Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Giving Anegada its own District Rep possible in constitution review

Giving Anegada its own District Rep possible in constitution review

Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has said that although he believes there is no appetite in the Virgin Islands to add a new Electoral District, adding one for Anegada is something up for consideration as the government moves forward with a constitution review.
Dr Wheatley said he understands that people from Anegada may feel neglected in some sense because of its distance from Tortola and the other sister islands.

He added that the government must listen to the people of Anegada if an exclusive district representative is something they want.

“Certainly, that is a consideration we have to take forward to the people as we are reviewing our constitution. We are reviewing our laws and processes so now is a good time to determine whether we want to add any more districts. I am not sure there is an appetite in the Virgin Islands for that but of course, the people have to make their voices heard and if that is what the people of Anegada want, we have a duty to consider it,” the Premier said.

He noted the government has the opportunity and power – both legislatively and constitutionally – to redraw the boundaries of any district. Currently, on the electoral map, Anegada is drawn in the Ninth District with Virgin Gorda and both islands are represented by Vincent Wheatley.

“Of course, Anegada is far away from Tortola, and I know the people there feel neglected and they might feel as though having a representative may help with that. I believe the Ninth District Representative pays close attention to what is happening there and some of the [Territorial] At-Large Representatives, persons like Honourable Shereen Flax-Charles, have regular visits to Anegada,” the Premier said.

“I feel that we have seen a lot of progress in Anegada. So, I believe until a decision has been made to have a separate representative over there, I would encourage the Ninth District Representative and the At-Large members to pay particular attention there,” Dr Wheatley added.

The Premier also encouraged the different ministries in his government to pay keen attention to the needs of Anegada residents.

“All of the ministries of government – whether it is Education, Health, whether it is Natural Resources or Communication & Works, and myself as the Premier that we pay particular attention to the needs of the people of the Ninth District of Anegada in particular,” Dr Wheatley stated.

Late last year, the different ministers under the then Andrew Fahie-led government had offered support for a proposal that sought to give Anegada an exclusive district representative.

The ministers had held a meeting with residents on the sister island and former Premier Fahie, Territorial At-Large Representative Carvin Malone, Works Minister Kye Rymer as well as Ninth District Representative Vincent Wheatley all offered their support, in principle, to move the initiative forward.

Dr Wheatley was not present at the meeting.
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?
×