NOW that JET’s funding has been confirmed for 2026, at the level they were looking for, it is fair to look back over the last week and assess exactly what just happened.
Perhaps the first point to note is that Islanders supported by JET can be reassured that support will now continue without disruption, which clearly is to be welcomed.
On that note, Ministers and JET should be commended for the solution which has been reached, whether it is accurately described as a “u-turn”, “a climbdown, “a face-saver” or something else altogether. The people who really matter will be supported, and that is what actually counts.
That having been said, it doesn’t of course mean that the underlying issues here – and perhaps for others who receive grant-funding from the government – have been resolved.
Ministers and JET say they will now work on a long-term solution to include a new contract, an agreement on data-sharing and a new business plan which both meets the government’s finance rules and ensures government and JET services are complementary.
The fact those points have been specifically referenced in the media statement does strongly imply that the previous arrangement didn’t deliver on all that; begging the question as to why it hadn’t been resolved before, and shedding light on the depth of the discussions between JET and the Social Security Minister over the last twelve months.
Ministers are very keen to move on, arguing that the end justifies the means, and now that an agreement has been reached, all is – for now – well.
For clients, and perhaps the staff, of JET that may well be true. However, for the long-term good governance of grant-funded organisations, the last week has drawn back the veil on some of the serious issues which are revolving behind the scenes.
The key underlying questions remain unanswered, such as how such a key strategic charity as JET could continue each year, with apparently no real future certainty about its funding? How is service duplication monitored if data-sharing agreements aren’t in place? Are other organisations affected in the same way?
There seem to be governance issues here which shouldn’t just be allowed to conveniently fade back out of the public view, certain to erupt again for a new set of Ministers in the future.
The fact that this this one suddenly, and it seems unexpectedly, blew onto the news agenda last week may have led to a short-term fix; but no one is pretending that any of the obvious longer-term, structural, issues have been resolved.
