Common Strategic Policy (P.98/2022): fourth amendment

STATES OF JERSEY

COMMON STRATEGIC POLICY (P.98/2022): FOURTH AMENDMENT

Lodged au Greffe on 8th November 2022 by Deputy L.V. Feltham of St. Helier Central Earliest date for debate: 22nd November 2022

STATES GREFFE

2022  P.98 Amd.(4)

COMMON STRATEGIC POLICY (P.98/2022): FOURTH AMENDMENT

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1  PAGE 2 –

After the words "report of this Proposition" insert the words –

", except that, noting the aspects important to Islanders as indicated by the Future Jersey consultation, on page 17 of the report, the words The table over the page presents some of the key indicators we will use" should be substituted with the following –

"The Council of Ministers will continue to strive to achieve the long-term vision of  Future  Jersey  and  work  towards  delivering  the  ten  desired  community outcomes arising from it:

Future Jersey Vision: "An Island loved for its beautiful coast and countryside, rich heritage, diverse wildlife and clean air, land and water. An Island where a sense of community really matters - a safe place to grow up and enjoy life. An Island that offers everyone the opportunity to contribute to, and share in, the success of a strong, sustainable economy.

We will show our progress using the storyboards and related indicators set out  within  the  Jersey  Performance  Framework.  We  will  improve  the relevance and presentation of the indicators within the Framework to improve their use.

The following table presents further key indicators that highlight the focus of the Common Strategic Policy."

L.V. FELTHAM OF ST. HELIER CENTRAL

Note:  After this amendment, the proposition would read as follows –

THE STATES are asked to decide whether they are of opinion

in accordance with Article 18(2)(e) of the States of Jersey Law 2005, to approve the statement of the Common Strategic Policy of the Council of Ministers as set out in the report of this Proposition, except that, noting the aspects important to Islanders as indicated by the Future Jersey consultation, on page 17 of the report, the words The table over the page presents some of the key indicators we will use" should be substituted with the following –

"The Council of Ministers will continue to strive to achieve the long-term vision of  Future  Jersey  and  work  towards  delivering  the  ten  desired  community outcomes arising from it:

Future Jersey Vision: "An Island loved for its beautiful coast and countryside, rich heritage, diverse wildlife and clean air, land and water. An Island where a sense of community really matters - a safe place to grow up and enjoy life. An

Island that offers everyone the opportunity to contribute to, and share in, the success of a strong, sustainable economy.

We will show our progress using the storyboards and related indicators set out within the Jersey Performance Framework. We will improve the relevance and presentation of the indicators within the Framework to improve their use.

The following table presents further key indicators that highlight the focus of the Common Strategic Policy."

REPORT

This amendment enables the Assembly to endorse the outcomes articulated within Future Jersey Vision (the Vision) and agree that progress towards achieving these long- term goals should continue to be measured against the storyboards identified within the Jersey Performance Framework.

The Future Jersey Vision, and ten outcomes arising from it, were designed to stay in place for a generation, not just a single Assembly term, and they continue to be used by the public service as the long-term vision for Jersey. Despite this, it appears that the Vision has never been brought to any previous Assembly for endorsement or approval. The purpose of this amendment is to resolve this anomaly and ensure that the Vision has the Assembly's ongoing support.

Future Jersey, published in March 2018,1 was the culmination of the ideas shared by Islanders through the Shaping our future' consultation programme, which are captured in the vision statement:

"An Island loved for its beautiful coast and countryside, rich heritage, diverse wildlife and clean air, land and water. An Island where a sense of community really matters - a safe place to grow up and enjoy life. An Island that offers everyone the opportunity to contribute to, and share in, the success of a strong, sustainable economy."

This  overarching  vision  was  broken  down  into  ten  community,  environment  and economic outcomes describing what success would look like:

Community

• Islanders feel safe and protected at home, work and in public

• Children enjoy the best start in life

• Islanders enjoy living in a vibrant and inclusive community

• Islanders enjoy long, healthy, active lives

Environment

• Jersey's built and historic environment is valued and enjoyed

• Jersey's unique natural environment is protected for future generations

• Jersey's natural resources are managed and used responsibly

Economy

• Islanders are able to afford a decent standard of living

• Jersey is an attractive place to do business

• Islanders benefit from a strong economy and rewarding job opportunities

This amendment seeks to provide clarity within the Monitoring Impact' Annex of the Common Strategic Policy, as the current content does not provide enough information for Ministers, the Assembly or the public about the Jersey Performance Framework and how it is linked to the longer-term ambitions of Future Jersey and the desired outcomes articulated by the community during the Shaping Our Future' consultation process. It will also ensure that we do not lose sight of or forget the output of that consultation, as such reports do not come cheaply, either in terms of money paid to consultants or the time and effort spent by members of our community that contributed their thoughts and ideas at the time. Should the Government or the Assembly wish to amend the long-term community vision, it would be important to do so with due knowledge and consideration of previous work so as not to wastefully duplicate previous efforts.

1 https://www.gov.je/government/planningperformance/governmentperformance/pages/futurejersey.aspx

The Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2019 requires the Council of Ministers to take into account the sustainable wellbeing of current and future generations when they develop the Government Plan. This amendment will mean that sustainable wellbeing is now central to the way Government makes decisions and designs public services.

The Jersey Performance Framework is used by the Government to measure the progress that  Jersey  makes  towards  achieving  sustainable  wellbeing.  It  currently  uses approximately 190 indicators, which are set against storyboards storyboards' which bring together data from a range of sources. Each storyboard focuses on a specific topic that tells us about the quality of life in Jersey and is structured in the following way.

The amendment's inclusion of a reference to improving the relevance and presentation of indicators used in the Jersey Performance Framework acknowledges that there is still work to be done to improve and update the suite of indicators incorporated, as new or improved data becomes available or as we learn from international best practice.

Financial and manpower implications

I anticipate that there will be no financial or manpower implications as this work is already being carried out within existing budgets.