UK GOVERNMENT LEAVES BRITISH CITIZENS ON ST HELENA IN LIMBO

For Immediate Release The UK Government has announced a further delay in deciding whether or not to build an airport on St Helena. A decision not to go ahead with construction will ultimately force inhabitants to leave the Island destroying a 500 year-old way of life. The announcement was made despite the findings of the DfID consultation on air access which reported in October that "St Helena’s economy is so weak and its population declining so much that it needs a major impetus now to halt this decline". The report advised that a "majority of Islanders" are concerned that sea access alone has "failed" to generate economic development and believe that not building the airport immediately will "take the Island beyond the point where decline can be reversed". It also highlighted the sense of "disbelief, distrust or betrayal" felt on the Island towards the Government. St Helena is a UK Overseas Territory with a population of just over 4,000 people, the majority British Citizens. There is also a substantial “Saints” population in Britain. St Helena is situated off the west coast of Africa and is only accessible by sea. The journey takes a minimum of 14 days from the UK. When the RMS St Helena (the only ship) makes the trip to the UK twice a year, St Helena is cut off from the outside world for up to five weeks. The Island has experienced a gradual decline in economic activity and an exodus of its workforce. The population has fallen by almost 25 per cent in the last ten years. The average salary for local people is £4,500 a year, but goods and food are more expensive than in the UK because of freight charges. For this reason, and the fact that there are only limited opportunities for skilled workers and young people, many Saints have already been forced to leave their families to seek work abroad. An airport would allow the Island to develop a sustainable high value, low volume tourism industry which would inject cash (up to £33 million a year by UK Government estimates) into the community whilst minimising negative impacts. The Island could then become self sufficient. For UK taxpayers an airport would provide a tangible return on investment and reduce, if not end, the need for subsidies, currently running at around £25 million annually. Without an airport this figure will continue to grow. The St Helena Government UK Representative Kedell Worboys said: “Islanders will be desperately concerned following the Government’s announcement. Support for the airport has been overwhelming. Saints both on the Island and overseas want to secure their own future whilst at the same time relieving the burden on the UK taxpayer. Both they and the British Government know that an airport is the only way of doing this. We shall continue the fight to save our Island from ruin.” For further information contact John Stanley on 020 7839 2140 or john@keenepa.co.uk -ends-