The tender process for the future management of the Havre des Pas Lido is to be re-run after an independent review exposed shortcomings and misleading statements in the way the matter had been handled previously.

Infrastructure Minister Andy Jehan confirmed to the States Assembly that he was restarting the tender process in the light of the report by Jurat Anthony Olsen.

The report concluded that while the initial phase of the process had been fairly administered, shortcomings were identified in the second phase.

Constable Jehan said he was withdrawing the decision to award a lease for the Havre des Pas bathing pool and café to First Point, and restarting the second phase under independent oversight led by Jersey Business.

Negotiations would recommence with the other party involved in the tender process – Love Our Lido – he added, with the aim of agreeing a lease by the end of January 2026.

The Minister conceded that a key element of the concern raised in the report related to a briefing to Ministers made by Tim Daniels, director of Jersey Property Holdings.

Mr Daniels stated that a key element of the decision to award the contract to First Point was the failure of Love Our Lido to secure charitable status, prompting its withdrawal from the process.

Constable Jehan conceded that this briefing had been misleading, with Love Our Lido having not made an application to become a charity – and that the organisation had been removed from the process, rather than withdrawing.

“It is clear that mistakes have been made,” he said. “I apologise again for the occasions where erroneous statements have occurred. I emphasise that those mistakes have been genuine and not deliberate.

“Importantly, there is no evidence of any conflicts of interest, and the review praised the independent panel. It found large parts of the process to have been fair and fairly administered. There are, however, aspects where we have fallen short.”

In his report, Jurat Olsen concluded that the statement made by Mr Daniels was “incorrect and liable to mislead the States Assembly” and that this left him “unable to conclude that the second part of the expressions of interest process was fairly conducted”.

Constable Jehan confirmed that the government intended to secure vacant possession of the site by 25 December in order to “to allow the process to be properly concluded and a lease awarded to a new party”, but that this would not stop islanders using the bathing pool, toilets and changing rooms at the site.

He also confirmed that the financial terms for the negotiation were unchanged, with an annual payment of £60,000 from public funds towards running and maintenance costs.

The Assembly had been due to debate a proposition from Deputy David Warr that the tender process be scrapped and the site transferred to Love Our Lido.

Deputy Warr, who confirmed that he had withdrawn the proposition, told Express that he felt vindicated in having brought it.

“None of this would have been unearthed if the proposition hadn’t been lodged,” he said.