Speaking at a Chamber of Commerce lunch at the Royal Yacht on , Senator Alan Maclean said that Jersey and Guernsey could and should be working together to ‘market a Channel Island brand’ which would benefit the economies of both islands.
He also told those in the audience that the States have cut 120 public sector jobs so far this year, with a further 45 more due to go before the end of 2015 as part of government savings.
Discussing the recently approved Medium Term Financial Plan – which sets States spending, as well as the 2016 Budget that is due to be debated next month, Senator Maclean said that he did not regard the proposed spending cuts as austerity measures. Instead he said that the proposals meant that the States could ‘spend more on our priorities’.
He said: ‘The action we are taking – through the MTFP and the Budget – will avoid a deficit, as long as we make the agreed savings, maximise our use of technology and restructure our services to make them more efficient.
‘If we do this – and I am determined that we will – our books will balance by 2019. How many other jurisdictions can say that?’
He admitted that sustained economic growth would be difficult and welcomed the suggestion from an audience member that Jersey and Guernsey could work together.
He said: ‘I have been a great supporter of inter-island co-operation for many years and I believe there is an awful lot more we could be doing.
‘My frustrations lie in the time it takes. When you look at something like the joint air ambulance service, it took two or three years to deliver on something so obvious.
‘There are certainly areas that we could market the Channel Island brand which would benefit both islands.’
At the start of his speech Senator Maclean echoed the message given by the Chief Minister and Bailiff of solidarity with France in the wake of terrorist attacks in Paris.
He said: ‘We are still reeling from the shock of the worst terrorist attack in Europe for a decade.
‘Our thoughts are with the friends and families of all those affected – 129 innocent people brutally gunned down by callous murderers.
‘Terrorists who thought they could destroy everything we stand for. They could not have been more wrong.
‘An attack on France is an attack on the values we share – freedom, democracy, tolerance.
‘Jersey has shown solidarity with our neighbours across the Channel and we will continue to stand together to uphold the values we hold dear.’
Mark Boleat, chairman of the city of London’s Policy and Resources Committee, the Jersey Development Company and the Channel Islands Competition and Regulatory Authorities, is due to speak at the next Chamber lunch event on Wednesday 9 December.
