Jersey Consumer Council 2024 Annual Report

ANNUAL REPORT

2024

Giving a voice to consumers in Jersey

R.124/2025

ANNUAL REPORT 2024  1

Contents

Chairman's Introduc on  Page 3 – 4 Our Mission   Page 5 Performance Report and Challenges  Page 6 – 7 Highlights of 2024  Pages 8 – 12 2024 in Numbers  Page 13 Consumer Enquiries   Pages 14 – 15 Communica ons  Page 16 – 17 Accountability Report  Pages 18 – 25 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)  Page 26 Financial Report  Page 27

Key Performance Indicators: 2024 Results  Pages 28 – 45

Chairman's Introduc on

As we look back on 2024, it's clear this was a defining year for the Jersey Consumer Council

one where the need for a strong, independent consumer voice was greater than ever.

From u lity failures to new digital ini a ves, we remained focused on protec ng Islanders' rights and making sure that fairness, transparency and accountability stayed at the

forefront of public life.

The year was dominated by the ongoing situa on with Island Energy. As consumers endured prolonged disrup on and uncertainty, the Council stepped in challenging poor communica on, pushing for compensa on where appropriate, and consistently demanding that customers be treated with the respect and urgency they deserve. We stood shoulder to shoulder with consumers during some of the most difficult weeks of the year.

We also undertook our inves ga on into why mortgage rates were higher in Jersey than the UK, despite all local mortgage providers using the same Bank of England interest rate as their star ng point. We made a number of recommenda ons to the Government following our report and the Council looks forward to the Government taking our recommenda ons forward.

At the same me, we deepened our connec on with the community through the Closer To Home ini a ve a grassroots effort that saw us working directly with Islanders to be er understand their day-to-day challenges, especially around affordability and access. This community-first approach helped us shape the advice and advocacy work we carried out throughout the year.

A major milestone in 2024 was the launch of our new price comparison website, designed to give consumers faster, clearer access to up-to-date pricing on everything from groceries to fuel. It's already proving to be a powerful tool in helping people make informed choices

and we're just ge ng started.

We've also strengthened our public presence, delivering regular media slots on the radio and in the press to highlight consumer rights and offer prac cal guidance. Whether it's explaining energy bills, tackling rogue prac ces, or helping people navigate contracts and complaints, our aim has always been to educate as well as advocate.

None of this would be possible without the remarkable efforts of our volunteer Council members and our small but dedicated support team. Their commitment, insight and independence remain the founda on of everything we do.

Looking ahead, our priori es remain simple but vital: to listen, to act, and to ensure that Jersey consumers are never without a voice.

Carl Walker

Chairman, Jersey Consumer Council

Our Mission

"Our role is to be the consumers' champion. We inves gate and publicise anomalies in consumer affairs and provide Islanders with accurate and mely informa on to help them make informed decisions."

The Jersey Consumer Council is a non-profit organisa on, funded by the Government of Jersey, which aims to encourage businesses to put the consumer first.

Our main statutory func ons are to act as an independent body while:  

• being a strong and well-informed voice for the consumer

• inves ga ng and publicising anomalies in consumer affairs in the Island

• providing Islanders with accurate and mely informa on to help them make informed decisions.

Performance Report and Challenges

2024 proved to be another very busy year for the Jersey Consumer Council. During the year, despite being a small team, we:  

• advised or helped 568 separate Islanders  who contacted us (an average of 47 per  month)  

• carried out around 120 price comparison  surveys  

• made 110 separate local and na onal  media appearances  

• responded to 24 approaches for advice or  help from the Government and other  stakeholders  

• carried out seven community  engagements to meet consumers face-to- face.  

A highlight of the year was the launch of our new price comparison website, Price s.je, which consumers in Jersey can now use to compare the prices of around 100 grocery products, as well as fuel and hea ng oil.

This is the first me such a site has been created and run in-house by the Council, and meant we could move away from the external company that ran our previous price comparison site and app – the annual fees for which were no longer sustainable without an increase to our annual Government grant.

