Annex E – Social Appraisal

 

Introduction

 

E-1        This section is based upon a comprehensive access feasibility study undertaken by ATKINS. The study draws upon participatory methodologies and the use of survey data.  This section aims firstly to assess how the three options might affect the St Helenian (or ‘Saint’) community in the short, medium and long-term; and secondly to consider the capacity of the island to cope with the effects of the ‘long runway’ option, and in particular to manage social and economic change in such as way as to make the most of opportunity and minimise potentially negative effects.

 

E-2        The information informing this analysis has been obtained from the review of existing studies, meetings with government departments and other relevant organisations in St Helena , and group discussions with members of the St Helenian community in the Falkland Islands , Ascension Island , St Helena , Cape Town , and the UK . Additionally the survey of Saints on St Helena and overseas, while intended primarily to predict demand for air travel, served to reinforce several of the findings on social issues.

 

Attitudes to Change:

 

E-3        Although some people expressed a degree of apprehension about some aspects of social change resulting from air access, the majority were firmly of the view that change is not just desirable but essential.   Overall there is no dispute that the island’s current situation is one of decline, in the population, in economic activity, and in the quality of community life.  People want to see this decline reversed and if air access and the development of tourism are the way to do this, then they would be welcome.   The distinction is made between improved access in itself, and the economic development which could follow, and it is generally recognised that improved access alone will not solve the island’s problems.  If the decision is made in favour of air access then this is seen as the island’s last big chance to re-establish itself. 

 

E-4        Although there is little dispute about the scale and nature of direct benefits of air access there is debate among Saints about the extent to which the island can establish itself as an international tourist destination, and thus the likely pace and scale of economic development and indirect social changes.  A widely held view is that St Helena is not suitable for mass tourism and that St Helena should play to its strengths.  The approach to tourism needs to keep in tune with the low-key, easy style of life on St Helena , making the most of the friendly, informal atmosphere and the island’s security and relative freedom from crime. 

 

Family and community life:  

 

E-5        Popular perception is that the current situation has been one of decline in the quality of community life.  This is a consequence of both declining numbers to participate and a reducing number of people willing to be proactive organisers.  With a declining and ageing population there are fewer potential candidates for public office.   A community that is growing through the addition of active and entrepreneurial people in all stages of life has strong potential to reverse this position.

 

E-6        Saints are scattered around the globe.  Family and social life would be enhanced by the capacity to make short visits (cost permitting) compatible with conventional leave of absence from employment and other commitments.  For example, Saints travelling to and from the Falkland Islands reported that it was usual for 11 days out of a 28-day leave to be spent travelling.  In addition the costs of staying on Ascension Island , affecting travellers from both the UK and the Falkland Islands , are regarded as high if people were unable to stay with relatives or friends.  The survey of Saints found that the expense of the journey and the inability to get time off work were the most frequently given reasons for not having visited the island recently.  It is anticipated that the ability to make short visits would permit more frequent visits. 

 

E-7        At the moment there are estimated to be some 150 children in foster care (mostly with grandparents or other family members) while their parents are working overseas.  Both the professionals involved and members of the general public believe that this dislocation of family relationships is not good for the children, leading to behavioural and emotional problems, poor performance in school, and low career expectations.  There are also numerous families with only one parent on the island.  The opportunity for couples and families to be reunited more frequently and for people working overseas to have the opportunity to find employment on St Helena would benefit family life.

 

E-8        There are general benefits to elderly people and others in need of help and support from within the community, when a greater number of people in their family and social network are present on the island.  The ability to move abroad in pursuit of employment tends to be the prerogative of the relatively young, able and qualified.  Those left behind find themselves dependent upon a smaller number of relatives, friends and neighbours for support, and a smaller pool of people available for employment in the caring professions.  This disproportionately affects children, elderly people, and people in need of social and health care.

 

Professional and business life:

 

E-9        Business and professional life would  be enhanced through the ability to travel quickly, and at relatively short notice.   People from a variety of walks of life recognised that however good telecommunications may be there is no substitute for personal contact with colleagues, customers and suppliers.  Professionals described the importance of the exchange of ideas through attendance at conferences, short courses and professional gatherings and the value of these interchanges to avoid ‘getting stale’.   Business people felt that their suppliers did not fully understand the situation on St Helena , while they themselves did not always recognise the range and value of new or alternative products, or to judge whether there would be benefits from changing suppliers.  The ability to  ‘go and see’ on both sides would benefit trade.

 

Employment:  

 

E-10      Employment in St Helena has long been dominated by the public sector.  It is currently estimated that opportunities for employment are contracting along with the economy as a whole, but that the government sector is contracting faster than the private sector.   Data from the 2002 Yearbook shows that a substantial number of government posts are standing empty, and significant concerns are being expressed about the level of resignations from government departments and the difficulty of recruiting people into essential roles. Recruitment and retention problems are widespread in the caring professions, as trained nurses, teachers, and care workers have given up their roles and left St Helena to work in other jobs overseas.   The current limitations on access are identified as one of the factors making it difficult to recruit people from overseas into skilled and professional jobs on St Helena .

 

E-11      The disparity between the salaries and benefits packages paid to expatriates (particularly from the UK ) and equally qualified Saints doing the same job is a particular source of resentment. Members of the off-island community were also keen to point out that one effect of low wages on the island is low productivity in the public sector.  The feeling was strongly expressed that all these issues need to be dealt with quickly.

 

E-12      Air access would have the potential to create benefits to people working both on the island and elsewhere.  The development of tourism and the wider economy, predicated on air access, would create more jobs and a wider diversity of jobs.  It is likely that it would create both full time and part time employment. 

