Transfers between Heads of Expenditure under the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2019: Article 18 – 17th April 2025 – Transfer of Communication Budget and Staff

STATES OF JERSEY

TRANSFERS BETWEEN HEADS OF EXPENDITURE UNDER THE

PUBLIC FINANCES (JERSEY) LAW 2019: ARTICLE 18 – 17TH APRIL 2025 – TRANSFER OF COMMUNICATIONS BUDGET AND STAFF

Presented to the States on 17th April 2025 by the Minister for Treasury and Resources

STATES GREFFE

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REPORT

Decision(s): Under Article 18(4) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2019 (the Law), the Minister for Treasury and Resources hereby notifies the States, and having consulted with any relevant Minister under Article 18(5) of the Law; that she has agreed to the following:

the recurring transfer of £102,000 and associated Full Time Equivalents (FTE) relating to  communications  staff  from  the  Cabinet  Office  Head  of  Expenditure  to  the Infrastructure Head of Expenditure.

After the expiry of 4 weeks following the presentation to the States of these transfers, the Minister hereby authorises the Treasurer of the States to action the transfers outlined in the table above.

Background

In 2024 the Council of Ministers implemented a new communications approach of:

1. Less public relations (PR) and more communications; moving away from traditional  PR  tactics  of  managing  GoJ's  political  image  through  media relations, press releases, and promotional campaigns. Moving towards more personal  two-way  communications  not  only  with  Islanders  but  also  with colleagues to better develop policies that are suited to Jersey.
2. Simpler engagement with the media; reducing the number of press releases and increasing the number of media briefings and Q&As so Government is seen to be listening at least as much as it is talking.
3. Focusing design on public services, health, and education; allowing the design and digital teams more time to promote the public services Islanders want to engage with and less time on initiatives or strategies the government wants to launch.
4. Supporting the creative arts sector; shifting from an entirely in-house marketing and design team to using more external freelancers and agencies in Jersey

The Vision

To maximise the vision of direct, relevant, and two-way communications, there was a need  to  better  align  the  current  size  and  scope  of  the  Directorate  with  the  new communications approach. This is because it may be that there are more communicators than what Ministers require. It may also be that they are not currently working in the most efficient and direct way with those Ministers.

Restructuring  the  Directorate,  and  reducing  its  size,  was  undertaken  and  this organisational change aims to achieve the following positive outcomes:

Better career pathways, with colleagues working across several communication practices' (e.g. internal, press, marketing) there is more room for career development

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for those who want it, and a more interesting day-to-day for those who are happy delivering the core job.

Enhance efficiency, with colleagues focusing on high priority public-service areas and leaving Ministers to engage with the public and media alike on political issues.

Enhance responsiveness, with colleagues coworking across briefs so that nothing gets dropped or paused due to annual leave or sickness. Enhanced morale, with colleagues galvanised towards achieving a common effort and fewer priorities.

As  a  result,  the  core  operating  model  of  the  communications  unit  has  reduced significantly, whilst some of the operational departments will require additional expert communication support, therefore permanent communications staff will move across to support Infrastructure.

Reasons for Decision

Article 18(1)(a) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2019 states that a specified amount appropriated for one head of expenditure may, with the approval of the Minister for Treasury and Resources, be used for the purposes of another head of expenditure that is set out in the government plan.

Article 18(4) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2019 states that the Minister shall give the States Assembly at least 4 weeks' notice before an amount is transferred under paragraph (1)(a).

Article 18(5) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2019 states that if a direction under this Article would affect a head of expenditure that relates to the responsibilities of any Minister, that Minister must be consulted before the direction is made. Both Ministers have been consulted.

To comply with P.67/1999 which charges the Minister for Treasury and Resources to regulate the number of persons that may be employed by the States.

Resource Implications

The  Cabinet  Office  (CABO)  head  of  expenditure  to  decrease  by  £102,000  and associated FTE and the Infrastructure head of expenditure to increase by an identical amount.

This decision does not change the total amount of expenditure approved by the States in the Government Plan 2025-2028 and the transfer will be reflected in the next Government Plan 2026-2029 cash limits.

This decision can be found on www.gov.je under the following Ministerial Decision reference - MD-TR-2025-299, which was signed on 17th April 2025.  

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