About 50 people took up the opportunity to have an input into the 2019 Budget by attending a Treasury roadshow at Ramsey town hall.

The event was the first of four public meetings being held across the island to gather residents’ views on the island’s priorities.

The first event in Ramsey, hosted by Treasury Minister Alfred Cannan saw a number of topics explored including, pensions, expanding the tourism sector, encouraging students to stay in/return to the island and cannabis.

Mr Cannan, who was joined by department members Ralph Peake MHK, Bill Shimmins MHK and Bill Henderson MLC, opened the evening by saying it was a ’ground breaking’ event which was ’testing the water’.

Breaking from the traditional political meeting format, participants were split into three groups with department members before coming together to see where consensus was formed in the room.

The number one discussion in the room was public sector pensions, with the pot set to run dry within the next five years.

Suggestions put forward by residents to deal with the issue included ’means tested pensions’, ’growing the number of young workers’, ’raising taxes for higher earners’ and charging those who are above retirement age, but still working, national insurance.

Another hot topic was mental health funding, with almost everyone in agreement that it needs a cash injection.

This was an area which Mr Henderson referred to as ’close to his heart’ given his background in mental health prior to his political career.

Residents from the north of the island also agreed that key to resolving the island’s financial issues is growing its working population, through attracting new workers and retaining young workers and students.

In regards to students, it was a common theme that more is needed to be done to encourage students who study off island, to return.

Suggestions as to how to achieve this came in many forms including ’reduce the level of debt if they work in the island after their degree’, ’creating a more diverse economy’, ’a shared equity or Treasury backed lower deposit scheme to make it easier for first time buyers’.

Other issues discussed included legalising cannabis to raise tax receipts and tourism, greater transparency into the funding of capital schemes, cutting the Manx Radio subvention and the need to improve the island’s schools.

Speaking after the event, Mr Cannan told the Examiner he was ’pleased with the turnout’ and the ’broad spectrum of views discussed’.

He said: ’I think it worked well. We hadn’t done it before and there are definitely some lessons to be taken away and some areas for improvement. But in general, I was quite pleased with the way it was received, how people approached it and what we got back.’

Mr Cannan said he was ’quite encouraged by the number of younger people who turned up’.

He added: ’I would be delighted to see more of the younger generation present, I would really welcome it.’

The next roadshows are in the Manx Legion Club, in Market Hill, Douglas, tomorrow (Wednesday) and Peel town hall on Thursday.

Both events run from 7pm to 9pm.