We worked with Digital Jersey to develop the new service, that can be totally run in-house, and at a significantly lower cost than our old site.

With many Islanders struggling with the cost of living on a day-to-day basis, our price comparison work remains an invaluable service to consumers of all ages.

During the first half of the year, a number of changes were made to our Cons tu on. These included the op on for the Chairman and Members to stay on for a third term of three years, rather than just two, the removal of the need for Council Advisors, and the removal of a maximum number of Council Members. The updated Cons tu on was registered in the Royal Court and, on 22 May, the States Assembly voted to approve Carl Walker 's re-appointment as Chairman to 14 April 2027.

We were delighted to hire two new Council Members during 2024 (one to start in 2025), though we also said farewell to one long-standing Member. And of the six Members whose second terms were up in 2024, we were very pleased that five agreed to stay on for a third and final term.

Our Government grant for 2024 remained at £137,000 – the same amount as 2023 – despite many of our office expenses rising by cost-of-living. As a result, we also had to make the tough decision to stop our popular newsle ers, due to the crippling cost of postage and prin ng.

As a result, we explored other avenues of communica ons, and were delighted to launch both a weekly Jersey Consumer Council page in the Jersey Evening Post, and a Consumer Carl' slot on Radio Jersey each week featuring our Chairman, Carl Walker . Both have proved to be very popular and quickly became a new way to reach Islanders, and receive their feedback. Both will con nue in 2025. While they will never replace the reach of the

newsle er, they are a beginning of new way to reach a large numbers of Islanders.

Highlights of 2024

New price comparison site

At the end of 2023, we moved away from the external company that ran our previous price comparison site and app, due to the costs involved and, more importantly, ownership – something the Council did not have of its previous price comparison website. It was therefore agreed with our Government Partners that other avenues should be explored.

In late 2023 we teamed up with Digital Jersey, who we worked with throughout 2024 to develop a new low-cost, in-house price comparison site, owned and run by ourselves, rather than by another paid business.

We so -launched our new site, Price s.je, in July 2024 and launched it formally in September. As the new site is owned and managed in-house, Council employees and representa ves can update it where and when needed, allowing for expansion on the

range of products surveyed, as well as other seasonal or topical product price comparisons, without the need to pay an external business to make changes each me.

Price s.je features the latest fuel (unleaded and diesel), hea ng oil, and grocery prices. Over 100 grocery products are surveyed, split into categories ranging from Fresh Fruit and Vegetables, Bakery and Dairy to Cleaning Products and Toiletries. We also have a JCC Essen als' category featuring our basket of everyday essen als', and seasonal categories including Christmas, Easter and Pancake Day.

Since its so launch in July, up to the end of 2024, the site had:

• 3,767 users

• 6,605 sessions

• 34,936 page views

Oil and fuel prices

During 2024 we carried out weekly fuel surveys – with our officers ringing around local garages to check their unleaded and diesel prices. During 2024, 44 surveys of 24 garages were carried out.

We also conducted and published 44 hea ng oil surveys during the course of the year.

The cost of gas, oil and fuel started off at a compara  vely low price in January 2024 compared to 2023. Price s rose in May, but in the la er half of the year they began to decrease to prices more comparable to those seen in early 2022.  

The graph below shows the steady decrease in Unleaded (blue) and Diesel (green) fuel prices during 2024.

The weekly hea ng oil and forecourt fuel price collec ons have shown the following average decreases from December 2023 to December 2024:  

• Hea ng oil (700 L average price) down from 89.04p to 86.99p = 2.30% decrease

• Unleaded petrol (1 L average price) down from 150.30p to 143.50p = 4.49% decrease

• Diesel (1 L average price) down from 157.2p to 151.26p = 3.77% decrease

Grocery prices

Our volunteer Members con nued the fortnightly collec on of price data of around 100 (plus seasonal Christmas and Easter) products from six major supermarkets (Alliance, the Coop, Iceland, Morrisons, Marks and Spencer and Waitrose).

