Introduction

Tax and Spending

The current Policy and Resources Committee have, unfortunately failed to control spending or the size of the civil service despite spending on one transformation plan after another.  Wasteful expenditure will lead to higher taxes even if P and R won’t admit that just ahead of the election.

Our group is committed to getting a firm grip on public spending. Otherwise the proposals already published by this States for a Guernsey Sales Tax and/or income tax rises or eye watering increases in TRP will be implemented. Tax rises must be avoided. Increased taxes do not grow an economy. 

 The States over the past four years have, by bad decision making, wasted hundreds of millions of pounds. To give examples:

… millions of pounds spent on ill framed off Island consultations when we have most, not all, of the expertise we need on the Island;

 … the education proposals mentioned…. millions have already been spent, even if we save huge sums by not rebuilding Beaucamps and St Sampsons; 

… proposals to tear down the L’Ancresse wall have wasted hundreds of thousands in fees at a time of rising sea levels and failure to perform much needed repairs on sea walls elsewhere;

 … regulatory proposals with massive costs to both the taxpayer directly and via damaging business profitability;

 …we seem to be spending £200m on an IT contract, but find that doesn’t seem to cover upgrades to the Health Dept  or the Tax Office so another £20m for each. Nearly a quarter of a billion. To compare that with the UK by multiplying up per head of the population, that’s HS2 times 3;

 …the borrowing contracts seem to have incurred many millions in unnecessary fees and excessive interest rates.

 It goes on and on. I and the Guernsey Party team are committed to cutting the waste and to no tax increases.

Long term we want to lower income tax on those at the lower end of the income scale by introducing an introductory tax band between 10% and 20%. We must support ordinary, working families by keeping costs, fees and taxes down.Every penny wasted is paid for by us.

We also propose to increase the tax free allowance limit on charitable contributions.

Governance

Having spent four years on the Public Accounts Committee between 2012-2016, I am very aware of how useful third party review of States contracts could be. For inexplicable reasons this Committee was terminated in 2016 and with that went a lot of useful input. I propose that a much beefed up Public Accounts Committee be re-established to bring in expertise and to review States contracts before they are signed and hold Deputies and Committees to account.

I also support adding non-voting private sector experts on to all major committees to assist with their advice. There are so many people with great expertise in Guernsey willing to contribute. We must take advantage of that for the benefit of all.

Regulation

 At this point, with business under severe pressures including competition from Jersey we must cut back on unnecessary regulatory and other impositions or more jobs will be lost. The Disabilities Law  needs to be implemented in a pragmatic manner to avoid undue costs from “over lawyering” its good intentions.  We must not lose more jobs on the altar of political correctness.           

 Planning procedures and restrictions on open market housing must also be looked at with a view to making affordable local market housing more readily available and to improve the utility of housing on the open market. See below.

Regulation of the finance sector also needs to be reviewed, ideally after the UK has left the EU Transition Period when we can judge how to balance our business with London and the rest of the world against demands from the remainder of the EU.

Planning and Housing

We need to look at cutting down on the development of green fields, especially in St Sampsons and Vale which risk being concreted over. We must pursue a comprehensive development plan covering Leales Yard and St Sampsons waterfront using the very best architects. This can be done by a comprehensive public/private partnership. We must get on with it.

We should also permit the conversion of some redundant retail and second tier office space in central St Peter Port to residential. This would increase vibrancy in the town centre.

The above plans could increase the supply of housing for first time buyers and could be used to construct more sheltered housing for the elderly to keep them in their own homes for longer and thereby reduce the pressure on care homes and social care costs. They would also much reduce pressure to build on green field sites.

The changes to the Open Market rules in 2017 have been disastrous for buyers at the more affordable end of the Local Market by pushing large numbers of incomers from the Open Market on to the Local Market on licences. This has pushed up prices and rents. It has also badly damaged the Open Market as an economic enabler and damaged business confidence in the process. These changes must be reversed.

Inclusivity

The States should work with the Guernsey Disability Alliance and other stakeholders to work out ideas and protocols to assist those with disabilities or other limitations to participate as fully as possible in Island life. I have in mind practical ideas, quite separate from lawyer driven interventions. For example, the hilly High Street in St Peter Port is difficult for the less mobile. An electric vehicle could run between the bus station and car parks through the Town centre for those who need it. The cost would be moderate. These ideas would run in parallel with the Anti-Discrimination legislation but could be implemented faster.

