My policy aims for our government include:
- Introduce Ministerial Boards appointed by the States
- Restore the Ministerial Corporation sole safeguard
- Strengthen accountability of Ministers , the CEO and senior civil servants
- Real – time scrutiny of policy
- Dismantle departmental silos
- Parish meetings to inform the States of parishioners views.
- A trial delegation of planning decisions to parishes – initially St Helier
- Protect front line services by ending their outsourcing
- Reduce layers of duplicate and excess administration
- Appoint a government ombudsman with jurisdiction to make awards
- Review the role of quangos to establish political direction and control
The growth in public spending is no longer sustainable. Public sector overheads must be reduced by scaling down corporate functions and reducing layers of duplicate management which add little value to front-line services. The departmental silos which have protected too many chiefs must go. Salami slice cuts to front line services are damaging and lead to dis-economies. Outsourcing of front line services leads to reduced standards.
Recent changes by the Chief Minister to replace the present “corporation sole” status of ministers flies in the face of the removal of collective responsibility. Accountability is lost, power will be too centralised and democratic control is weakened. I will oppose the subordinate legislation which will be required to implement this regressive change. I will propose changes to the States of Jersey Law to require Ministers to work with States appointed Ministerial Boards of elected members in formulating policy. I will seek greater openness and transparency, provide the missing checks and balances in decision making to restore public confidence in our government. We must have a government ombudsman with real power. I want to trial the delegation of planning decisions to strengthen the parish role, starting with St Helier.
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