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The last Government’s aims to ‘promote island identity’, 'reduce income inequality' and improve local skills to ‘reduce Jersey’s reliance on inward migration’ do not feature in the new Council of Ministers' priorities list.
Led by Chief Minister Kristina Moore, the new executive has today set out its high-level aims for its term in office, which include encouraging more young islanders to see Jersey “as the right place to build their lives”.
The Council have devised seven ‘Common Strategic Priorities’ (CSPs) – two more than those defined by the Government of Senator John Le Fondré.
Although the priorities are broadly similar in seeking better services, more affordable homes and improving the environment, there are differences.
The previous set of priorities also included “putting children first” but this does not feature in the new list of seven, which are:
Housing and the Cost of Living: improving access to, and supply of, “good-quality affordable housing, and helping to achieve a decent standard of living”’
Economy and Skills: developing a “more sustainable, innovative, outward-facing and prosperous economy and help people acquire the right skills throughout their lives”. Ministers say they want Jersey to be “an attractive place for everyone to achieve their potential.”
Children and Families: helping children and young people to “have the best start in life, recognising that the early years have a lasting impact, and that being loved, being listened to, and receiving a good, rounded education are essential to future life chances”.
Ageing Population: Enabling people to “live active, independent, healthy lives as they live longer”.
Health and Wellbeing: To “provide and regulate good quality healthcare and social services, promoting better health and wellbeing underpinned by improvements in public health.”
Environment: To “protect and enhance our environment so that everyone can continue to enjoy its benefits, moving purposefully on a path to net zero emissions.”
Community: To “create a more inclusive, vibrant community where people feel respected and able to flourish, as well as safe and protected.”
Encouraging more young islanders to stay in Jersey is one of several ‘indicators’ which will be used to determine if the Government is following its own priorities.
Other indicators include:
increasing the percentage of islanders in each age group who report “good or very good health” (Ageing Population);
increasing the number of affordable homes (Housing and the Cost of Living);
increasing the percentage of islanders will access to “open space at home” (Children and Families);
increasing productivity in real terms (Economy and Skills);
Reducing Jersey’s emissions of greenhouse gases in line with the Carbon Neutral Roadmap (Environment);
Reducing gender-based violence (Community).
In addition to the CSPs, the new Council of Ministers will also publish a number of ‘ministerial missions’ early next year.
These will, the Government says, “help us to collectively deliver on [the CSPs] through bold transformative interventions”.
Tackling inward migration was a listed as a key priority of the previous Government, and last February, the States Assembly agreed a ‘Common Population Policy’ presented by the Government, which had an overarching aim to reduce inward migration.
There is no mention of reducing the island's reliance on outside labour, but the Government has already established a ‘Population and Skills Ministerial Group’ to review policy and set the criteria for licence applications.
Pictured: Deputy Moore has set up a People and Skills Ministerial Group to consider what the island needs in its workforce.
The group has also been set the target of examining rules for high-value residents.
The previous Government made promoting 'Island Identity' a priority - even creating a new Ministerial role, which was taken by Deputy Carolyn Labey, who presented an Island Identity report during her term.
Deputy Labey retains this Ministerial portfolio in the new Government, however, 'identity' gets just two mentions in an annex of the report outlining the CSPs
Firstly, under 'Economy and Skills', industries that promote the island's unique identity will be supported. Secondly, it appears under 'Community', with Ministers saying they will "ensure Jersey continues to nurture a positive and inclusive island identity, which is bolstered through our proud tradition of volunteering."
In the States Assembly this morning, Deputy Moz Scott challenged the Chief Minister on why "reducing income inequality" was no longer a CSP, "given that this is a standard measure of social policy success."
Deputy Moore replied: "The CSPs that we have laid out have the shared intention of Jersey becoming a community where everyone can thrive – I think in the description of 'thriving' and the seven priorities that we’ve chosen equality of life and affordable living is centre to those and so every decision we take will have the quality of life of islanders and impact that our decisions take on improving their quality of life at its very heart."
Pictured: Deputy Moz Scott asked the Chief Minister why 'reducing income inequality' no longer specifically featured within Ministers' priority list.
She continued: "There are many measures in the CSPs also because we are an outcomes-based, focused Council of Ministers and we certainly do hope that through the decisions that we as a Council take and that this Assembly takes over the coming year we shall see an improvement in both the quality of life - and this does of course mean the affordability of life for all islanders so that they can all thrive."
Deputy Scott then asked the Chief Minister if she would "accept that research shows high levels of income inequality give rise to social problems that need to be resolved by funding provided by the taxpayer?"
"...We have a market economy and Jersey has a strong economy and an economy that we have a desire to protect and support so that it remains strong into the future. It has, as we look at other places at this time, put us in a great position and it is our aim to ensure that that clear position stands going into the future and that will mean sometimes taking prudent decisions because that is what those have gone before us have also done, sometimes in difficult circumstances," Deputy Moore replied.
"To get back to the Deputy's question, there are many different ways of measuring the impact that finances have upon islanders and we're well aware that islanders face a high cost of living - particularly after housing costs - and we will be taking and bringing decisions to this Assembly in order to meet that.
"We can also look at rental stress, and of course we want to see the number of islanders experiencing rental stress reduced, and I think every single member of this Assembly would agree with me in that and together we will seek to improve those measures."
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