News & Updates

People want delivery and not playground politics

The presentation of distorted figures which do not make a proper comparison of the provision of low-cost housing in GSLP and GSD periods is not just sleight of hand but fundamentally fails to address the core point about the GSLP “delivery” of housing policy.Housing is a pressing social concern and people want delivery and not playground politics.

The undeniable fact is that the GSLP will not stick to its promises made in January 2025 that keys would be delivered at the westside reclamation by no later than the first half of 2028 because the reclamation has not even started.

The undeniable fact is that Bob Peliza Mews was announced 11 years ago and phase 1 purchasers are still waiting while those waiting for phase 2 are seeing no end in sight to their seemingly interminable wait.

The undeniable fact is that Chatham Views has taken almost a decade for delivery to occur.

This record when juxtaposed with the notion that the Government is saying it will now deliver another 2,300 homes – i.e., that in the short span of two years it will deliver more homes than it has built over the entire 15-year period and all in 47,000 sq. metres of land – raises fundamental questions to the credibility of what they are now saying.Nothing, in what they have said in their reply addressees this core concern as to the believability of what they say.

Damon Bossino said: “Without wishing to entertain the Government’s child play of ‘my toy is bigger than yours’, it has to be pointed out that their figures are in fact intentionally massaged to portray a more favourable picture as to their record in office. What the Government statement purposely and with obvious intent fails to mention is the almost 500 rental flats that were in fact delivered at Mid harbours Estate by the GSD. This cynical and convenient omission has been intentionally done in order to distort the real picture.”

Perhaps Ms Orfila, as the Minister for Housing will be allowed, at some point, to intervene in
the debate

The GSLP government needs to stop playing around with peoples’ expectations and stop

making announcement after announcement about reclamations and affordable housing which

they must know when they make them are unattainable and are merely made for electoral

reasons. Now with the 2300 affordable homes the GSLP would have you believe that they

will deliver as many houses as they promised in 4 terms of office in a couple of years. This is

unbelievable.

At the time that the reclamation was first announced, the government said it would be ready

by the early part of 2026 with the first homes being delivered by the early part of 2028. As

matters stand there has already been a failure to keep to these promises. What faith can be

placed on this new pronouncement?

As the GSD said when this project was first announced in January 2025, the generation of

young, aspiring Gibraltarians who wish to purchase their homes, will be forgiven for being

highly sceptical when previous developments such as Bob Peliza Mews and Chatham Views

have been delayed by a decade in some cases and when, as the GSD warned at the time, it has

already failed to deliver on its promises regarding this development.

The government has failed to provide detailed plans and other information for a development

of this size, smacking as it does of shallow political posturing designed to garner votes from a

large sector of the electorate which is seriously fed up with its repeated slow delivery and

broken promises on housing.

This most recent statement fails to address the planning related concerns raised by the GSD

when the project was first announced 19 months ago on matters such as schooling, traffic and

building massification and more recently by those living there. No mention is made of how it

is expected to house 2,300 units in that area.

Damon Bossino said: “This is not surprising from a government which is so seriously delayed

in the publication of the new Development Plan; clearly lacks any notion of long-term

planning; and thinks it can continue to survive on future untested announcements but fail on

delivery.

”All of this suggests that this latest statement smacks of misplaced political opportunism, driven

by the internal party politics of the party currently in office as they prepare for the transition

to new leadership and a general election. Why, if not for that reason, has the Minister for

Business and Health fronted this re-hashed and tired re-announcement along with the Chief

Minister and not Ms Orfila as the Minister responsible for Housing who is so obviously being

sidelined?

Leader of the Opposition Keith Azopardi said: “The Government should stop with this

infantile approach to politics and govern for those many hundreds of mainly young people who

are being disenfranchised as home-owners. The marginalisation of this crucial segment of

Gibraltar society which represents the future has to be resolved with determination and action.”

