Housing report to remain secret as crisis worsens
(CNS): The Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) has found in the Cayman Islands Government’s favour and ruled that the report by a ministry task force into the country’s housing crisis can remain secret. Although the work was conducted using public money and the government said it would help them tackle one of Cayman’s major social challenges, neither its findings nor recommendations have been revealed to the people.
The Technical Working Group of the Inter-Ministerial Housing Taskforce (Housing Taskforce) was established in 2022, and the CIG also spent money on engaging consultants to help it, undermining its claims that the report is a collection of Cabinet deliberations and therefore cannot be released.
CNS began trying to get the report through the freedom of information process almost a year ago after direct requests to the ministry were declined. Throughout the arduous twelve-month process of trying to get the report released, it was persistently declined, and we eventually asked the ombudsman to intervene through an appeal.
However, that appeal has failed, and while requesting a judicial review remains open to us, the cost and time make it prohibitive.
In a ruling delivered Wednesday afternoon, Ombudsman Sharon Roulstone said that because the report was a Cabinet document and a preparatory step in the development of a comprehensive housing policy, the report is protected under section 19(1)(a) of the FOI law because it includes opinions, advice and recommendations.
“The confidential nature of these deliberations is fundamental to the effective functioning of the Cabinet, and disclosure of such exploratory work would undermine its purpose,” she said.
CNS had argued that the report was largely a collection of findings and the result of various research rather than secret Cabinet deliberations.
“Releasing the report would not expose any exchanges that Cabinet may have had or any private discussions, merely what was learned as a result of the cross-ministerial work, as it was not the Cabinet per se that did the actual research work but the various ministries,” we had submitted.
No policy has emerged from the findings of the report, and with just three weeks before Nomination Day — which marks the deadline for any government, never mind a minority one, to roll out any new policies — it appears that members of the public will not get to see either the findings or the recommendations they paid for.
The report is understood to have documented the problem and provided data and the options for resolution. Billed originally as an important document that would be made public, it is now another issue that the UPM failed to address, largely as a result of the continuous disagreements among the coalition.
CNS continues to believe that the true level of our housing crisis and what is believed to be the list of over two dozen recommendations to tackle it should not be secret.
There is no doubt that the lack of affordable accommodation in Cayman is having a far-reaching negative impact on society in myriad ways. It is exacerbated by the government’s failure to curb the excessive luxury development, leading to the sell-off, especially of the land on Grand Cayman, to overseas investors and high-net-worth individuals.
See the OMB’s ruling in the CNS Library and below:
- Fascinated 311%
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Category: Government oversight, Policy, Politics
Did anyone happen to watch Wednesday’s Ombudsman hearing on CIGTV?
Ombudsman Sharon Roulstone’s statement that because the report contains deliberations and so must remain secret is absolute, unadulterated, putrid excrement.
It is a report intended to facilitate deliberations, not minutes of meetings.
In my opinion, there should be no secrets regarding any reports OR meetings and deliberations. This hiding behind closed doors must cease. We the people have every right to know, not just the outcomes of our government’s ruminations, but we should be privy to the detailed accounts of how they arrived at their decisions. This is part of having an informed and engaged electorate. Total transparency will help us to decide if they deserve our vote in the next election, or whether we should kick the adherents of cloak-and-dagger politics out of office. At this point I am strongly leaning toward kicking them the hell out. What are they trying so hard to hide?
I am passionate about solving the housing crisis and have done much research in Cayman (and overseas, to look for proven ideas that we can adapt and then apply to our unique needs).
I was brought in to talk with the Housing Task Force and momentum was building to create a solution, but then the government reshuffled in late 2023 and the whole topic was mothballed. This is where we sit right now, even though this is a win-win-win-win (for people who need housing they can afford to buy, for developers and contractors to build it, for any politician who wishes to get behind it, for the government finances (my solution won’t cost the country money, it will make the country money!)).
I, as a Caymanian with decades of relevant experience and expertise, remain available to consult on this and, for clarity, I will not take any fee for this, so no need for tenders, RFPs etc
Everything in government is a huge secret!
Why civil servants who are not performing cannot be fired? 
Why 17-year-old high school graduates cannot get entry level jobs in the private sector, yet we have receptionists on work permits? 
The MPs cannot say why Cabinet makes stupid decisions; the Chief Officers cannot say what money is being misused; the civil servants cannot say what is causing inefficiencies in their departments. Why is the majority of the Education department’s staff Jamaican?
We have apparently reached the point where the Cayman Islands Government no longer values the right of the individual to own property.
