Calls for transparency over seafront lido costs

Demands have been made for Jersey ministers to be more open about how money has been spent on a lido.

Deputy David Warr said he felt the island's government needed to be more transparent about how much repairing and maintaining the Havre des Pas in St Helier is costing.

He said it was becoming very hard to trace how the maintenance budget for the lido - which looks set to go over the £500,000 mark - was being spent.

Infrastructure Minister Andy Jehan said the government was being transparent and work was ongoing while the search for someone to take over running the lido continued.

At a recent States of Jersey sitting, Mr Warr asked about the costs for the lido.

It was revealed £495,102 of capital expenditure had been committed so far to the site and a further £76,534 was still to be spent.

Mr Warr said he felt it was beholden on him to quiz ministers on the budget.

He said: "In the private sector, you would have a fixed contract and fixed price, so why are the States and Jersey Property Holdings any different to anybody else out there?

"I think they should be held accountable and much more transparent.

"If they were more transparent, I wouldn't have to be asking the questions that I'm asking."

Mr Jehan said a lot of work was going on at the lido and the government was being transparent with the costs.

He added: "Every question we've had we've tried to answer as clearly as we can.

"We're doing our level best."

A government spokesperson said it had received expressions of interest from several parties who wanted to operate the pool and its facilities.

It added the successful party would be offered a nine-year lease after a selection panel reviews the bids in April.

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