The win for independent politician Deputy Max Andrews came after a brief debate at the end of States proceedings on Tuesday, when 38 Members voted in favour of his proposition, with only one abstention.
Former Chief Minister Kristina Moore brought the combined department into being as part of her action plan for the first 100 days in office.
The body – which includes the Office of the Chief Executive, the Chief Operating Office, and Strategic Policy, Planning and Performance – was intended to better co-ordinate and support the delivery of the new Council of Ministers’ objectives.
Pictured: Deputy Max Andrews.
The Chief Minister had already expressed his support for Deputy Andrews’s proposition prior to Tuesday’s debate, saying that the Cabinet Office had “exceeded [its] remit and amalgamated a number of existing departments”.
He said it was “all being revisited” and that the Council of Ministers had started discussions with the government’s chief executive on how the office “can be most effectively and efficiently delivered in the future”.
Deputy Malcom Ferey, who spoke in his role as vice-chair of the States Employment Board, which oversees the work and spending of the Cabinet Office, said he understood the concerns from some Members about the size of the Cabinet Office and the importance of investing resources in frontline services.
He also explained that it had been necessary to invest in IT staff, which came within the remit of the Cabinet Office.
He added: “We have a duty to prioritise services and use public monies well.”
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— Deputy Max Andrews (@MaxandrewsJ) February 27, 2024
In his proposition, Deputy Andrews was requesting the Chief Minister to review the revenue expenditure of the Cabinet Office and ensure that savings are identified and included in next year’s budget.
He argued that budget and headcount increases were “totally unacceptable in areas of non-frontline services” and that this year’s Government Plan, approved by the States Assembly in December, included budget increases of £12 million for the Cabinet Office.
Staffing at the Chief Operating Office had increased from 189 to 374, he added, and at the Strategic Policy, Planning and Performance from 83 to 194.
He believed such budget increases “give good reason to be concerned” and that “questions ought to be asked as to whether such budget increases provide good value for money”.
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