OFFERING subsidised inter-island travel for Channel Islanders is a “good and sound principle”, Guernsey’s most senior politician has said.
Speaking at a Jersey Chamber of Commerce lunch, Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez – who has been the president of Guernsey’s Policy and Resources Committee since 2025 – said she “absolutely” agreed that fostering stronger and cheaper travel links should be high on the agenda for both islands.
Deputy de Sausmarez argued that the two islands were “stronger together” – drawing parallels between the similar challenges the respective business communities face and pointing to polling done by both islands’ Chamber of Commerces.
“It was really clear to me coming over to Jersey this morning and just bumping into people from Guernsey on your high street, just how much crossover there is in terms of business communities,” she said.
Asked whether the two governments were really working together, she said there were several areas, including health and GST were Jersey and Guernsey were working together “behind the scenes that no-one sees”.
She added that the respective social security departments “continue to work very, very closely, in terms of looking at where there are shared systems, data, learnings about what has worked well and what hasn’t”.
Other departments could often learn from each other, she said, before admitting that economic development was one area where inter-island working was more tricky due to “commercial tensions”.
Discussing inter-island travel, where there have been significant tensions in recent months, Lindsay de Sausmarez said she “absolutely” agreed with the “general principle” of making inter-island travel cheaper for residents.
“The governments do already subsidise, to a degree, inter-island travel.”
But, she said, providing better options for people across both islands is “a really good and sound principle”.
During her visit to Jersey, Deputy de Sausmarez also visited the States Chamber to watch the ongoing debate.