A Chief Officer in the Lands Ministry, as quoted today in a Compass story, has come right out and said the Government intends to unleash the cudgel of compulsory acquisition in cases where the Government feels its rights trump those of individual landowners.
This is draconian stuff and the property owners of Cayman need to be very worried.
The Government has access to more than enough of its own land without having to confiscate property owned and purchased by private citizens in the expectation that their right of ownership is guaranteed by the state, a principle that has previously been understood to be inviolable.
By taking this stance the Government is guaranteeing a third world future for Cayman.
That last paragraph is one of many reasons why I refuse to have kids despite being generational Caymanian.
To hell with unna birth rate – you wanted us to be outnumbered and forgotten, you going get it!
The laws of unintended consequences run ripe in our Islands, although these days I wonder whether the consequences are truly unintended, or infact simply ignored.
There is such a chasm in the wealth of grand Cayman, my guesstimate is that at most 10% of the population are not living paycheck to paycheck.
The amount of mortgage defaults, strata owners in arrears, credit card borrowers paying monthly minimums, drivers cancelling insurance, cuc bills being paid late or not at all, payday loans being taken out, children arriving at school without lunch and on, and on and on.
And yet for some reason the majority of us allow the continued money grab taking place at the top – watching all these luxury developments getting built and sitting empty most of the year, for everyone else except 90% at least of the resident population. And who truly benefits? Not even the 10%, it will be less than that. And its always the same folk.
The housing crisis is the canary in the coal mine and it is here now, the canary isn’t even on life support. she’s dead.
The first thing you can do for immediacy is reign in AirBNB and the type – globally, there are massive restrictions on renting out short term to non-residents. This should not be controversial, it is done to help locals survive –
limit the # of days annually any property can be rented short term;
insist that owners must also be living in the property (believe me, this is done in the major tourist spots globally);
tax the receipts massively;
You must look to protect your own residents. Anyone who has invested in property to rent out to AirBNB can afford any restriction you bring in – OR they rent it out long term at an affordable rate. Or sell it. This trickles down, and the healing of the housing shortage begins.
We can also bring in Landlord/Tenant legislation; rezone areas; insist developments cater to all types of residents; etc.
There are countless solutions. The missing link is the bravery of those in power to stand up to the greed of the few.
Where are you?
You are full of it. There are virtually zero mortgage foreclosures or delinquencies.
What planet are you living on?
I’m on the planet that has working relationships with every bank on the island. Foreclosures are 1-2 per bank which is virtually 0 for the whole country.
If you’d like to prove me wrong then cite a source.
Office of the Ombudsman is a joke! Staffers with LLBs with no sense of logic and who could not even draft a law school paper!
According to them, they can only “recommend” actions to CIG.
In it’s present state, the Office of the Ombudsman is another useless entity costing us money.
Ms. Roulstone, prove me wrong!!
its a by-product of a succesful economy and is a problem in many desirable places in the world.
but cayman is doomed because it has no development plan
Absolutely correct!
One inevitable by-product of a thriving capitalistic economy that lacks a prudent measure of socio-economic protections for the lower and middle classes, is that the wealth gap between the have’s and the have not’s gets continually wider. In other words: The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
you all blind. Cayman government is crashing.
why you think so many MPS are retiring now with their FAT Pension for Life!!
let’s Rule by Referendum!
People Power. Ok UK takes over the mess. THEN taxation comes.
any comment Mrs governor?
is it time to petition the UK for new governor?
Ban Airbnb and VRBO etc and the problem will resolve itself
Do not listen to vested interests owning multiple properties and renting at sky rocketing prices to tourists. It hurts the local market
Tourism should be building the local market. If tourism is not providing jobs and revenue for locals your fight is with WORC, DCI, and the Department of Education. NOT the people providing your customers with somewhere to stay so that they can be your customers!
Local market would deprive Kenny’s First class travel and 5 star all expenses paid jollies …how can you do that to him..?
The Adeptus Ridiculous Declares: Cayman Has Become Necromunda—Hive City Edition!
Look around. The signs are everywhere. The once-idyllic island paradise, known for its crystal-clear waters, white sandy beaches, and high-end financial sector, has descended into a state of corporate feudalism, unchecked crime, and back-alley deals that would make even the most corrupt Hive Lord blush.
WELCOME TO CAYMANMUNDA —WHERE PARADISE MEETS DYSTOPIA!
Gone are the days of sun-soaked tranquility. Now, Cayman is an urban sprawl of political gangs, warring factions, and towering monoliths of unchecked development.
THE SIGNS OF NECROMUNDA ARE CLEAR:
• Skyscrapers rise, but the roads, power grids, and public services remain neglected.
