Ozouf talks 'Balls' in the States...Ed Balls that is!

Friday 30 September 2016

He might be struggling to impress the judges on Strictly, but Ed Balls was being used to win over a harsher set of critics in the States of Jersey this week.

Senator Philip Ozouf has just got back from the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, where it turns out he had met the former Shadow Chancellor, and got him to sign a copy of his new book, with a short message for Islanders. In the middle of a debate on including very wealthy residents in a new health charge, Senator Ozouf waved a copy of the book, and used it as an example of how what goes on in Jersey is closely watched outside of the Island.

It's not clear how much influence that had on the debate, but the amendment was lost anyway, and Ministers' plans continue into today's debating largely unscathed. 

Just two amendments have been successful this week. Deputy John Le Fondre managed to convince his colleagues that the means-testing for nursery subsidies should apply to all, not just those putting their children in private sector nurseries as the Ministers wanted; and there's to be more money for Jerriais tuition.

That means after a week of talking, there are just a couple of amendments to go, including one which would push the proposed commercial waste charge onto non-local companies.

Then the politicians will go back to debating the main proposal, which aims to close a potential black-hole of £113m in the Island's finances, which could arise by 2019 - while at the same time putting more money into Health and Education, and making £77million of savings on the States budget. 

The extent of the new investment is challenged by the Education Scrutiny Panel, who say that actually, there is little new money going into schools at all. 

And it's education which has formed the main battleground of this week, with debates raging over cutting subsidies for nursery funding, and reducing the pay for newly qualified teachers by up to £8,000 a year. 

But despite the bloody nose delivered by Deputy Le Fondre, Ministers' plans have survived the week so far largely unchanged, and it remains unlikely that they will vote against the main proposals later today.