PRESSURE is building on the government to provide additional funding for the Jersey Employment Trust – as the Social Security Minister seeks to reassure those accessing the service “they will continue to get the assistance they need”.
Earlier this week, JET said it would have to scale back its operations after the government said it would not provide top-up funding beyond the agreed £1.9 million.
The move has sparked outrage amid fears that around half of the charity’s 550 clients could be affected, while all 38 jobs at JET were put at risk.
An online petition launched on Thursday requesting the government reverse the decision had, by yesterday evening, gathered more than 2,500 signatures in a little over 24 hours.
However, Social Security Minister Lyndsay Feltham has moved to explain the decision, arguing that JET had not provided the necessary information and business case to warrant additional government resources.
She said that she has a duty to protect public spending and ensure taxpayer money is being spent appropriately.
The organisation is contracted by the Employment, Social Security and Housing Department to provide vocations training and employment support for Islanders with disabilities and long-term health conditions. Under the terms of the agreement, the government provides £1.9 million in funding to the charity.
The 2024 States Annual Report and Accounts shows that a one-off top-up payment of £785,000 was made to the charity to support a cost-of-living increase, while JET has said that the same amount was required for 2025.
Speaking to the JEP, Deputy Feltham acknowledged the public support that had been shown for JET.
“Of course, that is indeed why we’ve committed over £2 million for this year for the charity,” she said.
“But I do think it’s important to know where we stand and make sure that we are accountable when we are giving public money.”
Reflecting on the discussions she had held with the charity, Deputy Feltham said: “Fundamentally, one of the things that I asked was for JET to data share with us and share with us the details of the clients it was working with.
“The basis for that was so that we could work out whether there was any duplication in services across government, and also to assess that people were in the right service.”
The minister said she needed to see the “nuts and bolts” of the reason for the request, adding: “What’s the funding? What’s the funding requirement? Where’s the gap? What’s the cost of that gap?
“JET, to this point, haven’t shared that data with us that we requested.
“Ultimately it would be that data that I would need, and my department would need, that would then give us the objective information that would be required for any business case, for any further future government funding, any additional funding.”
Deputy Lyndsay Feltham said work was taking place “to make sure that affected Islanders are getting the right kind of support for them”, which “may be from a different provider”.
And, in a subsequent statement, the minister confirmed she met representatives from the JET board yesterday morning.
The statement read: “I want to reassure Islanders who rely on JET for support that they will continue to get the assistance they need.
“While our discussions over the best way for the government to fund JET’s work are still ongoing, this does not mean anyone will stop receiving support.”
The minister continued: “In order to understand the correct level of funding, we need JET to work with us to provide a full picture of what is required.
“As part of our discussions, we are working to make sure that affected Islanders are getting the right kind of support for them.”
Deputy Feltham noted that JET “has a long and proven track record of assisting people with disabilities and long-term health conditions to achieve their employment goals”, stating that the charity was “in the best position to provide this kind of support”.
“Some Islanders may have different needs, and we are working to identify these and make sure that they get the right kind of support, which may be from a different provider,” she added.
“But I want to make clear that, whatever the outcome of our discussions, all those currently receiving support will continue to get the assistance they need.”
