Reduce Board Stipends Back To Normal
Former BVIPA managing director Julian Skelton-Cline says stipends for statutory board members were inflated after 2019 and should be returned to their original, modest levels. Speaking on ZBVI's Honestly Speaking on May 19, 2026, he argued board membership is essentially a volunteer public service, not an executive job.
Former BVI Ports Authority (BVIPA) managing director Julian Skelton-Cline has called for a rollback of increased stipends paid to members of statutory boards, arguing the payments have drifted away from their original, modest purpose. Speaking on the May 19, 2026 episode of Honestly Speaking on ZBVI 780 AM — titled "Normal is Pathological" — Skelton-Cline reflected on the role of statutory bodies and board membership. "The purpose of these statutory bodies, these quasi operations away from central government, allows them to conduct business with greater ease and flexibility and to become profit-centred, PROFIT," he said, stressing the commercial remit many boards carry.
Skelton-Cline described being a board member as an opportunity for people with leadership or technical skills to lend their services on a "quasi volunteer basis." He said boards typically meet once a month and that membership "is not a job one gets paid for. You used to get a little stipend for your little time, feed you lunch at the board meeting, because it’s really designed for you to lend back your services to your country." The former BVIPA chief alleged that the makeup and culture of some statutory boards changed under the Virgin Islands Party government in 2019, a shift he said "was hijacked" and led to people treating board positions as full-time or executive roles. "You ain’t an executive of the statutory body, you are a board, you don’t run the organisation," he said, warning that blurred lines between governance and management have created confusion about compensation and responsibility.
As a result, Skelton-Cline urged that stipend increases be "reduced back to normal," saying members should either volunteer their time or receive a small stipend that compensates for time, not payment in the sense of a salary. Statutory bodies are an important part of the territory's public service framework, delivering essential services across transport, utilities and other sectors.
Skelton-Cline’s comments are likely to rekindle debate about governance, transparency and remuneration policy for board members in the BVI. A review of stipend levels and clearer statutory guidelines on board responsibilities could be steps the government considers to address concerns about role confusion and public accountability.
For residents, the issue touches on how public funds are used and how best to attract qualified volunteers to govern key public institutions.
Primary source: VINO