On 30th September 2015 the UK’s Prime Minster David Cameron announced a £300 million fund for Caribbean infrastructure.

The New fund will invest in roads, bridges and ports to help drive economic growth and development across the region.

The [UK] government is to invest £300 million in vital new infrastructure in the Caribbean such as roads, bridges and PORTS to help drive economic growth and development across the region.

Delivered in collaboration with the Caribbean Development Bank, the infrastructure fund will use money from the UK’s existing aid budget to provide grants over the next few years for a range of projects that will help boost growth and trade across the region, creating jobs and opening up new market opportunities for British businesses.

David Cameron said:

“We want to help the Caribbean on their path of development – supporting economic growth and creating new opportunities for people living here.

“That’s what this £300 million infrastructure fund is all about. It will help to fund upgrades to ports, new roads and new bridges – making it easier here for businesses to trade with one another and with the rest of the world. And it will help benefit British businesses too who have the knowledge and expertise to deliver the infrastructure improvements needed.”

Types of infrastructure the fund could provide include:

750km of upgraded single-lane roads, including 30-40 bridges
20 large water production, storage and transmission systems
75km of sea and river defences
15 ports upgraded by providing specialist equipment to speed up freight movements
30 solid waste management projects for major cities/communities

In a “Note to Editors” in the Press Release comes the Bite and we have no bite:

“The Infrastructure Fund will be available to 8 Commonwealth countries in the region eligible for ODA (official development assistance): Jamaica, Guyana, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda and St Vincent & the Grenadines; as well as Montserrat as an ODA-eligible Overseas Territory.”
So why were we not included?

Cayman Lawyer, Peter Polack has asked our government that question too along with this:

“The £300M UK Infrastructure fund for eight Commonwealth countries not including the Cayman Islands has approved US$60M to finance steam train engines for Jamaican tourism.

“The question must now be asked by our political leadership under the austerity regime : where is our share?

“Concessions having been made on beneficial ownership , is this to be a one way street while competing regional tourism economies leave us behind?

“The fund is being used to support independent countries with their own diversified economies while Cayman is treading water in a pool of status quo.”

See also our related story published today “UK Caribbean infrastructure fund approves steam engine railway for Portland, St Mary”

So we can come to the UK’s table, after paying for our meal, sit their with smiles all around, bowing to our master, and watch the empty plate set in front of us, whilst all the others who have given nothing, eat. And not even a small bite for us.

What happened to it?