100 Day Plan delivered

19 October 2022

100 Day Plan: Statement from the Chief Minister

We have reached the end of the Council of Ministers' 100 Day Plan and I am delighted to report that we have completed, or made significant progress, on all 18 actions.

100 days ago, the new Council of Ministers committed to a set of 18 priorities aimed at improving Government decision-making, increasing transparency and engagement, and addressing some immediate concerns of Islanders.

Many of these actions will continue beyond the 100 days and have long-lasting benefits for Islanders, bringing us closer to creating a community where everyone can thrive.

I would like to reiterate my sincere thanks to all colleagues across Government who have worked so hard to make this possible.

To address the cost-of-living crisis and other monetary concerns, we have:

• Agreed an extensive package of measures as part of our mini-budget to put almost £15 million back into Islanders' pockets this year and almost £42 million in 2023. (Action 1)
• Agreed a minimum wage rate increase to £10.50 on 1 November (13.8% increase). (Action 5)
• Committed £1.6 million to funding an Island-wide expansion of school meals for primary school children in Jersey. (Action 11)
• Launched a pilot scheme to ensure that women, girls, and anyone else who needs them, can have reasonable access to free period products. (Action 15)
  

To tackle the housing crisis, we have:

• Committed to developing housing at the site of the former St Saviour's Hospital and at South Hill. (Action 12)
• Published Density Standards and Outside the Built-up Area draft Supplementary Planning Guidance to limit the building of homes over 3,000 sqft. (Action 8)
• Published a report on the role Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) can play in speeding up the process of building homes in Jersey. (Action 12)
  

To deal with labour and skills shortage issues, we have:

• Created a Population and Skills Ministerial Group (originally called the People and Skills Commission) that will lead on the responsibility for monitoring and tackling population, accommodation, skills gaps, and employment issues with clear and immediate actions across both public and private sectors. (Action 13)
  

To create better engagement for Islanders in Government decision making and a more accountable structure within Government, we have:

• Launched the first Ministerial Plans, a set of priorities for all Ministerial departments that form the Government Programme 2023-2026 together with the proposed Government Plan and Common Strategic Priority. (Action 16)
• Reorganised Government departments to provide for direct accountability to Ministers. (Action 14)
• Launched the first Participation Standards for young people – a set of clear guidelines on what should be considered when engaging children and young people. (Action 3)
• Launched the Older Persons Living Forum enabling older people to have their say on matters that affect them and the Island. (Action 4)
• Developed a Policy Inclusion Framework that sets out how Islanders can better engage with Government. (Action 2)
• Progressed the opening of constituency offices and surgery meetings, working with the States Greffe to add dates and locations throughout the year. (Action 17)
• Created a Cabinet Office to co-ordinate the work of Government and strengthen decision making. (Action 7)
• Announced the establishment of a Public Service Ombudsperson to help resolve complaints about public services in Jersey in a timely and transparent manner. (Action 10)
  

In addition, we are also:

• Supporting small businesses facing outstanding payments requests as part of the launch of a co-funded payroll appeal process. (Action 6)
• Opening a Cultural Diversity Centre and launching the Cultural Diversity Network to be co-ordinated from the Jersey library. (Action 18)
• Continuing with the Our Hospital Review to assess recommendations aimed at delivering a more affordable and appropriate alternative. The findings will be available on 1 November. (Action 9)