Tag: Wayne Panton
Population grows 2.6% as work permits surge
(CNS): The Cayman Islands population has grown by at least another 2.6% to almost 84,000, according to the latest Labour Force Survey undertaken by the Economics and Statistics Office. The proportion of Caymanians in this new estimated population has dropped another 1% since the last survey in October to 46.5%, as the growth has been […]
CPA taking Boggy Sand case to Privy Council
(CNS): The courtroom battle over the redevelopment of a controversial cabana and seawall in a marine park area on Boggy Sand Beach in West Bay that has pitched two government boards against each other is headed to London. In a surprising turn of events, given that the Central Planning Authority has lost a judicial review […]
Blue Belt will help conservation effort
(CNS): The Cayman Islands’ marine environment and ecosystems have an estimated value of at least $1.1 billion, according to Premier Wane Panton, and becoming the latest British Overseas Territory to join the UK’s Blue Belt Programme will help expand the necessary conservation and protections in the face of climate change, which is predicted to exacerbate existing […]
FFR could block spending on climate resilience
(CNS): Premier Wayne Panton has said the Framework for Fiscal Responsibility could prove too conservative for Cayman to invest in the necessary projects and initiatives to future-proof the country and develop resilience to survive the changing climate unless the cap on the debt can be lifted. PACT’s policy goal of a sustainable future and preparing […]
Premier says civil service must stop growing
(CNS): Premier Wayne Panton has said the civil service headcount cannot continue to grow at the current pace and that a request for 1,100 new posts in the upcoming budget would not be fulfilled. He said there would be no job cuts in this coming spending plan and that the government finances remain solid, but […]
UK offers support to protect Cayman’s deep ocean
(CNS): An upcoming workshop will explore opportunities for expanding deep-sea marine conservation efforts in the Cayman Islands with support from the United Kingdom’s flagship Blue Belt Programme. The workshop is part of a week-long series of events where local agencies will develop plans for safeguarding Cayman’s Exclusive Economic Zone waters from pollution, illegal fishing and […]
PPM doubts PACT will achieve budget cut
(CNS): Cutting almost $50 million in spending over the last four months of the year is a huge task, Opposition Leader Roy McTaggart has said following news that Premier Wayne Panton is seeking an 8.5% reduction in the budget for the remainder of this year. In his latest video message, McTaggart said the need to […]
CI$550K added to housing repairs budget
(CNS): Cabinet has approved an additional CI$550,000 for a second Housing Repairs Assistance Programme to help people who don’t have the means to repair their homes. The government has also authorised the National Housing and Development Trust (NHDT) to use $1.6 million of its budget to do the same thing for people not eligible for […]
Premier seeks 8.5% cut to this year’s budget
(CNS): Civil service bosses have been told to cut spending by around $47 million before the end of the year. With just four months left of 2023, Premier Wayne Panton, wearing his finance minister hat, has called on public servants to save cash as operational expenditure climbs toward $1 billion. He told CNS this wasn’t […]
New members join NCC while CPA reappointed
(CNS): The two groups of people with the power to shape the protection of the Cayman Islands’ natural resources over the remainder of this current administration were appointed by Cabinet last week. Ian Pairaudeau has been reappointed as chairperson of the Central Planning Authority (CPA) and Stuart Mailer, the former environmental programmes manager at the […]
Policy falls short of a legal right to green energy
(CNS): The draft updated National Energy Policy includes changes promoting more equitable access to green energy sources. But officials have said the proposed new implementation plan only considers consumers’ right to access the national grid but doesn’t mandate it. Fourteen years after the CORE programme began, only 3.5% of local power comes from renewables, and […]
