Chief Minister's statement on 2010 Business Plan

27 July 2009

​The Draft Busines​s Plan for 2010 has understandably prompted a lot of comment, and I would like to make it clear that it has been drafted in what is probably the most difficult financial period we have ever encountered.

We are facing reduced revenue in the coming years because of the worldwide recession, and our priority has to be seeing islanders through the next three years with the minimum of discomfort.

There is also unavoidable long term expenditure on the horizon: long term care for an ageing population, maintaining the sewerage system, the disposal of inert waste, maintaining States assets. The Strategic Plan makes it clear that any additional spending must be offset by savings, service reductions or extra income.

We have saved £17 million through departmental and corporate savings and a public sector pay freeze, and this money will fund improvements in child protection proposed, the historic child abuse enquiry and the ending of the Reciprocal Health Agreement with the UK.

While every service we provide is important to those who use it, hard times mean tough decisions. Departments have found new efficiencies, we have controlled the public sector pay bill but we still need to identify some reductions in services.

The Comptroller and Audito​​r General, Chris Swinson, in his States Spending Review, found no evidence of wide-spread inefficiency, but did find evidence that the continuing re-organisation of the public sector had already accomplished many of its objectives. Mr Swinson identified possible reductions in spending, cuts in grants and increases in charges. Such measures, while unpopular, have to remain an option when deciding on the public sector’s core services and when thinking about the long term viability of our community.

Mr Swinson’s report also found the States was not an organisation with too many bosses and too few workers, but described the management layer as “thin”. This demonstrates that the easy cuts have been made. It is now time to decide which are the essential, core services for Jersey’s public sector, and that is the process the Draft 2010 Business Plan has begun.