HOUSING issues were to the fore for much of the third day of debate over the government’s Common Strategic Policy, with a series of attempts by backbenchers to amend the document meeting with mixed success.
A Scrutiny panel’s amendment sought to change the wording of the CSP to remove a specific reference to assisted purchase scheme, but the Assembly backed a counter move by the Council of Ministers to retain the reference.
Deputy Hilary Jeune said the Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Scrutiny panel, which she chairs, was not opposed to assisted purchase, but did not believe that it should be specified within the CSP ahead of consultation and the production of evidence.
“There is no evidence that this is the most effective tool to achieve increased home ownership,” she said.
Housing Minister Malcolm Ferey said the explicit reference to assisted purchase schemes should be retained.
While such schemes were not the only mechanism through which the government could support access to home ownership, he added, they remained an established policy tool that were a key part of the Island’s approach to help people own their own home.
Deputy Jonathan Renouf said the Housing Minister had the right to set priorities and to highlight policy aspirations.
Including the reference to assisted purchase was the wrong thing to do, Deputy Tom Coles argued, because it would raise hopes that a new version of such a scheme was definitely planned and would lead to some Islanders waiting for an opportunity that was not guaranteed to come.
Deputy Alex Curtis criticised the counter-move by ministers, saying that it would “put the cart before the horse”, but the executive’s move was supported by the Assembly by 32 votes to 11, after which the amendment was passed unanimously in its new form.
Home ownership was also at the heart of a proposed amendment by Deputy Max Andrews, who wanted a new part of the CSP to “prioritise home ownership in Jersey to support the economic wellbeing and social mobility of Islanders”.
The representative for St Helier North said he wanted to see Jersey’s low rate of home ownership rise, and that this was a key part of social mobility.
Deputy Ferey said that the sentiment of Deputy Andrews’s proposal was already reflected in the original CSP.
Ministers recognised that increasing opportunities for home ownership required action across a range of areas, including housing supply, affordability, infrastructure, skills and economic growth, and that such issues were better addressed through existing commitments within the Common Strategic Policy.
Deputy Andrews amendment was defeated across two separate votes by margins of 25-16 and 28-13.
The next attempt was by Reform Jersey co-leader Deputy Lyndsay Feltham, who said her amendment reflected commitments relating to housing from her party’s manifesto for this summer’s election.
The Reform proposal was to commit ministers to “improve housing affordability and security for Islanders through measures including the reduction of rental stress, an increase in availability of affordable rented homes, the prevention of homelessness and the return of long-term empty homes to use”.
Once again ministers expressed support for the principle of an amendment, but put forward their own wording to omit the reference to rental stress and dilute the commitment related to empty homes.
Although it was described as a “wrecking” move by Deputy Montfort Tadier, the ministerial change won support across two votes, each decided by the same margin of 32-11, after which Deputy Feltham’s amendment was passed in its new form by 37 votes to seven.
Deputy Alex Curtis made an attempt to force the Council of Ministers to bring their Investing in Jersey plans, mentioned within the CSP document, to the Assembly for debate during the first half of 2027.
This was opposed by the government, with Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham saying that Investing in Jersey was a long-term framework, which could not be covered in a single sitting.
Deputy Curtis was defeated by 34 votes to nine.