The Concordat entered into between the UK and Gibraltar falls short of what the Motion passed by the Parliament unanimously in March 2026 called for. A GSD Government would enter into discussions with the UK Government to seek to improve its terms shortly after taking office.

The Parliament had requested the entry of a Concordat that would ensure that powers exercised by the UK under the Treaty carried the consent of the Government of Gibraltar.

On 2 July 2026 the Chief Minister indicated that there would be “no circumstances” in which decisions could be taken under the Treaty (by the UK) without its consent. However, the Concordat entered into in Brussels sets out provisions by which the UK could, in “exceptional circumstances”, depart from the Gibraltar view. Additionally, the involvement of the Gibraltar Government is circumscribed to some issues and not all matters that may arise under the implementation of the Treaty which will affect Gibraltar.

Leader of the Opposition, Keith Azopardi said: “It is clear that any issue agreed under the Treaty framework will affect Gibraltar and as such the Gibraltar Government should always be involved in all discussions. Additionally, it is of fundamental importance that any decision affecting Gibraltar must carry the consent of its Government and the people
of Gibraltar.

While the letter of Minister of State, Stephen Doughty, goes some way to allaying concerns that had already been expressed by the Opposition in respect of this draft version of the Concordat (shown to us last week) it does not adequately resolve these. This is regrettable and means the Concordat, as it stands, falls short.

In Government the GSD would seek to agree amendments to the Concordat which more closely reflects the principles in the Doughty letter as well as a more modern non-colonial relationship with the UK. Clearer commitments should be given in the UK-Gibraltar bilateral arrangements. It would be unacceptable for decisions affecting Gibraltar not to have the consent of the Government or the people of Gibraltar.

The new residency policy rules are likely to have an adverse effect against British people seeking to relocate to or invest in Gibraltar while pushing residency for new jobs, job creation itself and spending to Spain. It can hamper business, growth in the economy and diminish the traditional Britishness of sources of investment or employment. It is evident that the policy will likely have the most significant impact on British people and other valuable non-EU sources of labour for key sectors of the economy. It is unlikely for example that Spanish workers would seek to live in Gibraltar in similar numbers. Traditionally the success of our economy and growth has been dependent on the ability to develop and diversify business as well as attract inward investment and labour in a less restrained way.

While it makes sense for there to be some rules and clear criteria there are aspects of the residency rules (such as the salary minimum of £37,500) that may affect inward investment and job creation in certain sectors of the economy. That level is not reflective of the average in the private sector or the pay of some key public or private sector jobs which is below the overall average as is obvious from the Employment Survey 2024. It does not make sense to hamper growth in areas when our public services are dependent on external labour or tax revenue from a number of successful pillars of the economy. This has always been driven by the needs of the economy and unless there is very good reason to prevent that this practice should remain.

The use of populist language in the past by Government about “freeloaders” has been nothing more than headline- seeking vacuous labels which are disrespectful to many people who have contributed to our economy for many years. Mechanisms that protect our public services while not hindering the expansion and prosperity of the economy can be achieved.

Additionally given the absence of information and statistics from the Government it is impossible to be persuaded for now of the proposed longer eligibility criteria to apply for Gibraltarian status for new applicants. What we have had so far from Government are unsubstantiated statements but the meeting promised to the Opposition in November 2025
to discuss our concerns on the draft Gibraltarian Status & Immigration Bill has still not taken place.

Leader of the Opposition, Keith Azopardi said: “In Government the GSD would seek to ensure that residency policies operate to legitimately protect our public services and do not diminish the importance of our links to Britain, hamper business growth or give primacy to foreign non-British workers.

All in all it is obvious that there are issues of concern not properly dealt with in this policy and we are not convinced that it will be effective and may, in fact, undermine our economy in favour of Spanish workers or push labour to live in Spain when we clearly have no control of whether Spain will give the requisite permits to non-EU (British) workers. This just further increases the handle that Spain will have on our economy because more workers will be forced to reside there or be dependent on obtaining Spanish residence permissions to work here.