> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.thequarry.media/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Chamber expresses concern over Digital Greenhouse funding axe and lack of business support - URL: https://www.thequarry.media/chamber-expresses-concern-over-digital-greenhouse-funding-axe-and-lack-of-business-support/ - Published: 2026-09-02T07:06:53.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-02T07:06:53.000Z - Author: The Quarry - Tags: News - Guernsey Chamber of Commerce criticises decision to effectively close Digital Greenhouse at year end due to funding withdrawal - Move will leave vacuum in business support, particularly for non-finance sectors requiring innovation and diversification assistance - Decision concerns £450,000 budget while government has allocated additional £1 million to Guernsey Finance, raising total to £3.5 million - Chamber warns against over-reliance on finance sector, calling it a "shrinking basket" and advocating for economic diversification - Organisation demands urgent plan for maintaining Digital Greenhouse functions and proper funding mechanism for all business sectors Listen to this article 0:00 /0 1× The Guernsey Chamber of Commerce has expressed deep disappointment following the decision to withdraw public funding from the Digital Greenhouse, closing the facility unless the private sector steps in. The organisation has raised concerns about the vacuum this closure will create for the island's non-finance business community, warning that much of the Economic Development workplan cannot be delivered without the Digital Greenhouse or an equivalent mechanism in place. Economic Development announced its decision to end public funding of the innovation hub and desk space for start ups and small businesses last week, but has yet to fully set out what it wants to happen instead. Expressions of interest documents may not be published for a couple of weeks, but it has already been in talks with some parties. [Economic Development pulls the plug on innovation and entrepreneur hub with no clear plan for the future![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/48/0b/480bfed6-f3f7-4a48-9efe-fae23adf5d03/content/images/icon/The-Quarry-logo-1-1-0d32279b-3c80-4992-ae32-246b4225b7c0.png)The Quarry - Independent news from GuernseyThe Quarry![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/48/0b/480bfed6-f3f7-4a48-9efe-fae23adf5d03/content/images/thumbnail/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-27-at-18.08.27-9681ebd3-bd33-449b-9747-a81c17bfda5e.jpeg)](https://www.thequarry.media/economic-development-pulls-the-plug-on-innovation-and-entrepreneur-hub-with-no-clear-plan-for-the-future/) According to the Chamber, the decision comes at a time when there is already insufficient support for businesses outside the finance sector. Whilst acknowledging the vital importance of finance to Guernsey's economy, the Chamber emphasised that a thriving wider business community sustains the finance sector in turn. "Finance is vital to our economy, but Guernsey is more than the finance industry," the Chamber stated. "A thriving wider business community is what sustains the finance sector in turn - they are not competing interests, they are interdependent." The Chamber has questioned the rationale behind closing the facility, which was established to provide innovation support and business diversification services. The organisation argues that eliminating the Digital Greenhouse without a replacement structure does not remove the need it was created to address, but simply removes the means of meeting that need. Guernsey businesses will still require somewhere to turn for innovation support and diversification assistance, yet the current decision leaves no alternative provision in place, according to the Chamber. Particular concern has been raised about the decision being based solely on saving the £450,000 budget allocated to the Digital Greenhouse. The Chamber has pointed out that this closure coincides with government finding an additional £1 million for Guernsey Finance, taking its total funding to £3.5 million, alongside the creation of a new senior "finance concierge" role. Whilst the Chamber acknowledges the importance of the finance industry to the island's economy, it has warned against concentrating resources too heavily in one sector. The organisation described the finance industry as a "shrinking basket" and argued that putting all the island's eggs in it poses risks to economic resilience. The Chamber maintains that a resilient economy requires diversification and sustained investment across all sectors, not just the largest. In its statement, the Chamber has called on the government to urgently set out how the functions currently delivered by the Digital Greenhouse will be maintained following its closure. The organisation is also demanding a commitment to establishing a properly funded mechanism for supporting the whole of Guernsey's business community. The Digital Greenhouse closure is scheduled to take effect at the end of 2026, it believes. ## Q&A **Q: When will the Digital Greenhouse close?** A: The Digital Greenhouse will close at the end of 2026 following the withdrawal of its funding. **Q: How much funding is being saved by closing the Digital Greenhouse?** A: The closure will save £450,000 in budget allocation that was previously dedicated to the Digital Greenhouse. **Q: What is the current total funding for Guernsey Finance?** A: Guernsey Finance now receives £3.5 million in total funding following an additional £1 million allocation from government.