Committee of Inquiry: Reg’s Skips Ltd. – appointment of members.

STATES OF JERSEY

COMMITTEE OF INQUIRY: REG'S SKIPS LTD. – APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS

Lodged au Greffe on 2nd October 2009 by the Chief Minister

STATES GREFFE

2009   Price code: A  P.163

PROPOSITION

THE STATES are asked to decide whether they are of opinion

to  refer  to  their  Act  dated  13th  May  2009  in  which  they  agreed  that  a Committee  of  Inquiry  should  be  established  in  accordance  with  Standing Order 146 to investigate all planning matters relating to the various relevant planning applications made by, or on behalf of, Reg's Skips Ltd. in connection with the activities of the company as skip operators and –

1. to appoint the following persons as members of the Committee of Inquiry –

1. Mr. John Frederick Mills C.B.E. (Chairman),
2. Mr. Edward George Trevor M.B.E.,
3. Mr. Richard Huson;

2. to agree, in accordance with Standing Order 146(5)(b) and (c) –

1. that Mr. Trevor shall, if required, preside in the absence of the Chairman, and
2. that the quorum of the Committee shall be 2.

CHIEF MINISTER

REPORT

With the approval of P.50/2009, the States charged me with the responsibility to take the  necessary  steps  to  select  a  suitable  Chairman  and  members  to  undertake  the Inquiry and to bring forward to the States for approval the necessary proposition relating to their appointment.

Following this Proposition, an advert was placed in the Jersey Evening Post Gazette and we received a number of responses from interested parties. To ensure that we would have no conflicts of interest throughout the inquiry, I asked all individuals to provide me with a statement detailing any dealings they had had with the Planning and Environment  Department.  Subsequently,  I  was  able  to  draw  up  a  short-list  of individuals for interviews.

I am pleased to inform members that I have now completed the selection process and would like to nominate the following individuals –

• Mr. John Mills as Chairman of the Committee

• Mr. Edward Trevor as a member of the Committee

• Mr. Richard Huson as a member of the Committee

Mr. John Mills C.B.E. has had a lengthy public service career, in the U.K. Civil Service and local government, and in Jersey, where he was Chief Executive of the former Policy and Resources Department from 1999–2003. Mr .Mills has experience of conducting a public inquiry; he was commissioned in January 2009 by Cornwall County Council to undertake an independent inquiry into the temporary closure of Newquay Airport in December 2008. His report was published in July and all his recommendations were accepted by the Council. He also has considerable experience of the planning system both as a provider' and a user'. As Chief Executive of Cornwall County Council in the 1990s he had oversight of the Council's functions as a planning and highways authority and was closely involved in many major decisions and their strategic implications. He is also Chairman of the Governing Body of a leading  London  school  with  an  extensive  estate  within  a  conservation  area,  and accordingly  has  considerable  understanding  of  a  major  user's  perspective  of  the planning process.

Mr. Edward Trevor M.B.E. has the benefit of being a Chartered Surveyor and has worked in Private Practice, for retail companies and finally as a Civil Servant. He was Chairman of the Planning Committee of the London Borough of Sutton 1968–71, Chairman of the Housing Committee from 1971–74 and again in 1980–86 and also the Conservative  Group  on  the  Association  of  Metropolitan  Authorities  Housing Committee  from  1981–86  along  with  numerous  other  similar  roles.  In  Jersey, Mr. Trevor is a Rates Assessor in St. Helier and Chairman of the Association of Jersey Rates Assessors, an appointee of the Rent Control Tribunal, Secretary of the Rotary Club de la Manche, a trustee of the Itex-Rotary Round the Island Walk, and many other honorary posts.

Mr. Richard Huson has run his own business for 35 years and has a degree in Hotel and Catering Management. He has a good knowledge of the workings of the Planning and Environment Department, having made many planning applications over the years and is fully conversant with working drawings and most current bye-laws. He was also a member of the Jersey Round Table for 15 years.

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P.163/2009

As  detailed  above,  I  am  confident  that  these  individuals  will  be  able  to  form  a cohesive Committee who will be able to investigate this matter with the degree of intricacy that it deserves.

Financial and manpower implications

The costs will depend on the level of officer support required. A Committee of enquiry normally requires the appointment or secondment of an officer on a part-time basis, and it is estimated that the total cost should not exceed £15,000. The Minister for Treasury and Resources, as requested and in accordance with Standing Order 150(c), directs that the cost of this Committee of Inquiry, should it be agreed by the States, must be met from the cash limit of the Planning and Environment Department.