Taxpayers to dig for £20M for Liverpool Dock

[asitis]

16 minutes ago, Non-Believer said:

Only one option there. SPC dividends are already "earmarked" for bailing out all sorts of Govt liabilities (at least part of the reason we bought it) so an expense such as this is going to come from direct taxation or increased Steamie charges, I'd suggest.

Quite a balancing act here for Government, even at the ridiculous purchase price we paid for the racket, the dividends were attractive. We are now 300m into the investment, increased steamie charges, as above, are another nail in the cost of living here. Even if you don't use the boat the freight charges are part of your weekly shopping. The way things are going at the moment, there isn't a hope in hell of the population increase that Cannan is hanging his hat on. Any movement of people is likely to be the other way. I know if we weren't as heavily invested in the island in terms of family we would be much better off in the wilds of the uk ! 

[Non-Believer]

5 minutes ago, asitis said:

Quite a balancing act here for Government, even at the ridiculous purchase price we paid for the racket, the dividends were attractive. We are now 300m into the investment, increased steamie charges, as above, are another nail in the cost of living here. Even if you don't use the boat the freight charges are part of your weekly shopping. The way things are going at the moment, there isn't a hope in hell of the population increase that Cannan is hanging his hat on. Any movement of people is likely to be the other way. I know if we weren't as heavily invested in the island in terms of family we would be much better off in the wilds of the uk ! 

And a blow against 500k (🤭) visitors a year. Another MUA-like albatross around the taxpayers and consumers neck though not quite in the same amount. 

[Guest]

Yet.

[woolley]

£20 million plus wriggle room, said Howard Quayle. That's turned out to be an awful lot of room to wriggle in, even for Howard.

On top of the capital expenditure debacle, we are now an unending "income stream" for multiple parties in Liverpool into the future. Should never, ever have been started. A law should be passed that never again can the government build infrastructure outside of the jurisdiction of the Isle of Man. Stable door and horse bolted, I realise, but they've proved time and again that they never learn.

[Twitch]

15 minutes ago, woolley said:

£20 million plus wriggle room, said Howard Quayle. That's turned out to be an awful lot of room to wriggle in, even for Howard.

On top of the capital expenditure debacle, we are now an unending "income stream" for multiple parties in Liverpool into the future. Should never, ever have been started. A law should be passed that never again can the government build infrastructure outside of the jurisdiction of the Isle of Man. Stable door and horse bolted, I realise, but they've proved time and again that they never learn.

Haven't seen anything on running costs yet either!

[woolley]

Another old thread that does touch this subject at times:

https://www.manxforums.com/forums/index.php?/topic/63474-steam-packet-to-be-sold/page/103/

The link is to the final page of the thread, and as an aside, I think that today's award for prescience should go to @finlo with this pearl of wisdom on 20th August 2019: Build the new vessel in China/Korea in half the time for less than half the cost!

 

[Passing Time]

3 hours ago, woolley said:

£20 million plus wriggle room, said Howard Quayle. That's turned out to be an awful lot of room to wriggle in, even for Howard.

On top of the capital expenditure debacle, we are now an unending "income stream" for multiple parties in Liverpool into the future. Should never, ever have been started. A law should be passed that never again can the government build infrastructure outside of the jurisdiction of the Isle of Man. Stable door and horse bolted, I realise, but they've proved time and again that they never learn.

To be honest woolley, I wouldn't let them build infrastructure on the island either...

[asitis]

I'm told the manxman needs the car decks repainting, the floors are like ice rinks after grip was not added to the paint.

 

[2112]

Treasury Minister and intellectual collissus Alex Allinson been on the NPM this morning admitting that the public are likely to have questions about the increased costs. Is this guy for real? I didn’t think he would come out with such a stupid remark, with the other being that cutbacks in government service budgets are likely. Next he will be expected to be placed on a seat, crowned and carried through the streets of Ramsey. What an unbelievably arrogant and stupid individual. 

[asitis]

7 hours ago, 2112 said:

Treasury Minister and intellectual collissus Alex Allinson been on the NPM this morning admitting that the public are likely to have questions about the increased costs. Is this guy for real? I didn’t think he would come out with such a stupid remark, with the other being that cutbacks in government service budgets are likely. Next he will be expected to be placed on a seat, crowned and carried through the streets of Ramsey. What an unbelievably arrogant and stupid individual. 

I think the sad thing is, the public have had questions for a long time, but none of it has deterred them from pressing on with the ludicrous amount of money sunk into the vanity docking at Liverpool. Liverpool should always have been a nice to have and not a vital port, Birkenhead would have been fine in comparison to 100 million plus god knows what ongoing costs. The nice to haves are now going to be frontline services !

[John Wright]

6 minutes ago, asitis said:

Birkenhead would have been fine

B might have been fine but it was never available except for 30-40 days a year.

[The Phantom]

7 hours ago, 2112 said:

 with the other being that cutbacks in government service budgets are likely. 

I'm going to be very interested as to what that entails. 

Some kind of genius like reduced benefits, reduced road maintenance, reduced pensions, reduced hospital budget etc, yet the number of people in govt will likely remain the same or increase to enable implementation of the reduced services. 

Or, an actual increase to spending in order to 'save money later'?

[2112]

14 minutes ago, The Phantom said:

I'm going to be very interested as to what that entails. 

Some kind of genius like reduced benefits, reduced road maintenance, reduced pensions, reduced hospital budget etc, yet the number of people in govt will likely remain the same or increase to enable implementation of the reduced services. 

Or, an actual increase to spending in order to 'save money later'?

I’ll be surprised if Allinson cuts Tynpotwald members salaries and ex Tynpotwald members pensions? They could close the Government Offices canteen, which will force everyone to support the sandwich shops and noodle bar etc. They could utilise the space, it could be used for the civil servants in the registration unit monitoring and supervising social media. 

[Wake Up Call]

Civil servants still getting free parking? How much is that costing the taxpayers per year?

[Non-Believer]

5 hours ago, The Phantom said:

yet the number of people in govt will likely remain the same or increase to enable implementation of the reduced services. 

This. More and more people on the payroll to deliver less.

What exactly do they all do, is it a case of generating admin to justify their positions which starts to take precedence over actually delivering those services?