THE first hints at the core priorities which will underpin the new political term have been revealed by the Chief Minister, ahead of the four-year government strategy being released later this month.
During a Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel hearing yesterday afternoon, Senator Lyndon Farnham cited boosting household incomes for Islanders, bolstered competitiveness within the economy and increasing access to affordable homes for young families as some of the improvements he wanted to see over the next four years.
Details of the objectives the new government will pursue are set to emerge with the publication of the next Budget and Common Strategic Policy.
Senator Farnham, who completed a two year stint as Chief Minister following a vote of no confidence in Kristina Moore at the start of 2024, returned to the Island’s top political role following the election earlier this year.
Corporate Services Panel chair Deputy Lyndsay Feltham asked what specific outcomes he would expect to see by the end of this term that “an average family or person in the street might expect to see”.
Senator Farnham said: “I would like to see, for example, more young Islanders into affordable family homes. I’d like to see an extension of a number of the issues from the CSP, for example, extension of the school meals programmes into secondary schools.”
He continued: “I’d like to see an increase in household incomes. I’d like to see more competitiveness in the local economy, helping affordability.
“Through our Jersey Competition and Regulatory Authority and other organisations, including our ALOs [arms-length organisations], I would like to see businesses competing more to try and make the Island more affordable.”
The Chief Minister added: “Those are just some – I can keep going if you want, but I don’t want to give away the whole CSP just yet.”
Asked about discussions with Economic Development Minister Gerald Voisin regarding economic growth plans, Senator Farnham said: “I’ve had a number of informal discussions with the minister on a number of issues.
“We’ve just established an economic action group, which he will be chairing. That is specifically going to focus on the local economy.”
Deputy Feltham also asked about specific actions to improve affordability for Islanders, but Senator Farnham noted that he was not yet in a position to share finalised Budget measures as they were still to be agreed – though he added that he was prepared to send them to the panel in confidence prior to publication.
Responding to questions from panel member, St Helier Deputy Lee Carpenter in relation to housing, the Chief Minister said he was “particularly keen to see continuations of schemes such as First Step”.
The assisted-purchase initiative, which is currently closed, was launched in 2024 and delivered in partnership with Andium Homes.
It helped eligible first-time buyers access a contribution of up to 40% towards the purchase of an open-market property.
Senator Farnham also cited hopes to accelerate investment in the Island’s essential infrastructure, pointing to the Investing in Jersey programme unveiled last year.
The programme is underpinned by the newly-established Jersey Capital Investment Fund, which is intended to protect key infrastructure projects from short-term political pressures and economic volatility.
“As members will know we have some sites that have been approved for affordable homes, but they can’t be built because our infrastructure is not up to standard,” the Chief Minister added.
“Those are just two things we want to to work on. There’d be more, but those are the conversations yet to be had.”
Other areas of focus discussed with the panel included efforts to maintain the strength and sustainability of public finances.
Senator Farnham described the current financial position as “solid”.
“We have significantly curbed the growth in the public spend. If we had not introduced a recruitment freeze and some restrictions on use of external consultancy, we’d be in a considerably more challenging position,” he continued.
“But we still have a long way to go. If you include our investment income, we make a significant surplus. But if you exclude the investment income, there is a deficit, and has been I think for the last three or four years.”
He told the panel that the government was looking to “remove that deficit and balance the books”.
“We want to use our investment income, our strategic reserve, social security fund returns and other investments have been very high over the last ten years.
“But of course, we’re not sure we’re going to achieve those levels of growth in in the future, which makes the fact that we need to balance the books prior to investment return a priority.”
