Before he could claim Jersey’s top political job, Lyndon Farnham had to survive an hour-long grilling from States Members this morning everything from housing and healthcare to Fort Regent and a controversial character reference another Minister provided for a disgraced former Guernsey politician…
During the session, the Chief Minister-designate was pressed on the cost-of-living crisis, children’s poverty, environmental policy, public spending, workers’ rights and the future of Fort Regent before being formally confirmed as the Assembly’s preferred candidate to lead the next government.
Ahead of that, Senator Farnham was also given a chance to outline the approach he intends to take over the next four years, citing “a number of clear priorities” on which he believed the government needs to remain focused.
Now is the time to move forward with confidence, with purpose and with unity
Chief Minister-designate lyndon farnham
This, he said, included maintaining strong and sustainable public finances, economic growth, affordability and housing, health and public services as well as improving the performance of the government itself.
“The task of governing now begins,” Senator Farnham stated.
“As Members, we will not agree on everything, nor should we, but we all want a prosperous economy. We all want strong public services. We all want more opportunities for younger islanders and we want Jersey to succeed… I will work with every member of this assembly in pursuit of those objectives. I will seek to build consensus wherever possible, listen carefully to differing views, and remain focused on delivering the outcomes that islanders expect from their government.”
So, what did States Members want to know?
“Properly targeted” support
Perhaps unsurprisingly, public spending was among the larger agenda items raised early on in the questions segment.
Deputy Tom Coles asked whether Senator Farnham would “make it clear to every Member he asks to serve in his government that fiscal discipline must mean reducing waste, improving delivery, not cutting support for islanders least able to absorb these cuts?”
Senator Farnham said: “My answer to that, sir, is absolutely yes. The Deputy and colleagues should know that has been the approach we have taken in the previous government.
“We will continue to provide support to the people who need support, but I want to be clear that I believe when we support islanders we should make sure it is properly targeted.”
Fort Regent’s decay “unacceptable”
Deputy Lucy Stephenson asked about the Chief Minister-designate’s vision for Fort Regent, which is currently subject to major redevelopment plans, and “when can islanders expect to be back” in the site.
Senator Farnham answered: “The first draft of the vision has been set out and presented to islanders, predominantly to young people through school.
“The plan is the Fort will be open to islanders by the end of 2030, if this government and this Assembly doesn’t seek to change things.
“I know we’re not all united on this – and I’m not necessarily looking at Senator [Tom] Binet in front of me – but clearly we have work to do and we have to engage with islanders and the Assembly moving forward.
“But I would like to see the Fort Regent development come to fruition, because the way we’ve let it decay over the years is simply unacceptable.”
Cost of living “a high priority”
Raising one of the biggest issues of the last four years, Deputy Beatriz Porée asked about priorities in tackling the cost of living crisis.
Senator Farnham said: “It is extremely difficult because as Members will know we have little control over the cost of living, the inflation, simply because we rely on imported goods this island consumes,” adding that “we are often at the vagaries of geopolitical instability”.
“However, there are actions we can take. We can make government more efficient, we can cut costs, we can cut fees and charges, we can reduce regulation on business, we can promote competition – and all of those will be high priorities for us, because we heard the public, the electorate, loud and clear in the election.
“The biggest issue for them right now is the cost of living, so that will be a high priority for us.”
Removing “inefficiency” in Health
Another major challenge – the government’s efforts to contain healthcare expenditure – was raised by Deputy Louise Doublet, who asked “how is he going to square that circle when there is such huge investment needed in health to bring it up to the standards required by islanders?”
Senator Farnham replied: “We need to look at removing inefficiency where we find it. We need to look at waste. We need to look at duplication across the public sector. We need to look at duplication in our arms-length organizations. We need to look at restructuring in certain areas.
He noted the health service “has had significant additional spending”, adding: “We have to remember, though, that post-Covid the cost of providing health services from staffing to the acquisition of the drugs required and the medicines required have grown exponentially.”
Housing developments
Later in the sitting, Deputy Hilary Jeune noted the drive to build more affordable housing in the island and highlighted that there are “many” rezoned areas from the Bridging Island Plan that had not yet been developed.
Senator Farnham said: “We have a number of approved developments that haven’t been able to be progressed, simply because the infrastructure is not in place to allow it.
“That’s why, unfortunately, we’ve had so many of our roads dug up at the moment, because we are putting that right, that’s part of the Investment in Jersey programme, increased investment in that.
“There are a lot of potential sites that would make good family homes that we can’t develop simply because we don’t have the water or the drainage to deal with them, and that is a key priority.
“It’s not a quick fix, but we are starting to see an accelerated move towards that.”
He also acknowledged that “planning is going to be key”, contending that the next Island Plan “is probably going to be one of the most important documents we produce”.
Green transition may need to slow
Elsewhere in the session, the Senator Farnham also hinted that some environmental targets may need to be revisited to ensure they remain practical and affordable.
While stressing his support for Jersey’s environmental ambitions, Senator Farnham questioned previous proposals to phase out the importation of fossil-fuel vehicles.
“The well-intentioned plan to stop the import of fossil-fuel cars in 2030 was simply unrealistic,” he said.
“We might have to reduce the velocity of how we get there to be a little bit more realistic.”
Judgement is a “prerequisite”
One of the sharpest exchanges came when Deputy Montfort Tadier raised the External Relations Minister Ian Gorst’s decision to provide a character reference for disgraced former Guernsey politician Jonathan Le Tocq.
Deputy Tadier asked whether Deputy Gorst had discussed the reference with Senator Farnham before submitting it, which he said he hadn’t.
With Deputy Gorst widely expected to be reappointed to a senior ministerial role, Deputy Tadier pressed the Chief Minister-designate on whether he would ensure future ministers exercised “sound judgement”.
“Judgement is a prerequisite for all of us,” Senator Farnham responded.
When will Ministers be decided?
The Chief Minister-designate now has until the morning of Friday 26 June to deliver a declaration of their intended ministerial nominations – including the order in which he wishes for the Assembly to vote on them.
The following Monday, the Assembly will sit to vote on ministerial appointments.