• Development approvals are handed out like rations in the underhive—to those with the deepest pockets and the fewest scruples.
• The only ones thriving? The Guilders and the ruling class—while the common worker is left scavenging in the financial ruins.
• Crime is rising, but the enforcers dare not patrol certain zones.
• Entire areas are written off as lawless territories, where criminals roam unchecked while the so-called authorities fortify their precincts, unwilling to engage.
• Public trust in the system? Nonexistent. Justice is just another currency.
• The UPM and PPM fight like Necromunda’s Great Houses, waging war not for the people, but for control over resources, power, and the ability to rewrite laws to suit their interests.
• The Governor? An Adeptus Arbites figurehead, watching but rarely acting.
• The people? Mere pawns in the battle for dominance, kept in check by bureaucracy and economic strangleholds.
• Mount Trashmore continues to loom like an Underhive slag heap, belching toxins into the air.
• Diesel generators choke the skies, yet green energy solutions are met with red tape so thick it might as well be a Hive Wall.
• The George Town Dump is one industrial accident away from becoming a hive-wide catastrophe.
• Taxis and buses operate without regulation, without sanity, and often without brakes.
• Drivers take roundabouts like they’re on a Necromunda racing circuit, weaving through traffic in death-defying stunts.
• Pedestrians are at constant risk, forced to navigate roads like underhive gangers dodging industrial debris.
• Starlink? Banned. Affordable internet? Restricted.
• The ruling class enjoys luxuries unavailable to the masses, ensuring that information flow remains firmly in their control.
• Meanwhile, the rest must make do with failing infrastructure, overpriced utilities, and rationed access to modern conveniences.
THE FINAL VERDICT: NECROMUNDA IS HERE—AND THE UNDERHIVE IS EXPANDING!
Cayman is no longer a tropical paradise. It has become a corporate necropolis, a sprawling, stratified dystopia where power is hoarded, corruption is currency, and those who control the resources dictate the future.
We are in the Underhive now.
And just like Necromunda, those at the top will never fix it—because they benefit from the chaos.
The Adeptus Ridiculous watches from the shadows, mechadendrites twitching in barely-contained rage. Because if Cayman is now Necromunda, there is only one path forward:
Expose the corruption. Undermine the ruling Houses. Arm the people with knowledge. And remind them—Hive Lords fall when the Underhive rises.
Welcome to Caymanmunda. You’ve been warned.
Post Scriptum :
Our endless thanks to CNS who continues to expose to light the darker corners of the unfortunate current events that impact this small speck of an island and give a voice to everyone
The Rogues’ Gallery
Regular exposure to sunlight may help alleviate these cyberpsychosis symptoms.
Adeptus Ridiculous of The Cayman Islands:
What you describe are the signs of the approach to End Stage Capitalism.
A hallmark of late-stage capitalism is profit-driven growth at the expense of public welfare. Wealth accumulation takes precedence over sustainable growth planning. Skyscrapers and developments continue to rise, but essential infrastructure—such as roads, power grids, and public services—lags behind, leaving the broader population to deal with congestion, resource shortages, and a declining quality of life.
“The Guilders and the ruling class thrive while the common worker scavenges in financial ruins.” This aligns with the inequities brought about by wealth concentration, where resources are hoarded by a few while the majority struggles. Economic power remains in the hands of the elites who control industries, policies, and financial and economic institutions, while the average Caymanian worker sees little improvement in their material conditions. The wealth gap widens, reinforcing the entrenched hierarchy of the elite.
Your commentary on law enforcement reflects trends demonstrating that in late capitalism, justice serves the elite while ordinary people face systemic neglect or even repression. Law enforcement prioritizes protecting the interests of the wealthy and powerful while turning a dim eye to crime in marginalized areas. Public trust in the system erodes as justice becomes another tool of control rather than a means of promoting fairness and security.
“Political Houses Rule Like Rival Gangs”
Instead of serving the public, political parties become factions battling for control of resources and laws. Policy decisions are driven by power struggles rather than the needs of the people, leading to widespread inequity and disillusionment. Politics and governance become the means of maintaining influence, where laws are rewritten to benefit those in power rather than creating equitable solutions for the wider population and the less-advantaged.
Unchecked industrial expansion and environmental destruction are frequently cited consequences of late-stage capitalism. Pollution from unregulated development continues to negatively affect the environment, while those responsible evade accountability through bureaucracy and legal loopholes. Sustainable solutions are obstructed by monied interests that prioritize short-term profits over long-term environmental stability.
In extreme capitalist systems, essential services like mass transit are often neglected. This leads to chaotic urban mobility, disproportionately affecting lower-income populations who are the most frequent compulsory commuters.
