Marking one year in office, Premier Cora Richardson Hodge has reflected on the achievements and priorities of her administration, thanking the people of Anguilla for their trust and support.
In a wide-ranging address on 26 February, she highlighted progress in infrastructure, education, healthcare, tourism and community development, emphasising a people-first approach to governance.
The premier also outlined the government’s commitment to continued investment, inclusion and accountability as it moves into its second year.
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Read her speech in full below:
“My fellow Anguillians at home and abroad, one year ago today, you placed your trust in me and in this administration.
You entrusted us, not only with the responsibility to govern, but with the duty to care, to listen, to act and to always remember that leadership is at its heart service.
This recognition of one year in office is less about celebrating a government and more about honouring our people.
It is about our seniors whose sacrifices lay the foundation for the Anguilla we enjoy today. It is about our young people, full of potential and possibility.
It is about the workers, business owners, farmers, fishers, caregivers, public servants and families who keep this country moving forward every single day.
From our first day in office, we committed to putting people first – not as a slogan, but as a promise, a promise that decisions would be guided by fairness, compassion and respect for the dignity of every Anguillian.
A promise to advance our people and build a stronger, more modern Anguilla. A promise to value every single Anguillian, wherever they are located.
Over the past year, that promise has guided our actions. We delivered meaningful relief and measurable progress.
We implemented our promised GST relief plan within six months of taking office, easing pressure on households and businesses and restoring balance at a critical time.
It was not only a fiscal adjustment, but a statement of values. It demonstrated that economic policy must serve people, not the other way around.
Infrastructure saw decisive action. We approved specialised trucks to accelerate road development, progressed critical rehabilitation work and prepared for major redevelopment of the Raphael T Lake Road and Albert Lake Drive.
We announced over EC$10 million in water network upgrades and over $2 million for improvements at the Corito solid waste site, strengthening environmental stewardship and public health.
We have and will continue to invest in education.
Our early childhood educators, our preschool teachers, who are vital for helping to foster 90% of a child’s brain development within the first five years, are receiving an uplift in compensation and training.
Our vision for the creation of a TVET building at Campus Q is currently under construction, and support is being given to our teachers through training and increased compensation as public servants.
In tourism and connectivity, we achieved a major milestone.
Within a week of opening the new terminal building at the Clayton J Lloyd International Airport, we welcomed new direct air routes from Boston, Newark and Baltimore under the AnguillAir brand, expanding access to key markets and reinforcing our global competitiveness.
In healthcare, we honoured our frontline workers with a $6,000 appreciation award, and are actively addressing healthcare staffing issues.
We strengthened patient care by acquiring modern medical equipment, including state of the art mammography technology.
These were not symbolic gestures. They are investments in lives.
We are focused on food security, investing in greenhouses and shade houses, developing fruit orchards and agricultural grounds, supporting farmers and fisher folk and increasing local livestock and poultry production.
We strengthened small business development by awarding $10,000 grants to 20 entrepreneurs, empowering them to expand, innovate and create employment.
Across our island, community assets were secured for public use, including the acquisition of the basketball facility in Rey Hill, a community centre property in Stoney Ground and recreational lands in North Side.
We established a Spanish liaison officer to better serve our Dominican and wider Spanish-speaking community, and introduced English as a second language instruction in our primary schools, reinforcing that inclusion is strength.
We are protecting and promoting our cultural heritage while expanding opportunity in the creative economy.
We immediately resolved the matter involving the unpaid calipsonians and passed the legislation for the festivals commission.
We have allocated funds to continue work on the Landsome Bowl Cultural Centre.
We are fully aware that culture is not entertainment alone. It is identity, pride and economic potential.
We are strengthening our regional and international engagement, ensuring that Anguilla’s voice is heard, its interests are protected, and its reputation as a well governed, forward looking jurisdiction is reinforced.
The establishment of a permanent presence in London, an international hub, will support tourism and domain name promotion, increase Anguilla’s presence on the world stage, and provide much needed support for our people while in the UK.
These are only some of our achievements, and they are building blocks for what is to come.
But beyond the policies, budgets and programmes, what matters most is how people feel.
Throughout this year we have listened – in communities, in homes, in offices, in quiet conversations and public forums, and in listening, we have learned that progress is strongest when people feel seen and valued.
I want to say thank you. Thank you to the people of Anguilla for your patience, your honesty and your belief in this journey. Thank you to our supporters for holding us up in your prayers.
Thank you to my colleagues for your commitment and shared sense of purpose. Thank you to our public servants whose dedication is the backbone of this nation.
As we move into our second year, let me be clear, the work continues. Our mission shifts from implementation to acceleration, and we are only just starting.
We will continue to invest in people, our youth, our working population and our senior citizens. We will continue to develop our infrastructure. We will continue to strengthen institutions.
We will continue to support our local businesses. We will continue to make decisions guided by compassion, accountability and common sense.
And we will continue to build an Anguilla where opportunity is real, dignity is protected, and the voice of the people is heard.
This is a government of Anguillians, by Anguillians and for Anguillians.
One year in, I remain humbled by your trust and resolute in my commitment to serve with integrity, humility and heart.
May God bless each one of you, and may God continue to bless Anguilla.”
