JERSEY’S political parties have responded cautiously to the news that the Island’s population stands at 103,267.
The figure captured on census day – 21 March 2021 – is some 4,533 less than the most recent forecast of 2019 but, while the parties all recognised the unusual circumstances of the pandemic last year, they were less united on the significance of an increase of 900 in unoccupied dwellings.
Both the Progress Party and the Jersey Liberal Conservatives stressed the need for a population policy following the release of the Census figures, while Reform Jersey and the Jersey Alliance disagreed on the conclusions that could be drawn from the vacant property figures.
Reform Party political leader Senator Sam Mézec said the vacancy figures proved that States Members had to stop burying their heads in the sand and explore a tax on empty properties. He added that it highlighted the importance of a proposition which his fellow party member, Deputy Montfort Tadier, had lodged for debate at the end of the present sittings to explore just that issue.
‘We had anticipated that the figure for vacant properties would have gone up since the last census. After weeks of debate about destroying green fields and agricultural land on the basis of the desperate need for housing, we now find that there has been an increase of 900 properties which are currently vacant. We are hopeful that we will get this over the line this time,’ he said.
But the other parties have responded more circumspectly to the data revealed on Wednesday, with Jersey Alliance party leader Sir Mark Boleat rejecting the idea that the increase meant that significant numbers of properties that people could occupy were simply ‘sitting there’.
‘No, they are not,’ he said. ‘Quite a few of them [are owned by] elderly people who have gone into a nursing home and their house is empty. It can’t be sold until the position is resolved.
‘It’s not a vacant house that someone is hanging on to to make money – on the contrary, it’s losing money.
‘Or it may belong to somebody who has gone to work because of the pandemic in England for three months and no one is occupying the house at this minute, and in some other cases houses are being renovated,’ Sir Mark said.
Sir Mark, who has written extensively about the history of the Island’s population growth, was also cautious about drawing too many conclusions from the headline population figure of 103,267 which the census provided as a snapshot last year, particularly as it was a snapshot taken when the pandemic was seriously affecting the Island’s tourism and hospitality.
‘No, the population hasn’t risen dramatically but nor has it fallen in the way that crude figures might suggest, and I don’t think it has a significant implication for policy other than perhaps a bit to reduce the pressure, though if house prices are rising – as they are – that’s pretty indicative that thousands of people haven’t left the Island, ‘ he said.
Progress party leader Senator Steve Pallett took a similar view, saying that while a population figure less than many were expecting was a good thing, it was not possible, on the basis of the information currently available, to judge the impact of Covid-19 and Brexit on the headline figure.
‘However, in terms of future policy it does highlight the fact that we do need a population policy but the detail may have changed. Rather than simply trying to limit to the degree we thought, we are going to have to think carefully about how we attract people for hospitality, retail and construction. Clearly, we’ve got to think about the appropriate workforce,’ he said.
Jersey Liberal Conservatives leader Sir Philip Bailhache also emphasised that the population figure – which he said was ‘more or less what was expected’ – did not negate the need for a population policy.
‘The increase in population may be less than had been expected but it still amounts to something different from population stability,’ Sir Philip said.
He was also cautious about drawing conclusions about housing from the bare figure of unoccupied properties, adding that it would not be sensible to contemplate statutory intervention at this stage.
Meanwhile, the government response to the census has been equally cautious, with Assistant Housing Minister Jeremy Maçon saying that officers and the ministerial team were already investigating the issue of vacant homes, and would take time to review and reflect on the census data in the context of plans to provide a landlord register as part of the updated Residential Tenancy Law.
‘While the overall population figure released yesterday is lower than originally expected by many, the need to provide homes and ensure a strategic and well-considered housing pipeline remains a key priority of the government,’ he said. ‘We have, last year, earmarked for housing sites such as St Saviour’s Hospital and the former Les Quennevais School, and the recently approved Bridging Island Plan secures more affordable housing for Islanders over the coming years. We look forward to the detailed housing section of the census data, which we understand will soon follow on from the initial census release.’