 

E-13      One aspect of benefit related to air access is that it could enhance the working lives of people who choose to remain in off-shore employment.  Employers in the Falkland Islands and Ascension Island expressed their expectations that quicker and more frequent services to St Helena would improve the position of their employees over and above the direct personal benefits of quicker access to families and friends.  Recruitment procedures might be speeded up and it would be more feasible to interview for relevant posts.  Manpower planning issues would be eased with employers able to adopt more flexible policies towards the frequency and duration of periods of leave for their employees, and to consider a wider range of contractual arrangements with their Saints employees, which could be beneficial to career development.

 

E-14      Employers of Saints in Ascension Island and the Falkland Island are fully aware of the limitations of present access arrangements, and the costs (of all forms) are built in to their contractual relations.  People working in the UK , the USA , Europe and elsewhere reported that, not surprisingly, their employers have little understanding of the difficulties of travel to and from St Helena , and find it much more difficult to allow Saints the special leave concessions that they need to visit the island.  A number of participants in group discussions described how the only way they could get enough time off to make a visit to the Island was by quitting their job, and taking it on trust that they could get another one when they got back to the USA or wherever.

 

E-15      The opportunities for new employment associated with the air access options would be felt primarily in the development of the private sector.  This would create opportunities for both employees and entrepreneurs.  During the group discussions the view was widely expressed that an economy developing through the successful establishment and growth of small and medium sized enterprises was the way forward which would create the most benefit to Saints.  A key benefit of air access would be the opportunity for people to start their own businesses. In the course of group discussions a significant number of participants, both on and off the island, expressed interest in starting their own businesses in the tourism sector.  Many of these were people already working in relevant service sectors and had experience of developed tourism economies elsewhere.   

 

E-16      It as noted that there are relatively few examples of successful entrepreneurial activity on the island, and that some people gave examples of having been deterred from attempting to set up a business by controls designed to limit competition.  While potential entrepreneurs would look to SHDA and the new commercial bank to support their enterprises, they would also rely heavily on personal funds and family support.  People are well aware of the issue of business risk.  They would welcome government-led initiatives to educate and support new entrepreneurs, and in particular, help to bridge the difficult period before air operations, during which it would be important to invest in new facilities, so that these were actually in place when larger numbers of tourists started to arrive.

 

E-17      Substantial development in the private sector will create opportunities which may appeal to people who have left the island because they do not feel at ease in public sector employment.  It is also probable that the private sector will lead the way to higher wages in all sectors.  The Saints survey found that better wage levels are identified as the major factor which would cause people to remain on St Helena , and the second most frequently cited factor which would encourage Saints to return from overseas.  Entrepreneurial activity and the influence of people bringing external attitudes to productivity and remuneration into the economy, are likely to act to support government efforts to improve productivity and move away from the ‘job for life’ ethos in the public sector. 

 

Attitudes to newcomers:

 

E-18      It is unlikely that all the skills, investment, and numbers of people required to support economic development, particularly in the ‘long runway’ scenario, will be found within the Saints community.  To achieve the projected benefits the island must take a positive attitude to:

 

·          foreigners recruited to take up employment

·          foreign investors and business partners

·          rapidly increasing tourist numbers

·          foreigners wishing to purchase property, reside on the island.

 

E-19      While Saints do not want to be ‘ripped off’ or flooded with people who could not be assimilated socially, they do think that it would be reasonable to review existing regulations regarding work permits and permission to reside and buy property in the best interests of the island.  Most participants in the group discussions seemed most willing to welcome tourists.  Saints expected to benefit not only from the economic opportunities that the growth of tourism would provide but also from access to the leisure facilities which would develop to serve the tourist market.  Some reservations were expressed about very exclusive developments which it was felt might engender unwelcome social divisions.

 

E-20      The general feeling towards investment from overseas was that this would be welcome, provided that a substantial part of the profit stays on the island and ordinary Saints have a fair opportunity to share in the benefits.  There is a preference for measures which would stimulate small and medium sized enterprises, both because these would ensure that the majority of benefits are retained locally, and because it is felt that the island is not suitable for mass tourism.

 

Education and Training

 

E-21      Many of the challenges facing the education sector are rooted in the isolation of the island and the resultant declining population. Schools rolls have declined in recent years such that the Government is under pressure to consider seriously the rationalisation of its primary schools. In the island’s only secondary school, it has been necessary to reduce the range of subjects offered in the curriculum to maintain some control over the pupil-teacher ratios. The retention of trained teachers is particularly difficult for St Helena and this has put a further strain on school standards.

 

E-22      Air access to the island will serve to reduce its isolation and provide new opportunities for schools to develop. During the construction phase of the airport, employment opportunities will increase as will the need for training. Initially, the demand for the practical vocational subjects is likely to increase and it is expected that in time students will come to value education across all subjects, thereby raising standards and motivation levels.

 

E-23      Currently, with few employment opportunities and the unpredictability of the employment market, it is proving difficult to develop a coherent HRD plan on the island. Improved access by air will help to reduce the uncertainty and enable the ad hoc training activities to be coordinated more effectively by the various government departments, the private sector and the different statutory bodies such as the Vocational Training Advisory Council and the Scholarship Committee. Such action will lead also to the increase in formal accreditation of many of the courses offered on the island. The recently established St Helena Education Sector Support Programme will be able to bring maximum benefit to the new initiatives in education and training.

 

E-24      With improvements in access to the island, as the economy and contact with the ‘outside world’ grows, it is anticipated that attitudes towards education and work will be influenced for the better and students’ expectations will rise accordingly to include the higher echelon jobs such as teachers, doctors, engineers, architects and lawyers. These ‘home-grown’ professionals are more likely to remain on the island and add to its social capital