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‘Oversized’ public service worries residents- Doug Wheatley

- said it has been taking a 'sizable chunk' of the budget on a yearly basis
February 13th, 2017 | Tags: Public Service oversized Doug Wheatley 3-D Show budget
Central Administration Complex: Some residents, according to a local talk show host, feel that something should be done with the oversized public service that has been taking a ‘sizable chunk’ of the budget on a yearly basis. Photo: VINO/File
Host of the 3-D Show on ZBVI 780 AM, Mr Doug Wheatley. Photo: VINO/File
Host of the 3-D Show on ZBVI 780 AM, Mr Doug Wheatley. Photo: VINO/File
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI- It’s no secret that the territory’s financial standing is not as robust as it once was, bearing in mind the constant attack on the Financial Services sector and the reports that the National Democratic Party (NDP) Government raided the treasury to win the 2015 snap elections.

Some residents now feel that something should be done with the oversized public service that has been taking a “sizable chunk” of the budget on a yearly basis.

Speaking on the 3-D Show on ZBVI 780 AM on Friday February 11, 2017 host Doug Wheatley said some people came to him to voice some of their concerns as it relates to the governing of the territory, and the oversized public service was a worry for them.

Is there enough work for eight hours?

“They feel like the civil service is oversized, and they feel that there are too many persons in all of these government offices and wondering if really there is enough work to keep all of them busy all the time. Or whether there is only enough work to keep them busy for four hours or five hours and the other three or whatever the number is they don’t really have anything to do?” he asked.

Mr Wheatley stated that the people believe that there should be another way to handle the too large-a- public service in the Virgin Islands (UK).

“…And yet the cost of the public service is very high, the operations of government take a sizeable chunk out of the budget of the country and there are wondering if there is another way that can be handled rather than having such a large public service?”

The public service is made up of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Ministry of Communications and Works, Ministry of Health and Social Development, Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour, Ministry of Finance, Premier’s Office and Governor’s Office/ Deputy Governor’s Office.

22 Responses to “‘Oversized’ public service worries residents- Doug Wheatley”

  • one eye (13/02/2017, 18:03) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    Hummmmm
    • Doug Wheatley takes sense at last. (14/02/2017, 08:04) Like (5) Dislike (2) Reply
      The public service is far far far to big and only a few public servants even try to go a good job.
      There are some excellent public servants who turn up on time, do their jobs and are a credit to the Government.
      Unfortunately, there are many many many more that are not doing a good job, spend the day on the internet or their phone, and seem to think that their function in life is to be rude, surly, self important and to find reasons to prevent the general public from getting on with life and business.
      We need to introduce a time limit on every application that is made to the Gov't. If it is not processed (either granted or rejected) within that time, then it must be presumed to have been granted and a de-credit recorded on the employment file of the particular public servant responsible and his immediate superior.
      In most parts of the English world, employees of the government are referred to as civil servants. We use the term 'public' instead of 'civil' because our so many of our Government employees are rarely civil. Perhaps the Gov't need to remind its staff to be civil and to remember that they are the people's servants (and thus there to serve the people) Until that happens we should drop the word 'servants' and 'service' and replace it with 'leaches' so that we accurately describe the public leaches that our taxes pay.
  • ................ (13/02/2017, 18:14) Like (13) Dislike (12) Reply

    Let's start with PWD. Most of those negros do nothing but sit on their a$&e$ all day, while our roads continue to fall apart, bushes grow wild, you name it. What a useless department.

