Next budget to prioritise bread-and-butter issues

Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has promised that his government will focus the upcoming 2026 budget on “bread-and-butter” issues affecting residents, including road repairs, water supply, education, social protection, and youth development.

Speaking on the government’s Virgin Islands Voice programme, Dr Wheatley said the territory’s economy was performing strongly but acknowledged that more attention must be given to the everyday needs of Virgin Islanders.

“We have a lot to give God thanks for,” Dr Wheatley stated. “Financial services have made the most money they’ve ever made in the history of the Virgin Islands. Tourism has made more money than it has made in the history of the Virgin Islands. Persons are making higher salaries than they’ve ever made in the history of the Virgin Islands,” he explained.

The Premier said that after three years of concentrating on governance reforms in response to the Commission of Inquiry, his administration’s next focus would be investing in areas that directly impact residents’ quality of life.

“We are going to turn more of our attention to investing in the bread-and-butter issues of the community,” Premier Wheatley stated. “This means investing our time and resources into building roads, fixing our water situation, building more schools, investing more in our recreational facilities, investing in our social safety net, investing in community programmes to ensure that we keep our young people on the straight and narrow, investing in our solid waste disposal, investing in our environmental protection, and investing in building our tourism product,” he said.

Dr Wheatley noted that government ministers had met earlier this year to align their priorities with the budget planning process to ensure that critical projects receive funding. “The key and the goal is to ensure that those priorities for 2026 are funded in the budget,” he explained, adding that these goals would be reflected in the budget speech later this month.

The Premier’s comments come as the territory continues to face concerns about inflation and the high cost of living. In recent months, his administration has worked on initiatives such as the minimum wage increase, social support programmes, and plans for a regulated basket of essential goods to control consumer prices.

The 2026 budget address is expected to outline measures aimed at improving living standards while sustaining the territory’s economic growth driven by tourism and financial services.