Almost £400,000 has been set aside in the Government’s spending plans for the creation of a new official to investigate complaints about public services after years of delays.
A letter from Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham to the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel – responsible for reviewing government spending – confirmed that £398,000 has been allocated in the 2026 Budget for a Public Services Ombudsperson.
The funding, which falls under the Cabinet Office budget, has been described as “recurring” and would support the establishment of an independent body to handle complaints about government departments and other public bodies.
A financial assessment, including a cost-benefit analysis, has also been commissioned to determine the final scope and structure of the Ombudsperson’s office, according to the Chief Minister’s letter.
If approved, the proposals could finally move out of the long grass and be brought before the States Assembly before the end of the year.
Although the creation of an independent ombudsperson – first floated as long ago as 2000 – was approved by politicians in March 2018, the project has faced repeated delays under successive governments due to the pandemic and concerns about cost.
At present, the public can only raise grievances through the States of Jersey Complaints Board, which is made up of volunteers supported by the States Greffe.
The board can hear complaints against ministers and departments but has limited powers, and concerns have been raised about whether its recommendations are always taken seriously by senior officials.
Dissatisfaction with the current process has returned to the spotlight in the wake of a complaint about the Infrastructure and Environment Department’s handling of retrospective planning applications and statutory nuisance complaints relating to medicinal cannabis cultivator Northern Leaf.
The States Complaints Panel found in favour of the complainant, triggering a firmly worded rebuttal from the department’s chief officer, who accused the panel of exceeding its remit and rejected the findings.
That concern about whether the board has enough ‘teeth’, has underpinned the long-running push for an ombudsperson – a full-time, professional office with wider oversight powers – a proposal that featured in former Chief Minister Kristina Moore’s “vision” plan.
The Government formally unveiled plans to establish the role in 2022, with Deputy Moore submitting instructions for the drafting of new legislation as part of her first 100-day plan.
Those instructions were based on consultancy work carried out by UK firm Crest Advisory, which cost tens of thousands of pounds.
Deputy Moore said at the time that she expected a draft law to be lodged before the end of 2023, but the proposal stalled following the change in leadership.
Current Chief Minister Deputy Farnham said in April 2024 that he was not convinced about introducing the new office to replace the complaints panel, citing a potential cost of more than £1m per year – several times more than the figure originally planned.