    • . (13/02/2017, 20:32) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply
      cool they hiring?
    • yesss (14/02/2017, 08:29) Like (7) Dislike (0) Reply
      or they go, clock in in the morning, n go do other work for their own business or so, n come back clock out at the end of the day
  • cay (13/02/2017, 18:22) Like (16) Dislike (1) Reply
    NDP do not have the balls to lay off any one
  • @Cay (13/02/2017, 19:03) Like (11) Dislike (1) Reply
    Wtf how can they layoff anyone and giving themselves raise in the process? No wonder the Governor shut them down today. Where's the priority?
  • Leonard (13/02/2017, 19:19) Like (15) Dislike (0) Reply
    Cut wha staff mehson who going employs some of we lazy backside. Mehson all you got to take a pay cuts to work anywhere. Financial services maybe pay a little more but that done going down dread look more whammy with them two crooked lawyers mossack and Fonseca now in the jail god knows what else up and then we got myrun disrespecting the Queen's rep.
  • Energyflows (13/02/2017, 19:27) Like (7) Dislike (0) Reply
    Read between the lines. Can't you see that there is a lot of inciting of actions just to sow further discord between citizens and to sway people's minds towards the next general elections. What you resist, persists. Often elections are decided in favour of the party that gets the most attention -- energy flows where attention goes. Trump was getting the most attention, right? The most energy was placed on Trump, thus the universe gave birth to where the most energy was concentrated. The principles are true, and keep placing your energy on the NDP and see what happens next election. If you are anti a candidate, focus your attention on the person you desire to win, not the party with your opposing views. Let universal principles guide your energy towards political positions.
    • @energyflows (13/02/2017, 19:48) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
      Same thing I here saying why waste energy on these morons. What a waste!
  • shark (13/02/2017, 19:28) Like (13) Dislike (0) Reply
    its not the over sized public service,its the reckless spending and and not being accountable for tax payers money you need to talk about.analyze the situation before you make your assumptions,one ministry,killing the entire budget and they cannot account for dollars spent with no paper trail.If i am the minister of finance and cannot discipline these ministers,then finance is not the ministry to be headed by me.you have to get value for money.yes we needed the cruise ship dock how come it went from $50 million to $83 million then the project manager who was over seeing the project was to be held accountable for the cost over run,and i personally think that we did not get value for money on that project,plus the $12 million dollars spent on roads.something i definitely wrong.
  • faith (13/02/2017, 19:28) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply
    These NDP bozos had almost 6 years to suggest improvements in the civil service but their power-based power hungry ineptitude pushed them to deceitfully pander to the lowest common denominator.
  • Just saying... (13/02/2017, 19:30) Like (6) Dislike (0) Reply
    Imagine what would have happened if *both political parties* had really tried to do the decent thing for all public officers back in 2003..
    • @justsaying (13/02/2017, 19:52) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply
      You making no sense. I bet you were one that wanted something new and vote the ndp in then here talking piss.
  • View (13/02/2017, 22:38) Like (6) Dislike (0) Reply
    Some areas of Government are under staff while others are over staff, some officers are overloaded while others are idle.
  • voice (14/02/2017, 04:08) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
    Only in the Br. Virgin Islands ministers can squander taxpayers money and not be accountable to the electorates. They feel they are above the law. The governor should have voiced his concerns a long time ago. That would have helped with good governance. Now that his tenure is coming to the end he speaks out. His conversation should have been loud and clear from with the TPP. Road work being done in the same place over and over and many other projects where taxpayers cannot see value for money. How many times will the road from below government house to slander be dug up with the same pipes on the side.. ROADS SHOULD BE BUILT AND REPAIRED BY ENGINEERS. Electrical Engineers must sort out electricity and not finance. The blunders of this government are clear and they are a stubborn set.
  • Jack B Nimble (14/02/2017, 07:33) Like (14) Dislike (1) Reply
    Jobs . Jobs. The most important thing after God in a Human life... This should never be an issue. The people who this trouble are heartless and ungodly.. Allow people to work .....When people don't have jobs u all still complained.... Omg. How u all get evil so?
  • Ya me born (14/02/2017, 09:25) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    Most countries have more civil servants than actually needed..you as the government have to get them to be productive..it's a tall order but it can be done..that would be to the benefit of all
  • Old news (14/02/2017, 09:33) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    I believe the govt commissioned an efficiency study a few years ago. The final report was, of course, never released but if memory serves the preliminary report indicated that the govt hired about 33% too many people. Not only that but about 30% of BVIslanders are in some kind of govt employment.
  • E. Leonard (14/02/2017, 10:21) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
    Among the many inherent disadvantages of small locales such as the VI is the high cost of governing and government being a major employer. Usually government's role is not to be a major employer but to put in the place the frame work for private employers to grow and flourish. But the BVI is a small economy comprising primarily of tourism and financial services. And as such, government by necessity is a major employer. The approximate work of the VI is 13,000; government work force is approximately 3,000. Based on an approximate 40,000 population, this equates to 1 employee serving approximately 14 people. Is the civil service bloated?

    This is the big question. To determine if the civil service is bloated, the size of the service should benchmarked against other regional locales and other places of similar size. Assuming that the service is larger than locales of similar size, what action, if any, will be taken to right size the service? What carries the day? A good business decision or politics?


    Moreover, to reduce the government workforce, will require diversifying the economy and creating more jobs. Diversifying the economic base and creating more jobs is a heavy lift but a lift that must be made. Economic diversification and job creation must be part of every political party platform.
  • Yes (14/02/2017, 10:55) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    Start by sending home any useless old farts.
    • @LOL (15/02/2017, 21:48) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
      I like that one. Lol. But I have to add sending home some of the non-specialist expats as well.
      We all know Tolians cannot leave here and work in the Civil Service in any of the other Islands.
      We have to cut back. The private sector has lots of jobs. These are pension jobs and should be
      For locals. In fact some of them have 3 jobs anyway. Lol.


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