The official version of this document can be found via the PDF button.
The below content has been automatically generated from the original PDF and some formatting may have been lost, therefore it should not be relied upon to extract citations or propose amendments.
STATES OF JERSEY
PRIORITIES FOR THE STRATEGIC PLAN: CONSULTATION DOCUMENT FEBRUARY 2009
Presented to the States on 9th February 2009 by the Council of Ministers
STATES GREFFE
Priorities for the Strategic Plan
6th February 2009
Working together to meet the needs of the community
The Council of Ministers has set out its main priorities for the future, as part of the strategic planning process. These priorities will inform the States Strategic Plan and we want to know what you think of them.
Public consultation will continue until 21 May.
During that time a first and second draft of the Strategic Plan will be prepared and your thoughts are welcome at each stage of the process.
3 March F ir s t d ra f t S trategic Plan published for comment 27 March S e c o n d d r aft Strategic Plan published for comment 8 April S t ra t e g ic P la n lodged
9 Apr – 21 May F o r m al Scrutiny process
2-3 June S ta t e s D e b a te
You can pick up a copy of this document from our website, the States Greffe bookshop, the central library, Cyril le Marquand House, or you can call 440422 and ask for a copy to be sent or e-mailed to you. The same will apply to forthcoming documents.
To comment on these strategic priorities:
Write to: Chief Minister, Cyril Le Marquand House, PO Box 140, JE4 8QT Telephone: If you have a query you can call Janet Marshall on 440428 E-mail: yousay@gov.je
This consultation paper has been sent to the following individuals/organisations: The Public Consultation Register
Supporting documents attached:
Council of Ministers - Priorities for the Strategic Plan
Your submission Consultation responses may be made public (sent to interested parties or the Scrutiny Office, quoted in a published report, reported in the media, published on www.gov.je, listed on a consultation summary etc.).
Please delete the following as appropriate:
I agree that my comments may be made public and attributed to me
I agree that my comments may be made public but should remain anonymous I don't want my comments made public
Council of Ministers Priorities for the Strategic Plan
Working together to meet the needs of the community'
Consultation Document
February 2009
Introduction
By Law, the Council of Ministers must produce a Strategic Plan by the early part of April 2009. Whilst this is a challenging target, the Council is committed to achieving this in a way which includes wide consultation and engagement with States Members, Scrutiny and the public.
The following document sets out the Council's initial thinking on a proposed strategic direction, including the main priorities for the next three years. This has been developed by the Council of Ministers with contributions from States Members who attended workshops during January, 2009.
Whilst the timescales for contributions on the strategic plan are necessarily tight, I hope you will take the opportunity to make your thoughts known as part of the consultation exercise. As the plan develops, there will be a number of opportunities to comment before the final plan is debated by the States Assembly in June 2009.
You can comment on the new States Strategic Plan at any point before the 21st May 2009. Throughout this time the plan will be developed in the stages set out below:
6 Feb C o u n c i l p u b l is hes its overall strategic direction for comment
9 & 10 Feb S e c o n d series of workshops held with States Members
3 March F ir s t d ra f t S trategic Plan published for comment
6 March E c o n o m i c s timulus proposals put to Fiscal Policy Panel
27 March S e c o n d d r aft Strategic Plan published for comment
31 March F is c a l P o l icy Panel advises on economic stimulus and use of the Stabilisation Fund
8 April S tr a te g i c P la n lodged, to include an economic package following Fiscal Policy Panel
advice
9 Apr – 21 May F o r m al Scrutiny process
2-3 June S ta t e s D e b a te, to include short, medium and long term priorities
In practice the consultation process will continue from the publication of this paper through to the end of the scrutiny process in May. Throughout this time you can e-mail us at yousay@gov.je or you can write to the Chief Minister, Cyril le Marquand House, PO Box 140, St. Helier JE4 8QT.
The States Strategic Plan in Context
In following on from the last States Strategic Plan, the new plan needs to address a range of social, environmental and economic priorities which will maintain the special way of life that exists within the Island. The Council of Ministers is optimistic that, through working together with all sections of the community, many of the difficult issues that face the Island can be addressed.
This plan is being developed at a time of considerable economic uncertainty as much of the world moves into recession. The Island will not escape from the effects of this and, whilst the precise outlook is unclear, deterioration in our economic performance over at least part of the life of the plan would appear to be inescapable.
With this in mind, the Council of Ministers believes that the next Strategic Plan must achieve a balance between:
- Dealing with the downturn in order to minimise the impactoftheglobaleconomic situation onJersey's residents, communities and businesses.
- Developing a plan to secure the long term future of the Island;
The early part of the plan will need to focus on dealing with the downturn to enable the Island to return to prosperity in the long term. In this context, we need to be realistic about what new priorities can be achieved in the short term. In particular, savings and efficiencies or additional income will be required if new priorities or spending pressures are to be met.
In the long term, one of the Island's key resources issues will be the size of its working population. Recognising the challenges presented by the ageing of the Island's current population, population levels must form part of the debate on the Strategic Plan.
With this in mind, the main principles which the Council of Ministers will apply to the allocation of resources are:
• To be realistic in its ambitions.
• To identify and implement all possible savings and efficiencies.
• Not to commit to additional spend unless this is matched by savings or new income streams.
• To only use the Stabilisation fund after advice from the Fiscal Policy Panel.
The strategic direction that follows sets out the main priorities that the Council of Ministers believe will be important in the future. This also includes the resources framework that will govern what can be achieved through the plan and ensures that a realistic approach is adopted to new areas of spend or priority.
Aim
The Council of Ministers is optimistic that, through working together with all sections of the community, many of the difficult issues that face the Island can be addressed. This is reflected in the proposed overall aim for this plan.
Working together to meet the needs of the community'
By working openly and inclusively with all sectors of the community we will:
Allow everyone to have the opportunity to achieve their full potential
Meet our health, housing and education challenges
Prepare for the ageing society
Preserve the countryside and protect our environment
Create a responsive government that provides good and efficient services and sound infrastructure
If we are to achieve this, we must support and maintain our economy
This aim provides six key areas of focus against which main priorities for action can be considered. The next section identifies these priorities and how they relate to the Aim.
Priorities
To achieve the aim as described above, it is important that priorities for action are established and that these help to shape the detailed approach to delivering the Strategic Plan.
The following priorities have been identified and the table overleaf shows how each priority supports the main aims of the plan.
The short-term emphasis of the plan will be on:
- Supporting the Island through the economic downturn
- Reforming the public service to reduce costs
- Enhance support services to vulnerable children and families
In the medium and longer-term, the focus will be on:
- Ensuring sustainable Public Finances – Living within our means
- Sustainable population levels (see Appendix A)
- A strong, sustainable and diverse economy
- Increasing social inclusion and reduce social deprivation
- Providing for the ageing population
- Investing in children
- Enhancing and improving healthcare provision and promote a healthy lifestyle
- Public engagement through the community and Parish
- High quality education and skills
- Protecting and enhancing our natural and built environment
- Adequately housing the population
- Maintaining and developing the Island's Infrastructure
- Government Reform
- Supporting people to help themselves