Common Strategic Policy 2026 – 2030 (P.75/2026): thirteenth amendment. Deliver a more efficient and effective public sector

COMMON STRATEGIC POLICY 2026-2030 (P.75/2026): THIRTEENTH AMENDMENT

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After the words "report accompanying this Proposition" insert the words –

", except that on pages 5 and 19 of the report, the title of Priority 11 should be substituted with the following –

"Deliver a more efficient and effective public sector with a permanent focus on value for money."".

DEPUTY M. TADIER OF ST. BRELADE

Note:  After this amendment, the proposition would read as follows –

THE STATES are asked to decide whether they are of opinion

in accordance with Article 18(2)(e) of the States of Jersey Law 2005, to approve the statement of the Common Strategic Policy of the Council of Ministers as set out in the report accompanying this Proposition, except that, on pages 5 and 19 of the report, the title of Priority 11 should be substituted with the following –

"Deliver a more efficient and effective public sector with a permanent focus on value for money."".

REPORT

The purpose of this amendment is to establish some common ground when it comes to the Government's efficiency programme.

There was and still is, I suspect, wide support across the Assembly for the words spoken by the prospective Chief Minister Senator Farnham , in his address to the new States Assembly on Friday 19th June 2026. In his opening remarks, he said –

We may come from different political backgrounds, we may hold different views on individual  issues,  but  we  now  share  a  common  purpose:  to  provide  effective Government, to make good decisions, and to deliver for the people of Jersey who have placed their trust in us.' (Hansard Friday 19th June 2026 – page 4)

He went on to state –

 Islanders  rightly  expect  Government  to  be  efficient,  responsive  and  focused  on delivery.' (Hansard Friday 19th June 2026 – page 5)

Furthermore, he also said –

The next Government must place renewed emphasis on financial discipline and long- term sustainability, and that means focusing spending on our priorities,  it means eliminating inefficiency wherever we find it, and it means ensuring every pound spent delivers better value for Islanders. To be absolutely clear, I do not believe in austerity. Neither do I believe that government can continue to grow indefinitely without regard to cost.' (Hansard Friday 19th June 2026 – page 5)

For my part, there was much in the speech that I was pleased to hear. In my own pre- election manifesto, I had also set out my view to the electorate of St Brelade: that Government must deliver value for money, operate efficiently and put people at the heart of all services.

The desire for a more efficient and effective government is, I believe, shared across this Assembly, including with my Party colleagues, this being one of our eight key manifesto pledges.

There is, I believe, a problem with the current wording of Priority 11 of the Council of Ministers' Common Strategic Policy (CSP). It currently reads:

"Deliver a leaner and less complex public sector with lower running costs."

My concern is that this wording does not necessarily reflect the consensus of the Assembly as well as the amended wording would. It also carries an inherent risk.

Firstly, the Council's position is capable of being construed as ideological. Drawing on the language of biology or dieting, the term leaner presumes that we have a bloated or fat public sector, or at least one in which there is fat to be cut. This is problematic. There may actually be some areas of our public sector which are underfunded or under- resourced.

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P.75/2026 Amd.(13)

The Fiscal Policy Panel (FPP) in its annual report, last year, highlighted that Jersey's spending on general public services and economic affairs is "low relative to other OECD  countries".  The  picture  that  some  would  seek  to  paint  of  a  profligate administration or a swollen civil service is, therefore, at best questionable and, at worst, incorrect.

(Jersey Fiscal Policy Panel Annual Report 2025 – page 15)

It is also problematic to speak in terms of wanting a less complex' public sector. Jersey society is becoming increasingly cosmopolitan, and the needs of that modern society, together with Government's obligation to it, are necessarily complex. That complexity is unlikely to diminish.

What  we  can  and  should  be  doing  is  reducing  unnecessary  complication  in  our government services. Duplication, unclear points of contact, delay and a lack of joined- up working. This is, I think, what is actually meant. In that case, a better way to reflect this idea in the wording of Priority 11 would be to speak instead of building an efficient and effective public sector.

Finally, it is unlikely to be realistic or deliverable for government to promise to lower running costs at a time of persistent inflation, global crises beyond our control and when the need for healthcare investment is only going to increase. What government can and should focus on delivering is value for money. Value for Money, together with providing what would ordinarily be called excellent customer service (or putting the public at the heart of everything we do), should be the golden threads that run through all parts of the public sector.

Therefore,  I  ask  members  to  support  this  modest  amendment  which  would  ask Government to commit to Deliver a more efficient and effective public sector with permanent focus on value for money as one of its key priorities.

Financial and staffing implications

There are no financial and staffing implications associated with the adoption of this proposition.

Children's Rights Impact Assessment

I consider that this amendment has no direct or indirect impact on children and that the duty to have due regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child does not arise. Accordingly, a Children's Rights Impact Assessment is not required under the Children (Convention Rights) (Jersey) Law 2022.