticeship programme.

‘For Havre des Pas we would like to see an improvements scheme similar to what they did in St Aubin. So we would like to do a feasibility study for that,’ said Mr Crowcroft.

‘We think that the States should pay for the improvements like they did with St Aubin, though.

‘With Halkett Street, a couple of new businesses have just opened there. Dix Neuf [Hugo’s] has been taken over by Jersey Potteries and there is the new Alliance Tesco, so we thought it would be fit for the parish to make some improvements on that street.

‘And we have been buying land and extending the pedestrian pathway on Tower Road, which is important because schoolchildren use it to get to First Tower School.

‘We may also extend our apprenticeships, which we do for gardeners, painters and mechanics. We think its important to support local people doing these jobs.’

He added: ‘It is great to get this windfall but it is ultimately up to ratepayers how it is spent. Some have also suggested that the money is used to reduce rates bills.’

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