What has the Chief achieved?

Tuesday 27 March 2018

Jersey’s Chief Minister has been grilled on ministers' achievements under his leadership for the past three-and-a-half years, just weeks before the next election campaign gets underway.

The Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel challenged Senator Gorst on the lack of an agreed population policy, and the failure to begin building the new hospital, as well as other topics submitted by islanders.

It was a heated question and answer session, one described as an enjoyable “political knock-about” by the Chief Minister himself, who was scrutinised on many things including taxes, civil service reform and higher education funding.

But the meeting was largely focused on the policies that the Council of Ministers - with Senator Ian Gorst at the helm - said they would deliver during this last term of office but haven’t been able to, including starting the long-awaited hospital build and providing a sustainable way of paying for health care. 

Pictured: Senator Ian Gorst admitted he was disappointed he hasn't delivered a new hospital before the next election.

The panel, consisting of Deputy Kevin Lewis, Deputy Simon Brée, Senator Sarah Ferguson and Chairman Deputy John Le Fondré, asked the Chief Minister if he accepts that he failed to deliver these fundamental parts of his strategic plan?

Senator Gorst disagreed, saying the new retail tax, which the States assembly agreed to in the last budget debate, fills the hole that was left after politicians kicked out a health tax. On the hospital project he said: “You are right, we have not got a building (…) it disappoints me greatly that we haven’t made more progress than we have.” He reminded the panel that millions had been invested in education and there had been some regeneration improvements in St. Helier; two other key priorities within the plan.

On the subject of the future hospital, the Chief Minister admitted that a “couple of hundred thousand pounds” spent on planning permission has been lost after the original plan was rejected by the Environment Minister in January, but most of the £23 million that has been already spent on the ‘biggest capital project of a generation’ is on work still being used to shape the new plans.

Pictured: Senator Ian Gorst, sitting with Deputy Scott Wickenden and Senator Paul Routier was questioned on his achievements as Jersey's Chief Minister.  

The other topic that took centre stage was the long-awaited population policy which has had a number of false starts and now won't be debated until later this year as it's only just been put forward. The Chief Minister explained that managing the working age population is “crucially important if we want to be a successful island in future.” He said that they are assessing the digital and technology job sectors as the new industries to lead employment after the fall in banking jobs, but as well as making the new migration policy open doors to bring in much needed skills into the island, they will need to re-train skills that are already here.

But the panel criticised the Chief Minister’s new population plan as “lacking details” and accused him of slipping it in ahead of an election without it being ready, just to make him look “honourable"; something they said he had also done with an interim population policy ahead of the 2014 general election.

Senator Gorst, along with the Minister with responsibility for population, Senator Paul Routier, disputed this saying it’s better they wait and see the UK’s position after Brexit before bringing forward a final population policy as Senator Gorst said “It’s not right in my mind to establish something to then have to change it.”

He added the population plan will give the assembly more idea of what’s being considered while officers continue working on it before it’s debated in September.