144 individual surveys were carried out across 25 dates during 2024, and volunteers were paid £25 per survey to cover their petrol and me. Although we were without a price comparison site for the first half of the year, we con nued with our surveys to ensure that we didn't have a gap in our data.

We were pleased to see the average price of our basket of grocery essen als' drop from £22.55 in December 2023 to £19.47 in December 2024 – a 13.65% decrease.

Items in the basket included a white sliced loaf, unsalted bu er, porridge oats, minced beef, six eggs, a litre of Jersey Milk, pasta, potatoes, tea, toilet rolls and tomatoes.

We believe the drop may in part be due to the fact that we now publish the prices of the items in our Basket of Essen als on our weekly page in the Jersey Evening Post. However, despite the drop in price of these par cular items, we con nue to get calls and emails from consumers who are struggling with the everyday cost of grocery prices.

Pictured below: Our Basket of Essen als as it appears on Price s.je

Community engagement

During 2024, we made it our aim to get out and about in the community more, to speak to consumers face-to-face about the issues affec ng them, and to spread awareness of our work.

We had environmentally-friendly branded life me shopping bags produced, which we filled with a branded shopping list and pen, and a card about our new price comparison site, to hand out whenever we had a stand in the community. These proved very popular with Islanders.

We a ended two of the Government's Closer to Home events – at St Clement's Parish Hall in March and at St Ouen's Parish Hall in September.

We also addressed two Women's Ins tute groups –  the St Ouen WI in February and St Mar n's WI in  September. Both talks were very well received, and  we plan to talk to more groups.  

We also had stands at both the Town Library and  Communicare Library, where we spoke to consumers  about their issues, and informed them about   Price s.je and other services that we provide.  

We also had a stand at the Jersey Customer  Experience Alliance conference, to educate delegates about our work.

We plan to con nue this community engagement in 2025.

Cost-of-living

As we move into 2025, the cost-of-living remains a cause of concern for many Islanders We are due to see a rise in prices for all our main services in early 2025 – electricity, water, gas, telecommunica ons and stamps – which will all put added pressure on the purse of the average consumer in Jersey.

Food prices have never fully recovered from the recent cost-of-living crisis, meaning that the weekly shop is now cos ng more than ever, placing Islanders under even more financial pressure.

Suppor ng Islanders and helping  them to save money remains a  priority for our Council Members,  who con nue to do everything  they can to support consumers in  Jersey.  

We will con nue to meet with  Ministers and Government officials  and will con nue to make  

sugges ons of measures that may  ease the burden for Islanders.

We have suggested that we become a member of the Government's Cost of Living Panel, so that we can be a voice for the consumer', and we hope that this comes to frui on. In the mean me, we will con nue to engage with the community in the best ways we can and will con nue to offer consumers our support and advice.

2024 in Numbers

Consumer Enquiries

During 2024 we received 568 consumer queries (an average of 47 per month). As ever, consumer enquiries received through the year were varied in subject ma er.

A breakdown of topics we were contacted about can be seen below:

Of the 568 queries received, 115 were about energy services (primarily gas). Many of these related to the £11.56 goodwill gesture' that Island Energy announced, in early 2024, that they would be giving to customers who'd been affected by the gas outage in October 2023. Many Islanders – some who'd been without hot water, or hea ng, for several weeks – were upset about this lack of adequate compensa on. To find out the size of the problem, we

ran an Island-wide online survey to assess the concerns, and the expenses incurred to consumers as a result of the outage.

Over 400 Islanders responded. Our Chairman is currently working with Advocate Philip Sinel, on behalf of these 400 consumers, to help them get adequate compensa on. Going into 2025, this legal case is s ll progressing.

We con nued to receive emails and phone calls (69 queries in total) regarding the ongoing situa on regarding credit cards – a problem which has s ll not been resolved for Islanders, despite progress being made.

Many credit cards are s ll unavailable to Islanders, or are being withdrawn from customers in Jersey. In 2023, the States Assembly supported a legisla ve tweak that will allow credit- checking agencies to access Jersey's official Register of Names and Addresses. We're now awai ng this law to be passed and for Government officers to let us know a meline for this.