Information control and limited access to modern technology become tools to maintain power hierarchies. While the wealthy enjoy the benefits of high-speed internet, advanced security, and cutting-edge innovations, the less-advantaged population is left with outdated infrastructure and struggling to pay for overpriced utilities. This divide reinforces economic inequality.
The list goes on, but here I have expand solely upon your observations.
U fortunately no one has looked out for Caymanians over the last 12 to 16 yrs and beyond . Only making money then they realized their people have no jobs no homes and now the rushing as always to fix it reactionary like everything else.
No one…including Caymanians! Only have each other to blame for your future.
Kenneth spent 30 affordable homes giving increases to seafarers and others, and another 40 homes to have Scranton park.
Another at least 30 homes on Kenny beach purchase.
The consultant fees of $8Million plus for the secret Nothward resort , another 40 homes , which adds up to 120 affordable homes Caymanians are deprived of so far..
Want homes..? Then get the next government to fund it by canceling these wasteful developments.
Plus the 50 million and 10 million worker housing for the Brac school
30+40+30+40=140 homes actually…..and at average 4 people per home, that’s 560 Caymanians not housed.
$8,000,000…to consultants ?? C’mon now, we really that stupid when housing so badly needed ?
Stop the waste on a new prison, spend the amount of the consultant fees upgrading Northward.
Take the $150Million to speed on trade schools and upgrading our health facilities…..or even get a fund going to help with health insurance costs …Spend our money on US not on foreign consultants and their friends.
with the $50 (already $60, and soon to be $150) MILLION for the Brac school, you could build new homes for everyone who needed one.
Absolutely ridiculous
With an election coming up, this is EXACTLY the moment that voters should know what’s in the report so that they can compare with their own opinion and with the platforms of the various candidates. How typical that Cayman government succeeds in keeping the contents hidden. This is a DISGRACE.
Desperately continuing to hide the real conditions of the Cayman Islands economy. But a simple walk around Grand Cayman shows that the once billionaires island is now overridden with poverty. Sooner or later the real numbers will come out.
FYI, Sharon doesn’t write these orders. She has a contractor in the UK do it for her. She doesn’t want to hire locally!
Make and FOI request for contracts with people living in elsewhere and you will see what she is doing…you can also see evidence of it by requesting the budget docs for the office
Not sure about the UK contractor, 12:51. The real brains in that office with the work ethic and intellectual rigor is Jan Liebaers who has written, clearly, any of the reports in recent years. But this one doesn’t sound like him. It sounds like it has a bit of political bias/input…..
Jan was forced out of the office by Sharon in May 2024.
They just hired one such token bloke as her deputy
The Adeptus Ridiculous Declares: The Great Housing Crisis Cover-Up – Secrets, Speculation, and Sheer Incompetence!
Ah yes, the Cayman Islands housing crisis—an issue as vast as the ocean and as neglected as common sense in government offices. Property prices soar, rental markets tighten their grip on desperate residents, and Caymanians looking to secure a home in their own country are met with insurmountable walls of bureaucracy, unchecked foreign investment, and complete governmental indifference.
And now, a grand revelation! The government has a report on the crisis—one that contains 27 recommendations to supposedly fix the mess.
Surely, in this time of urgent need, this information will be shared, studied, and used to craft meaningful solutions!
…Right?
Wrong. The report will remain secret. Locked away. Hidden from public eyes.
The people cry out for answers.
The government responds with silence.
The housing crisis worsens.
The officials shrug.
And so, the cycle of incompetence continues.
When There Is No Transparency, There Is No Trust
What possible reason could there be for withholding a housing crisis report from the very people suffering under the crisis?
• Is the data so damning that publicizing it would expose the full extent of policy failure?
• Are the recommendations so impractical that revealing them would cause instant ridicule?
• Or, more likely, does the report contradict the personal and financial interests of those in power?
Because make no mistake—governments do not hide solutions unless those solutions would force them to change their priorities.
And what do we know of their priorities?
• Foreign investors snapping up properties at prices no local can afford.
• Developments geared towards ultra-wealthy elites while ordinary Caymanians are priced out of their own homeland.
• A rental market where landlords squeeze tenants for everything they have while wages stagnate.
• Policy decisions that favor speculation over stability, luxury over livability, and secrecy over transparency.
To refuse to release the housing report is to admit failure—but instead of correcting it, the government has chosen to bury the evidence.
A Crisis Manufactured by Neglect and Greed
Let us examine the current state of housing in Cayman:
• Homeownership? A pipe dream for the majority.
• Renting? Prepare to hand over half your income for a shoebox with a view of a construction site.
