HIGHER salaries would be paid to politicians taking on additional responsibility as ministers or chairs of Scrutiny panels, under a proposition put forward this week.
Deputy Jonathan Renouf is seeking to change the existing law stating that all States Members must earn the same amount, currently £57,300 per year, paving the way for Jersey to emulate other jurisdictions in having different levels of salaries for elected representatives.
The former Environment Minister has not proposed precise figures for the salary of the Chief Minister, other ministers and assistant ministers, or Scrutiny chairs, suggesting that this detail should be considered during the next political term by the Island’s independent remuneration reviewer.
Jennifer Long was appointed to the role of reviewer in early 2023, and her views are cited by Deputy Renouf in the report accompanying his proposition, notably a quote describing Jersey as “an outlier” in this respect.
Deputy Renouf said no other jurisdictions had the same flat salary system as Jersey, putting forward several reasons to support his proposed changes.
“This isn’t about rewarding hard work, it is about recognising responsibility,” he said. “Every day, ministers take decisions about the safety and welfare of vulnerable people, they respond to emergency situations, they take decisions that affect the economy and therefore the quality of life of everyone on the Island.
“In every walk of life, it is recognised that greater responsibility should attract greater reward.”
Some capable candidates may be dissuaded from putting themselves forward because levels of pay were not reflective of the responsibility involved, he added, arguing that the States Assembly would be taken more seriously if the rewards of higher office were more appropriate.
The proposition seeks to bring about a change to the law ahead of the June 2026 election, with the independent reviewer then working with the Privileges and Procedures Committee after the election to develop specific proposals. Ms Long echoed these sentiments in her 2023 report, saying that she “strongly recommended” such changes.
Deputy Renouf references a 2019 report that suggested ministers and Scrutiny chairs should earn £7,500 on top of the standard politician’s salary, with the Chief Minister given a £15,000 premium.
To give an idea of the financial implications of the move, the St Brelade representative said that figures of £20,000 for the Chief Minister and £10,000 for other ministerial/Scrutiny chair roles would mean a total additional cost of around £200,000, plus larger pension contributions for those concerned.
Concluding his report, Deputy Renouf said: “Clinging to an outdated reward model for States Members does not reflect well on the Assembly or on the Island’s system of government.”
The proposition is set to be debated next month.