We also con nued to receive queries (60) from Islanders wan ng to know what their consumer rights were with regards to various situa ons they had found themselves in with businesses and tradespeople. We either gave them our advice, pointed them in the right direc on if we were unable to help, or took up their case with the business concerned.

A total of 34 queries referred specifically to insurance – in par cular rising costs – while we were contacted 27 mes about Islanders incorrectly being charged both GST and VAT on online purchases, an issue that provided to be a recurring theme from the previous year.

Breakdown of consumer enquiries

Consumers usually contact us online (by email, through our social media direct messages, or through the Contact us' form on our website), but we do con nue to receive enquiries by telephone, post, and in person.

During 2024 we received a total of 568 consumer enquiries – an average of 47 per month.

Emails were the most popular form of communica on (330), followed by telephone calls (103), and website Contact us' messages (79).

Communica ons

Due to the crippling cost of postage and prin ng, we made the difficult decision to move away from our popular printed newsle ers at the end of 2023. However, we instead looked at other ways of reaching large number of Islanders with our communica ons.

Digital newsle ers weren't possible and nor did we feel these were the right solu on at this stage. But, a er an approach from the Chairman, the editor of the Jersey Evening Post agreed that the Council could start a weekly page on Fridays. The page includes a main news ar cle, news in brief, a price comparison survey, our contact details, and an occasional Chairman's Week column. The aim of the page is to educate, inform and help Islanders.

Five pages (pictured below) had been published by the end of 2024, and the page will con nue in 2025.

Also from November, the Chairman approached the BBC about having a weekly slot on Radio Jersey's Monday show with Alison Moss. Each week the Chairman shares his money saving ps, as well as discusses a variety of consumer issues. There were seven slots during November and December, with the series con nuing into 2025.

In addi on, we increased the news content on our website, and shared news ar cles on our social media channels. We published 50 ar cles on our website during 2024 – an increase of 4% on the previous year.

Media coverage

During 2024, we had 110 media appearances or known men ons – a 33% increase on the 83 media appearances we received during 2023.

We were approached by all media organisa  ons – Bailiwick Express, BBC Radio, TV and Online, Channel 103 FM, ITV Channel News and Online, the Jersey Evening Post and Soleil Radio – about a wide range of consumer issues, and always responded where possible.

During 2024, we were also featured in na onal newspaper The Telegraph and our Mortgage Report was featured in the na onal magazine Mortgage Introducer. We also received a number of media men ons and interview requests in Guernsey, on both BBC Guernsey and Island FM.

Pictured below: A selec on of our 2024 media coverage

Accountability Report

Background meline

• 25 April 1995 – The Council was established by Act of the States to provide a body which could represent Island consumers' views.

• November 2011 – Act of Incorpora on granted by the Royal Court and, subsequently, lodging of a Cons tu on with the States Greffe, resul ng in greater independence for the Council, as well as the ability to enter into employment, research and consultancy contracts in its own right.

• 2014 – Revisions to the Cons tu on were made.

• April 2018 – The States approved the appointment of the third Chairman of the Council since its incep on.

• 2024 – Revisions to the Cons tu on were made, including the op on for the Chairman and Members to stay on for a third term of three years.

• 2025 – The Council will celebrate its 30th anniversary.

Updates to the Cons tu on

During the first half of the year, a number of changes were made to the Council's Cons tu on. These included the op on for the Chairman and Members to stay on for a third term of three years, rather than just two; the removal of the need for Council Advisors; and the removal of a maximum number of Council Members.

The updated Cons tu on was registered in the Royal Court.

Structure

The Cons tu on of the Jersey Consumer Council states that the "Council and its property shall be managed and administered by the Members", being a Chairman and Members of the general public (minimum number of five).

Chairman

Carl Walker , a communica ons consultant, was appointed Chairman on 14 April 2018.