In speaking to people from all walks of life during this campaign, it has become clear that there is much unhappiness with the replacement by the States of front line staff with Internet solutions. Personally, I can cope with the internet but, generally , prefer to talk to nice people anyway. We humans are basically social animals. Others find on line transactions increasingly difficult as they grow older. Some more intellectually vulnerable find it difficult from the start or if they are ill or have English as a second language. The States must keep its frontline staff to engage with the public. If we can establish key States frontline offices near the High St, that would help many and increase footfall there.This is not a great expense relative to the unbelievable sums spent on IT.

This brings us to another point, banking. We are seeing many of our local bank branches closing. This is undesirable and difficult for many. We need to work with the banks to keep their main branches open, failing which we must consider establishing a local Guernsey bank to provide basic services.

Education

 The current plans are unpopular for good reason. We need at least three state secondary schools. Squeezing hundreds of extra pupils into Beaucamps and St Sampsons will produce overcrowding and all the “ big school” problems that we don’t need. They should each be independent of the States with a Board of Governors and Headmaster in control of spending , hiring teaching staff and curriculum. So they will have an independent status equivalent to Ladies College and Elizabeth College. 

 Scholarships to the Colleges should be made available and fully funded. I would continue grants to the Colleges to ensure that we retain a diverse range of secondary education options

 This must all be coupled with a great,  independent College of Further Education or Guernsey Institute, whatever it may be called with a high status, offering a wide range of training options. That, coupled, with a Sixth Form College serving the three Secondary Schools should give opportunities for all pupils to achieve their ambitions.

An emphasis on developing training options for our youngsters will be vital to maintain good job opportunities in Guernsey.

We also need to focus on teachers ( indeed, more so than buildings) and ensure that we can attract the very best recruits with teaching through to the sixth form where desired and ongoing training opportunities.

Health

 One of the principle purposes of taxation is to allow the States to provide good healthcare for our people. Healthcare must provide the best possible care in a cost effective manner. We will review all of the principal health service contracts entered into by the States with this in mind and will explore further deals with off Island healthcare providers, both NHS and private, to provide the operations and specialist care that cannot be provided in Guernsey.

 We will ensure that Guernsey has the best possible MRI, CT and other imaging equipment on the Island to provide these services to the highest standard . This should facilitate general screening of the population to ensure early detection of disease, in particular, cancer. There needs to be enough equipment to ensure adequate screening opportunities without undue delays. From personal experience, I am inclined to the view that the current arrangements are sub optimal and could be improved.

 We will take the steps necessary to reinstate the reciprocal medical agreement with the UK and will explore the possibility of similar arrangements with the EU.

 We will pay close attention to the terms and conditions enjoyed by our nurses and also on Island training. Terms need to be sufficiently attractive to retain nurses in Guernsey to ensure good patient care and avoid uneconomic agency arrangements so far as possible.

Capital expenditure to facilitate Growth and Green Energy

 We must review this carefully with an eye to growing the economy, and in particular look promptly at:

 ….better air links and use of Aurigny in cooperation with Jersey and the Isle of Man as well as the runway extension; we need to lower the price of travel to and from Guernsey;

…. better timings on our sea links which seem to have been sacrificed for Jersey’s convenience;

 …. upgrading internet speeds ( this may even be priority no 1 in our competitive environment) ;

 …. harbour development including wave energy proposals already on the table;

 …. green energy, heat pumps, wind, solar, tidal and wave; this feeds into the first big decision to be made , namely whether the second cable to France is really a good idea at this point; we will consider a programme to install heat pumps and solar panels in private homes by way of a States grant to be repaid over a period from the savings in electricity bills; heat pumps can be up to five times more efficient than standard oil or electric heating and the technology is rapidly improving;

 …. improving our attractions, eg a Victor Hugo and a Renoir themed facility; using the dairy redevelopment as the centre point of a Guernsey cow and dairy themed attraction in a suitable rural location;

 …. improved cycleways to include segregated cycle paths around the south, west and north coasts, planned in such a way that they do not cut down on road space for motorists;

 …. a truly first rate development at St Sampsons envisaging relocation of the roads and the establishment of a square on the waterfront; this would require the establishment of a Development Corporation to buy up and set  up the infrastructure to enable private development according to a master plan; the people of St Sampsons have put up with a centre suffering from planning blight for too long;

…. proper maintenance of our infrastructure and sea walls;

 …. tree planting and research the practicality of introducing red squirrels as part of a biodiversity programme ( and other similar, small measures to improve the environment and the general attractiveness and interest of Guernsey) .

Charities

Guernsey is so fortunate to have such an active charitable sector. That must be encouraged and we propose to increase the maximum amounts that can be donated with the States funded tax break.

Douzaines

I want to protect and, where possible, extent the powers of the Douzaines. As a resident of Castel, I believe that the jobs undertaken by the Douzaine here have always been implemented efficiently. Good people are prepared to donate their time and should be encouraged.