EDUCATION reform and the creation of better-paid jobs should underpin a long-term drive to help more Islanders buy their own homes, a backbencher has argued.
Deputy Max Andrews wants home ownership made an explicit priority in the government’s Common Strategic Policy for 2026–2030, warning that financial assistance alone cannot solve the problem of housing affordability.
His amendment would commit ministers to improving Jersey’s home-ownership rate through inclusive education and the creation of higher-value, higher-income roles.
In his accompanying report, Deputy Andrews said the Council of Ministers’ proposed policy appeared to lack detail on how it would support home ownership. He said he had stood for election on a mandate to increase it.
Jersey’s home-ownership rate stood at 54% in the 2021 Census, according to the report.
“We need a long-term plan to increase the homeownership rate,” he said. “We cannot fulfil this objective via government funding alone to support Islanders entering homeownership.”
Deputy Andrews argued that the cost of housing was forcing Islanders to leave Jersey, while the gap between average incomes and property values prevented many from getting on the property ladder.
He said the government needed to improve opportunities across society, rather than helping only individuals to move into better-paid work.
Education should give every Islander the best chance to succeed, regardless of their family background, he argued.
“There remains no comprehensive and joined-up strategy linking education to the promotion of improved lifelong outcomes such as increasing homeownership,” he added.
If the amendment is approved, Deputy Andrews said ministers should prioritise education reform alongside changes to the economy that would create more high-value and high-income jobs. This would help more Islanders earn enough to afford a property.
While government-backed financial support could help people buy homes, he argued that relying on such schemes was not financially sustainable and did not address the underlying problem.
His report nevertheless says support for the First Step Scheme could continue where spare funding was available.
The amendment would have no direct financial implications, according to Deputy Andrews, although he said that Education and Lifelong Learning officers would need to investigate reforms to deliver a more inclusive curriculum.
Further work would also be needed to develop better-paid employment opportunities.
The proposed policy commitment would require ministers to “prioritise home ownership in Jersey to support the economic wellbeing and social mobility of Islanders”.
