“Serious risk” of officer exodus from under-pressure planning department

Wednesday 28 July 2021

There is a serious risk of a significant number of civil servants with a “lifetime of experience” leaving the Government if pay, conditions and HR policies are not urgently changed, the Environment Minister has said.

Appearing before a Scrutiny Panel yesterday, Deputy John Young did not hold back in his criticisms of Ministerial government, the set-up of the Infrastructure, Housing and Environment (IHE) department, “disastrous” past planning policies, the support given to his officers, and delays in releasing publicly owned land for housing.

The Minister, who has already said he will not be standing in next summer’s election, was particularly critical of the pressures facing planning and building control officers, who are dealing with a significant increase in applications while operating at 40% capacity.

“I have been very open and very critical of the effect of government reorganisation on the planning team, and all the IHE team, which has shed staff as a result of the Target Operating Model [the Government’s reorganisation plan],” he said.

Pictured: “I desperately need some flexibility in HR policies and an end to the dreadful mess that our previous Chief Executive saddled us with," said Deputy Young.

He continued: “They have gone through huge changes and uncertainty over the last three years. As a result, we lost very experienced staff and we have ended up, I’m afraid, with a number of teams who are demoralised and feel very let down by the States. 

“From my information, they are looking to leave to the private sector. I am extremely worried about it. I banged the table again at the Council of Ministers yesterday and I have made it clear to our new Interim Chief Executive that this has to be sorted out.

“But I don’t seem to be cutting through. After covid, planning applications are flooding back in and the volume of work is expected to only increase. 

“I desperately need some flexibility in HR policies and an end to the dreadful mess that our previous Chief Executive saddled us with, in terms of the fundamentally flawed IHE Target Operating Model. 

“That has caused immense damage and It makes me so angry. My successor will have to take up this challenge.”

Pictured: The Planning and Building Control website currently carries a strapline warning islanders that their workforce is only at 40%, as so many people have been redirected to deal with covid.

Deputy Young added: “Unless we can deal with this staffing issue, there is a serious risk that affordable homes will be delayed. It is not just planning; our building control officers are also extremely dissatisfied and many have told me they are about to leave. 

“These professionals are not just replaceable; they have a lifetime of experience. Who would want to come to Jersey anyway? We can’t recruit because of our high housing costs and what we have done in terms of their pay, conditions and career prospects. 

“We have a serious problem. I have put this at the door of the Chief Executive and the Council of Ministers. I think I am a bit of a lone voice and I don’t know how to go forward.

“I have put through bids in the Government Plan this year, but it is not just about money, it is about the HR policies that go with it. Fortunately, the crunch situation won’t come just yet - the bridging Island Plan, if approved, will be in March and then the new Ministers will be able to push to get this blockage removed. 

“But we are not making any progress on removing that blockage.”

Addressing his belief in a lack of joined-up working at Ministerial level, Deputy Young said: “In the days of committees, States Members had a lot more flexibility and authority - if they agreed to do things, they did them, and some very bold things were done. 

“Under the Ministerial system, a lot of that has changed, and one relies very much on the Ministers working effectively together.

“In the meantime, we have seen civil service departments restructured, and there have been pluses and minuses to the changes that have been made.”

One of the advantages, he said, was better interaction between civil servants following the creation of the Strategic Policy, Planning and Performance department. 

But he added: “Somehow, it is not coming together properly in the political decision making structures. 

“I have complained loud and long that the decisions about the release of States-owned sites, which are essential to deliver affordable housing, have either not been made or made in a confusing and piecemeal manner. 

“Housing providers have told me, ‘Give us the sites and we will do the work,’ but none of that has happened. The process of procuring land used to be far more enlightened but that has been lost.”

Deputy Young repeated his call for a ‘planning gain levy’ on private developers whose land increases in value once they receive planning permission, and also for greater powers, which are proposed in the Island Plan, to compulsorily purchase land for affordable homes.

The already stretched IHE Department may be set to shrink further - in the Government’s plan to make £100m in savings over four years, voluntary redundancy and early retirement were described as two key “work streams” for achieving efficiencies within the department.

Ministers discussed reopening a voluntary redundancy scheme across Government earlier this week.