JERSEY’s children’s rights watchdog has defended spending more than £26,000 on a new office after concerns were raised on social media about the use of public money.
The Office of the Children’s Commissioner, which earlier this week warned that government cuts to its budget would leave it unable to deliver all of its legal duties, revealed that £26,670 was spent last year on costs related to relocating its headquarters in its annual report.
Children’s Commissioner Carmel Corrigan said the move to 13 Broad Street was necessary because the previous premises at Brunel House were “less-than-ideal” due to the lack of disabled access and private spaces, both of which she said are “critical” for the office’s work with children and families.
“In 2024, we took the decision to relocate our office to a premises that, while similar in overall size to the previous one, allows for proper disability access and private meeting spaces,” she told the JEP.
“These crucial assets were missing in our previous premises, which had become problematic for us, as our work brings us into frequent contact with a wide variety of children and young people, some of whom require full disability access.
“Similarly, we often require private meeting spaces, in order to preserve the confidentiality of the children, young people, and families we work with.”
The Commissioner also explained that savings were made elsewhere to accommodate the one-off cost of making the new site fit for purpose.
“It is not something that we would be able to achieve every year, as our budget is already tight, but we considered it to be a vital investment in the long-term future of our work to promote and protect the rights of the Island’s children and young people,” Dr Corrigan said.
Her comments come after an Islander described the office move as a “huge waste of money” on social media earlier this week.
The annual report explained that the layout of Brunel House — with staff split over two floors — was unsuitable for effective working and “strong team cohesion.”
It also raised concerns that Brunel House’s proximity to the government’s new Union Street headquarters could have risked undermining the watchdog’s independence.
