London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

Gov’t funding for public service training steadily declining

Gov’t funding for public service training steadily declining

Governor John Rankin has raised concerns that government funding to train public servants has seen “a steady decline” over the last five years despite an expansion of the service in that same period.

“In 2016, $138,000 was provided for local training of the public service and then there was additional money for scholarships. In 2021, the provision in the BVI budget for training and public servants is $25,000 for almost 3,000 officials,” the governor stated.

“That is why I say that while I accept my responsibilities for public service, and I wanted to do all I can to assist the public service and provide what we all need and what ministers need and what the public needs, it requires more financial investment from the government, as well as whatever assistance the UK can provide,” he added.

Speaking to the Commission of Inquiry (COI) this week, Governor Rankin compared the funding provided by local government to that which the United Kingdom (UK) government has given to training the BVI’s public service.

UK pumped roughly £2 million for BVI training since 2018


Governor Rankin told the COI the UK government has funded several training programmes in different areas of the public sector in the territory. He noted that since 2018, they have contributed approximately £14.28 million and a total projected spend of £17.656 million at the end of this financial year to the territory.

The governor said not all of these funds have gone towards the public service. He noted that some of it went to environmental projects such as tackling stony coral tissue loss disease in the territory, among other things.

Nonetheless, Rankin said some elements of the monies contributed by the British government was specifically for public service capacity building and training.

“Although it is difficult to disaggregate these figures, and define what is precisely for training or what is wider work for the public service specifically related to capacity building and training, a figure of £2.14 million would be attributable to that,” he said.

“They (the funding used for public service training) have evolved, for example, public finance, management training. It involved IT information, and management kit provision, work on international health regulations, work on child exploitation, online protection, workforce disaster management capacity, [and] building all elements of public service responsibility,” Rankin added.

The governor was called to give evidence as the COI tries to determine whether there has been an abuse of office or other serious dishonesty by government officials in recent years.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×