A Manifesto that is a Practical Programme for Jersey
This post gives an overview of the elements included in my manifesto. Please read this either as a standalone piece or as an introduction to the more detailed ideas set out in the manifesto. I hope you agree that the ideas set out here describe a sensible, positive and achievable way forward for our Island.
In Jersey, systems are often visible.
We see them in the waiting time for an appointment, the rent paid each month, the difficulty a business faces in recruiting staff, or the pressure felt by families caring for loved ones at home.
These are not isolated issues. They are connected.
And if we are honest, they reflect a deeper challenge:
Our systems are not yet working together as well as they could.
Over time, this has led to a pattern that many Islanders recognise:
• rising costs
• persistent pressure on services
• and a sense that problems are being managed rather than resolved
The question for the next government is not simply what to spend more or less on.
It is:
How do we make the system work better – and keep working to give better value – over time?
A Different Approach
This programme is built on a simple idea:
Practical reform, not promises.
Not a grand theory.
Not an imported model.
But a way of working that recognises that:
• public services
• the economy
• housing
• and community life
are all part of the same system.
If we improve them in isolation, we get limited results.
If we align them, we create something more powerful:
A reinforcing system – where progress in one area supports progress in others.
The Core Principle: Living Within Our Means, Investing in Our Future
At the centre of this programme is a clear discipline.
Jersey should aim to keep its day-to-day government spending at a sustainable share of the economy – ensuring that over time, we live within what the island can support.
But that discipline must be matched by ambition.
Long-term investment – in housing, infrastructure, and economic development – should be protected and planned separately, building the foundations for future growth.
Stability in the present. Investment for the future.
This is the balance that allows a small island to remain both secure and forward-looking.
The System We Need to Build
Across health, the economy, housing, and community life, the same pattern emerges:
When systems are fragmented, costs rise and outcomes fall.
When systems are aligned, value is created and sustained.
This programme focuses on aligning five key elements:
1. A Workforce Designed for the Future
The public service workforce must be reshaped – not simply expanded.
That means:
• reducing reliance on agency staffing through redesign
• investing in on-island training and skills
• attracting people of high social value to essential roles
Over time, this creates a workforce that is more stable, more locally rooted, and better aligned with the island’s needs.
2. A Care System Built Around Partnership and Home
Care capacity will not be solved by institutions alone.
We need:
• structured partnerships across public, private, and voluntary sectors
• strategic investment in care capacity where needed
• and a decisive shift toward home-based, technology-supported care
This is both:
• better for individuals
• and better value for the system
The Health and Social Care Jersey Partnership Board provides one mechanism to deliver this – if we use it fully.
3. A Stronger Role for Charities and Communities
Charities and social enterprises are often the first to see need – and the first to respond.
They should be:
• funded more strategically
• integrated into system planning
• and recognised as core partners in delivery
Prevention begins in the community – not in the system.
4. An Economy That Works for the Island
Jersey’s finance sector is a cornerstone of our success.
The task now is to build on that success by strengthening the local economy alongside it.
This means:
• supporting island-based businesses
• using public procurement to create local opportunity
• and ensuring that ALBs, States-Owned Entities, and regulators all play their part
Every pound spent should work as hard as possible for Jersey.
5. Capital That Supports Local Priorities
Through our finance industry, capital flows through Jersey every day.
But more of it should work within Jersey.
A Jersey Bank would:
• support local businesses
• finance housing and care infrastructure
• and help keep capital circulating within the island economy
This is not about replacing what works.
It is about aligning it more closely with local needs.
Housing That Supports Stability and Opportunity
Housing sits at the centre of many of Jersey’s challenges.
Andium Homes has been a success in many respects.
But the current linkage of rents to market levels has created growing pressure.
Reform should:
• ensure rents are fair and predictable
• reflect ability to pay, not just market conditions
• and support workforce stability and economic participation
Other models exist and are working elsewhere.
We should be open to learning from them.
The Opportunity of Longevity
Above all, Jersey must respond to one defining reality:
We are living longer.
This is often framed as a cost.
But it can be something more:
An organising principle for the island’s future.
When people live longer and healthier lives:
• demand for services changes
• new economic activity emerges
• and communities become stronger
If we design for this, we create a reinforcing cycle:
- Better health supports economic activity.
- Economic activity supports local jobs and services.
- Those services strengthen communities.
- And stronger communities support better health in return.
When that happens:
More value stays in Jersey – and circulates within it.
A Programme for Delivery
This is not a programme built on individual policies or promises that cannot be afforded or kept.
It is a programme built on how the system works as a whole.
It recognises that:
• government alone cannot deliver change
• but government can shape the system in which change happens
Through:
• disciplined spending
• aligned incentives
• partnership across sectors
• and a clear focus on outcomes
we can build a system that is:
• more effective
• more resilient
• and better able to meet the challenges ahead
Conclusion
Jersey is at a turning point.
We can continue:
• managing pressures
• responding to problems
• and watching costs rise
Or we can take a different path:
Designing a system that works – and keeps working.
This is what practical reform means.
Not promises of transformation overnight.
But steady, deliberate change that builds confidence over time.
A stronger workforce.
A more responsive care system.
A more balanced economy.
A fairer housing system.
And a society that sees longer lives as an opportunity, not a burden.
That is the kind of future this programme is designed to support.
And I would welcome your thoughts – and your challenge – as we refine it together.