Previously, the Cons tu on stated that the Chairman may  not hold office as Chairman for more than six consecu ve  years'. However, following discussions with our Government  representa ves and the Minister for Sustainable Economic  Development, it was agreed, as part of wider amendments  being made to the Cons tu on in 2024, to allow the current  Chairman to stay on for one further term of three years,  taking their term up to a total of nine years.  

This will allow them to con nue to oversee a number of  

ini a ves and projects which had previously had to be  delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and various funding  and staffing issues.

On 22 May, the States Assembly voted to approve Carl Walker 's re- appointment as Chairman for a third term, to 14 April 2027.

The role of Chairman is a high-profile one, requiring awareness of the

sensi vi es of public and poli cal opinions on consumer issues.

Excellent communica on and social skills are essen al to engage with stakeholders, the Government and the media. The Chairman needs to be pivotal in se ng and achieving Business Plan objec ves in line with the grant and the associated partnership agreement with Government. This is an important, hands-on and influen al role – during 2024 the Chairman made a total of 110 media appearances benefi ng the Council, as well as the consumer.

Council Members

The Jersey Consumer Council is made up of representa ves of the general public, from a broad sec on of Island life, with varied working experiences and age range.

They meet regularly, give important feedback during Government and other consulta on exercises and, importantly, they collec vely give a voice to the consumer in Jersey. The members are mo vated to help others and are genuinely interested in consumer ma ers. On a fortnightly basis, Council members carry out grocery price comparison surveys in all the Island's supermarkets

In 2024, the majority of our current Council Members were due to reach the end of their second and final term. However, following discussions with our Government

representa ves and the Minister for Sustainable Economic Development, it was agreed, as part of wider amendments being made to the Cons tu on in 2024, to allow the Members to instead stay on for three terms of three years (nine years in total), bringing the Council in line with standard board prac ces.

The following Members agreed to stay on for a third and final term:

• Sheila Ponomarenko

• Michael Sampson

• Pat Le Masurier

• Dave Crocker

• Mike Le Galle

Curt Volpert decided that, a er two terms, the me was right for him to leave the Council.

A recruitment campaign was carried out during Q3 and Q4, resul ng in the appointment of two new Council Members:

• Alex Watson – the Council's youngest member – was appointed to start his first three-year term on 11 July 2024.

• Julie Mesny has been appointed to begin a first three-year term when she returns from a period of travelling, from 1 May 2025.

Further interviews took place, though no other applicants have been offered a role on the Council as yet. A recruitment campaign will con nue on an ongoing basis, with the job advert remaining live both our website and on Volunteer.je.

2024 Members

Dave Crocker

Mike Le Galle

Pat Le Masurier

Sheila Ponomerenko Michael Sampson  

Trudy Le Bas  

Alex Watson (from 11 July)  

Date current term ends

23 July 2027

23 July 2027

23 July 2027

23 July 2027

23 July 2027

2 May 2025

10 July 2027

Pictured below: Council Members at the end of 2024

The Council is supported in its work by two part- me paid employees, an Execu ve Officer and an Officer.

Minutes of Council mee ngs are provided to the Government a er each mee ng.

Every fortnight, some Council Members volunteer to collect grocery data for our price comparison service. They receive a £25 fee for each survey completed, to cover expenses such as petrol and parking and their   me. This job involves recording prices of a list of grocery items every other Wednesday, giving us a picture of price increases and decreases.

The Council Members are accountable to the Chairman and report their grocery figures to the Execu ve Officer and Officer.

Youth Representa on

It remains our aim to find younger representa ves for the Council, and we have contacted the Sixth Form colleges and Highlands College to inform them that we would like to add a youth voice to our Council.

The Council have considered the idea that a separate Youth Group might be created (with youth representa ves, rather than officially appointed Youth Members).

This group would then feed into the main Council mee ngs – with a youth representa ve' a ending the mee ng to represent the group (perhaps even rota ng to give mee ng experience to more than one young person)

Council support

The Council is supported in its work by two part- me paid employees

These include an Execu ve Officer and an Officer.

Execu ve Officer

In November 2022, Anthony Dearie was employed as part- me Execu ve Officer.

