Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Airports Authority Board and SSB will be dissolved

Airports Authority Board and SSB will be dissolved

Following the announcement of the dissolution of the BVI Ports Authority (BVIPA) some weeks ago, Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley said today that the boards of the BVI Airports Authority (BVIAA), and the Social Security Board (SSB) will also be dissolved.

Wheatley confirmed in a live broadcast that the BVIPA Board is currently looking for new members. He also announced the National Unity Government has been assessing several other statutory boards to determine whether they should be dissolved or make any changes to their composition in the best interest of the public.

“I would like to announce that the BVI Airports Authority will have a new board. I have spoken to the chair of the board and communicated the government’s wish to dissolve the recent board. The membership of the entire board has expired, or members have given their resignation. I thank the chairman and the other members for their service,” Dr Wheatley said.

Was in public interest to form new board


The Premier further said his government felt that, in the best interest of the public, it was best to form a new Social Security Board.

“The chairman is currently away from the territory and the deputy chairman already resigned. I take this opportunity to thank the chairman and the membership for their service to the Virgin Islands. I want to make it clear that these boards are not being dismantled because of any knowledge of wrongdoings by the most recent memberships,” Dr Wheatley said.

“I personally know members who have made strong contributions, who are people of integrity and have sacrificed countless hours of their time and energy but given recent events, it is important for us to have a fresh start,” the Premier said.

He added that he believes it is not good practice for persons to sit on multiple statutory boards. Dr Wheatley said these statutory bodies should never be unduly influenced by the concentration of the same people sitting o multiple boards at the same time.

“Cabinet will soon commission a development of a proper protocol for the appointment and dismissal of statutory board members to ensure the process is transparent and the criteria against which people are selected for statutory boards are appropriate,” the Premier said.

Dr Wheatley also noted changes will be made to the BVI Tourist Board. He added the statutory body is critical to supporting the tourism sector.

“The appointment of the current board members will expire shortly. Once this happens, new appointments will be made with strong representation from across the various sector of the tourism industry. Tourism is too critical to our economy to have not such strong sectorial representation. I ask for the industry’s support as we prepare for the upcoming tourism season,” the Premier said.

Dr Wheatley reiterated that the National Unity Government’s action on statutory boards is another step in the right direction as they continue to reform the government. He made it abundantly clear that reform is about making necessary changes to see a better future for the people of the Virgin Islanders.

“It is about engendering a new culture in the way we handle the public’s business and strengthening and improving our institutions and systems of government. It is not simply about what Sir Gary Hickinbottom has recommended or what the Governor and the United Kingdom want to see,” Dr Wheatley said.

“We must admit that many of our established practices are not fit for purpose and that we must change them if we want to see better public services, better infrastructure, better economic performance, and better service to the people. We must make changes at every level. The government of national unity believes change begins with us,” the Premier added.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×