Tax could fund improvements to Jersey's drainage network

A total of £15.6m has been earmarked in the Government Plan to pay for work to begin on a "substantial redevelopment of the network"

A new tax to fund improvements to Jersey's drainage network is being developed by the government.

It said the existing network had "very little spare capacity" to cope with new housing developments or periods of heavy rainfall.

A total of £15.6m has been earmarked in the Government Plan to pay for work to begin on a "substantial redevelopment of the network" in 2024 and 2025.

But ministers intend to introduce waste charges - potentially by 2026.

The charges would raise a further £40m by the end of 2027 and fund subsequent ongoing investment in drains of up to £10m a year.

Creation of storage tanks

The Infrastructure Minister, Deputy Tom Binet, said islanders were paying "a certain amount of their taxes at the moment to fund waste".

"The truth is they haven't been paying quite enough for quite a period of time," he said.

"We're needing money over and above that to upgrade the system over a 10 year period and what I'm keen to do is make sure that we introduce charges that reflect the over and above, so people aren't paying twice.

"It's not government doing a grab."

In May, a report revealed the "sewer network needs to be upsized" to accommodate the development of up to 311 affordable homes.

The tax under development would pay for the replacement of ageing pipes and work to enable pumping stations to deal with increased volumes of water.

It would also fund the creation of storage tanks, which would support the cavern in holding overflows of sewage and rainwater during storms, officials said.

Further details are expected to be included in budget measures due to be published in autumn 2024.

"Some law drafting has been done and it's stayed on the shelf because nobody wanted to go out and tell people they're going to have to pay a certain contribution for liquid waste," Mr Binet said.

"It's tough and I'm really sorry to be the bearer of bad news."

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