What Have I been Up to ?
It's been a busy 4 years and 8 months. As well as handling the second covid lockdown and all of the financial support across the Bailiwick, I have been responsible for, or involved in, a large number of new initiatives and developments across government. As you might expect, Treasury is involved in all aspects of the work of government but I have also had time to pursue some of things which irritate me about the way bureaucracy unnecessarily gets in the way of local life.
Notable Developments 2020-2025
States Investment Board
I delivered the policy letter which created the States Investment Board, professionalising the investment process of government and was the political lead for management of our £3bn investment portfolio for 3 years.
Development Agency
I was the lead architect of the policy letter which led to the creation of the independent professional organisation, which will hopefully be allowed to take the reins on development alongside but outside the political process.
Fibre Broadband
Together with the Economic Development committee, I led the financial negotiations on financial support for the island wide move to fibre broadband, with the aim of making Guernsey one of the best connected places globally.
Victoria Park
Along with Deputy Mahoney, I led the negotiations and drive to sell this property to enable development of the Victoria Park project, now completed and open.
Wind Power
On P&R we created this sub-committee, which enabled development of proposals for pursuing offshore wind to be prioritised, as a means of generating revenue for the Bailiwick.
IPSAS Accounts
After 12 years of waiting I pursued the implementation of the ISPAS standards for public accounting, which will be completed this year for the 2024 accounts.
Budgets
This is the government's largest annual process outside audit. I was responsible for the preparation and presentation of 4 budgets during my time as treasury lead. This process takes many hundreds of hours of meetings and analysis, to present government spending of many hundreds of millions each year. It is the States' largest debate every year.
Tax Reform
As treasury lead, I undertook and led the largest ever review of local taxation, involving months of work, dozens of presentations and public meetings, media interviews and several States' debates, before finally being adopted in November 2024.
Pillar II Tax Reform
I successfully introduced and gained approval for implementation of the OECD Pillar II tax proposals, which are predicted to raise a further £30m per year from corporate taxation, to contribute much needed funds to Guernsey's general revenue budget.
Bailiwick Council
For three years, I was responsible for the Bailiwick Council with representatives of Alderney and Sark and their specific liaison groups. This included playing a leading role in rescuing Alderney's primary care system from failure in 2023 and acting as chairman of the Alderney Care Board, together with representatives of HSC.
GP11
I was a supporter of the requete which brought the GP11 policy to an end, one which has ruinously blighted large scale housing development in the island. The first signs of the shoots of new development are now starting to come through.
Reducing States
Numbers
I brought a requete to reduce States members numbers by 10 in late 2024, which was defeated and a subsequent vote for a reduction of 5 members was a 19-19 draw. A resolution emerged from the debate for the States' Assembly and Constitution Committee to return to the States, for a debate on government reform, before the end of 2026.
Reducing Costs
In 2021, as treasury lead, no pay rises were applied across the public sector. There is no record of this happening historically. I also brought several amendments to the 2024 budget to curtail wasteful practices, such as the automatic incremental increases in pay across the public sector. This won but was subsequently reversed by another amendment from P&R, which couldn't stomach implementing the changes......... I also attempted to amend the budget to hold spending, at 2024 levels, in 2025. There was limited support for savings, which is telling. If you want cost savings, you should look at who voted for and against those proposals.
Alleviating Housing Pressure
P&R quickly identified that one of the major causes of cost inflation in health and the cause of pressure on the rental market, is the lack of housing for nursing staff and so it set out to build housing for nurses on a low quality agricultural field, next to the hospital. This land was purchased by the States in the 1930's, to provide space for extension of the hospital. A requete was brought to try and stop this. A planning application was subsequently withdrawn by the successor P&R. So we remain without vital housing to alleviate pressure on the private sector, as the health sector is forced to hire increasing numbers of agency staff, as a result of Brexit and other factors, including a global shortage of qualified staff.
This would have been a self funding project through borrowing and rental payments and would have resulted in reduced outgoings in housing allowances, whilst reducing housing pressures. It should to all intents have been a "no brainer".
Fibre Broadband
Together with the Economic Development committee, I led the financial negotiations, on a financial support package, for the island-wide move to fibre broadband, with the aim of making Guernsey one of the best connected places globally - a driving factor in GDP growth.
KE V / Castel Hospital
Significant attempts were made to try and redevelop this enormous site, with a view to creating of a large sheltered housing / retirement village development and I understand that work remains ongoing. Significant housing in the island is retained by people who want to downsize but where there is no availability of suitable accommodation. Unfortunately the States decided to list part of the Castel Hospital site, causing a significant, expensive and unnecessary blocker for future development. A classic example of non-joined up government, where nobody is in charge.
No Fault Divorce
The amendments to the matrimonial causes law, which the last P&R prioritised, passed by without much song and dance, but will have a profound impact in the future. The antiquated law around divorce and having to find fault or apportion blame for adultery or bad behavior were the cause of countless unnecessary court battles and soured relationships, usually to the detriment of children. Thank goodness we can put those days behind us with a more modern approach.
Capacity Law
I was a great supporter of changes to the law, in particular in allowing people to make enduring powers of attorney. I was very much aware, as a lawyer, of the bureaucracy and cost of having to apply for guardianship and the growing but understandable reluctance of the medical profession to make subjective value judgments over capacity. The last P&R also pioneered this more modern approach.
Voluntary Arrangements
One of the areas of law, in which I practiced, was insolvency and there has long been a big gap in Guernsey's ability to allow people some breathing space from their debts to let them get back on their feet. Our personal bankruptcy law was in French, dated from the 1930s and was totally unsuitable for the modern day. I was part of the group which brought forward the proposals, along with members of the Insolvency Practitioners Association. It made rapid progress when I was on P&R, but seems to have gone to the 'back burner' again. Let's hope it is taken to its proper conclusion before long.
The Infamous
Diving Board
I was pleased to draw public attention to the fact that some over zealous and unnecessary hurdles had been put in place, to do the simplest of tasks at La Vallette and glad that the public attention caused a volte face in the activities of the committee concerned.