• Affordable housing programs? Plagued by bureaucracy, delays, and favoritism.
• Government response? “Let’s conduct a survey.”
Ah yes, a survey! Because nothing says “decisive leadership” like asking people how bad their suffering is while actively refusing to implement solutions.
The Adeptus Ridiculous’ Recommendations (Since the Government Has None)
If the report remains locked away in some forgotten archive, then let us propose actual solutions for this crisis:
1. Full Transparency – Release the Report.
• If the government has nothing to hide, then why hide it?
• Expose the findings, reveal the flaws, and show the people what’s actually being considered.
2. Control Foreign Speculation – Put Caymanians First.
• Introduce tax measures on non-resident property investors to curb speculative buying.
• Implement strict limits on foreign ownership of residential properties without permanent residency.
3. Affordable Housing That Actually Exists.
• Create a regulated, subsidized housing program with a cap on rent increases.
• Enforce stricter zoning laws to prioritize local housing over luxury developments.
4. Wage and Rental Reforms – No More Exploitation.
• Introduce renter protections that prevent landlords from arbitrarily hiking prices.
• Establish a living wage that aligns with the actual cost of living.
5. Crack Down on Corruption and Speculative Development.
• Force large-scale developers to allocate a percentage of their projects to local affordable housing.
• End the cozy backroom deals that let politicians profit while their constituents suffer.
Final Verdict: The Leaders Have No Solutions—Only Secrets
The Cayman Islands government is not suffering from a lack of information. It is suffering from a lack of willpower.
• The solutions exist.
• The data exists.
• The crisis is real.
And yet, rather than act, they bury the truth and hope the public stops asking questions.
How much longer will Caymanians accept this?
How many more must be driven into financial ruin before action is taken?
The Adeptus Ridiculous watches, but history suggests we will be watching this failure unfold for quite some time.
TL;DR
Add moratorium on all new Air B&Bs and your right..
Part of Caymanians being protected in our own country is having to own a majority of a business by law. So why is it that foreigners can purchase a property and put it on AirBnB, essentially owning a local business in Cayman?
Moratorium on new AirBnBs? How about a ban on AirBnBs where the property owner isn’t a full time resident. Full stop.
The idea of housing as an investment instead of a place for a human being to live got us into this mess in the first place.
It’s startling how no one that can change this speaks on it. Examples exists of how detrimental Air B&B is to local communities and long term rentals and home ownership are prominently displayed on the internet and by credible sources.
The last thing that any of the politicians who have had power over the past 10 years wants is evidence of how bad the situation that they created is.
11:29 am. The situation created is real. Too many dabbling in the purse and low cost housing has not broken ground. How many years does it take to build and complete affordable homes? It is laughable if it wasn’t so serious. Trusted members of society. Vote your conscience and avoid being fooled the second time.
I find it difficult to believe that there were no parts of the report that were factual in nature…some of it should have been released. However, considering the Ombudsman obtained her job as a political appointment rather than based on merit, this ruling comes as no surprise.
Just note your belief is predicated on the author’s opinion on what the law means, not what the law is.
*This is not a position on whether government should or shouldn’t publish information, only that in this case the law does not compel them to do so to any extent.
Read the order again. They are compelled to release portions of the report that are factual in nature. To say there are no facts in there, and only opinions, would be asinine.
It could be that the paid consultants made recommendations that either cannot be put in place or the politicians want to control the recommended measures and haven’t figured out how to do that yet.
They have also been fighting over who gets what out of the budget with Ju Ju putting her foot down for the school.
They were not in harmony and had no manifesto as a group of independents so what did anyone expect to come out of this?
It does not seem to matter who we elect nobody cares about the average citizen. If there anyone we can turn to.
Well we know that almost all of our politicians are corrupt and/or useless so we have nothing to lose by replacing them.
I sort of get where Sharon is coming from but I cannot agree with the logic.
Refusal on the basis that this document is “fundamental to the effective functioning of the Cabinet” is almost comical as it fails to take into account that there is no possibility that this Cabinet will ever function effectively.
You are 100% correct. They knew and did nothing while selling off Cayman to enrich themselves. Get it while it hot is the slogan.. reminding them that they were elected by the people. Soon they forget and walk around like we work for them.
Never in my life have I seen an “elected” politician work as a civil “servant”.
They all seem to get richer while the people they “serve” get poorer.
Yet so many Caymanians are homeless or on the verge of homelessness, myself included…
Vote fro people who are educated, intelligent, community/people centered, and responsible. Don’t vote for school leavers, who were dunce and sat at the back of the class. Flush them out and replace them with well rounded intellectuals, who place country first.