The role is to support the Council members by managing all administra ve Council work and mee ngs, preparing all required governance, managing the Council's finances and spending, represen ng the Council at various forums, upda ng the Council's website and social media accounts, wri ng and edi ng communica ons, responding to consumer enquiries, and monitoring and inpu ng price data.

The Execu ve Officer ensures that  the Council's governance is  maintained and updated as  necessary, and monitors  performance against annual KPIs.  

Officer  

In June 2023, Oonagh Butler was  employed as part- me Officer, to  support and report to the  

Execu ve Officer.  

As well as suppor ng the Execu ve Officer with their du es, and providing cover for them, the Officer is responsible for dealing with the majority of consumers who contact the Council with queries and concerns. They also lead on gathering the weekly fuel data, and inpu ng the fortnightly grocery data, managing community engagement, as well as maintaining files and records, and liaising with the Archive and other relevant

organisa ons to ensure the organisa on meets with its relevant reten on schedules.

Staffing costs

The Council receives an annual Government grant to cover opera ng expenses, which include the Chairman's Honorarium and the salaries of both the Execu ve Officer and the Officer. All Council members are appointed on a voluntary basis.

The Chairman receives an annual Honorarium. From the start of 2024, this was increased to £18,000 per year. It had previously been £10,000 per year since the Honorarium was set ten years ago and had never been increased. As a result, the Minister for Sustainable Economic Development approved an increase from 2024.

Other staffing costs incurred during 2024 included £90,083 in salaries and Employers' Social Security, £774 in staff training and wellbeing, and £3,475 in grocery survey fees.

Data breaches

There were no data breaches in 2024.

Risk Register

A Risk Register is maintained and forwarded to the Government each quarter. As of the end of 2024, the main risks to the Council were:

High Risks – these are classed as major risks requiring immediate a en on. They may have a high or low likelihood of occurrence, but their poten al consequences are such that they must be treated as a high priority.

Medium Risks – these risks could cause disrup on and / or inconvenience in the short term

Low Risks – these risks are both unlikely to occur and are not significant in their impact on the Consumer Council.

any

Conflicts of interest

Any possible conflicts held by either the Chairman, Execu ve Officer or Officer are recorded and updated as necessary.

The Chairman has disclosed possible conflicts to the Council Members, Execu ve Officer and Minister of Economy. The Execu ve Officer and Officer have disclosed possible conflicts to the Chairman and Council Members.

A record of Conflicts of Interest was provided to the Government quarterly.

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)

Despite being a small organisa on, the Jersey Consumer Council is always considering the meaningful and propor onate ways it can enhance its approaches to Environmental, Social and Governance issues.

Here's what we currently do:

Financial Report

Government grant

In 2024, the Jersey Consumer Council's costs were met by a Government grant of £137,000.

In addi on, a business plan was sent to the Government early in 2024, applying for £10,000 in separate event funding to enable us to hold Jersey's first Consumer Fair.

This grant was approved during Q3, but wasn't received un l Q4. As funding approval was not officially received un l late in the year, the decision was taken to begin planning the event in 2024, but to delay the hos ng of the event to 2025. Planning is currently taking place.

At a mee ng with the Minister for Sustainable Economic Development, the Chairman outlined the Council's financial situa on going forwards, and the fact that, because our grant hasn't been increased for a couple of years yet all our bills increase by cost of living each year, it is going to be difficult to con nue doing everything that we currently do in future years without a grant increase.

Although no grant increase was possible for 2025, the Minister has agreed in principle for our grant to increase from £137,000 to £167,000 in 2026, following which he suggested it could then be increased by cost of living each year going forwards.

Assurance Review

BBA Chartered Accountants agreed to carry out a review of the Council's 2024 Financial Statements, having previously carried out our 2023 review.

Due to our limited funds and resources available, the Government had previously agreed that, from our 2023 review, it was sufficient for us to have a Limited Assurance Review of our financial ma ers carried out, rather than fully audited accounts.

Key Performance Indicators: 2024 Results

ANNUAL REPORT 2024  46