HoA Accepted Salary Increase, Walwyn Says
Hon. Neville Walwyn says House of Assembly members accepted salary recommendations as a collective after presentations by professional advisers, and that members were not involved in deciding individual pay. His comments came on The Big Story (JTV Channel 55) amid public scrutiny following the 2024 Audit Report released in September 2025.
Neville Walwyn has defended the process behind recent salary increases for members of the House of Assembly (HoA), saying members “accepted as a body” the information and recommendations presented by professionals. Walwyn, one of three members of The Alliance, made the remarks on The Big Story with Cathy O.
Richards on JTV Channel 55 on October 13, 2025, as public criticism mounted after the 2024 Audit Report was published in September. The Audit Report prompted questions about large pay rises for some HoA members — in some cases more than 100 per cent — and whether the increases were handled transparently. “I don’t agree with the point that it was done in secrecy,” Walwyn told host Richards, adding that conversations about increases had already begun before the Auditor General’s report was released.
Mather (AL), serve on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and requested the 2024 Audit Report from the Auditor General because they felt they lacked sufficient information. “Obviously, we can’t direct the Auditor General…it’s her prerogative, but the point is we asked for the report to be generated because we did not believe that we had sufficient information,” he said.
He explained that the salary review process was not initiated by the current House alone and dated back to 2022. When the formal review took place, Walwyn said the Deputy Governor’s Office and the Ministry of Finance led the process and external professionals carried out the technical work. “Members of the House were in no way involved in who gets what, not even for ourselves,” he stated.
According to Walwyn, presentations to members compared HoA remuneration with salary schemes in other Caribbean jurisdictions. Advisers also considered potential anomalies that could arise if civil service increases left junior public officers earning more than elected officials on basic salaries. “You really can’t have that,” he said.
Walwyn maintained that members accepted the outcome based on professional advice rather than personal input into the details. For residents of the British Virgin Islands, the episode underscores continuing scrutiny over public-sector pay and governance. The PAC’s request for the Auditor General’s report signals that lawmakers will review the findings; any further steps or recommendations will likely be watched closely by the public seeking accountability and clarity around remuneration decisions.
Primary source: VINO