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19-21 Broad Street | St Helier Jersey | JE2 3RR
BY EMAIL
Deputy Hilary Jeune
Chair, Environment, Housing & Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel
30 August 2024
Dear Chair,
Re: Departmental Business Plans & Savings
Thank you for your letter dated 12 August regarding delivery plans and saving proposals for the 2025-2028 Budget (Government Plan). I have outlined my responses below.
1. In the absence of Departmental Business Plans for 2025 ahead of the Budget debate, please provide a list of all the projects you are undertaking in 2025, alongside a list of those projects and workstreams which had been due to take place in 2025 (and agreed in previous Government Plans) which have been delayed or cancelled.
My focus remains on delivering the housing-related priorities set out in the Common Strategic Policy, which are centred on my objectives to:
- Support more Islanders into home ownership
- Improve the experience of renters
- Address the plight of homelessness
The key projects relating to this in 2025 will include:
- Implementing an extension to the First Step assisted home ownership scheme, subject to the approval of the transfer of legacy housing-related Funds identified in the draft Budget.
- Implementation of the new Residential Tenancy Law, subject to the approval of legislation that is to be presented to the Assembly later this year.
- Continuing the implementation of the Homelessness Strategy recommendations.
Other smaller projects and service improvements will continue to be developed throughout the year, reflective of a need to adopt an iterative and responsive approach to resolving the housing crisis for Islanders.
I can confirm that none of the planned projects have been either delayed or cancelled.
2. More detailed information on whether the figures provided for savings proposals (p106) for the Cabinet Office and Customer and Local Services, for each of the years
for which estimates are provided, will have an impact on services which fall under your Ministerial remit, including:
- The roles which will be lost and the anticipated impact on business-as-usual activity in the affected team/area of business
- Any anticipated loss of service provision
- Any anticipated change in policy delivery
Whilst there has been some impact associated with the 20% reduction in growth allocated by the previous Government Plan, I can confirm that this has been managed by both the Cabinet Office and Customer and Local Services to ensure that this has not resulted in any loss of roles, service provision or change in policy delivery by either the Strategic Housing and Regeneration Team or the Housing Advice Service.
I hope that the above is of use to the Panel in their review. Kind regards,
Deputy Sam Mézec Minister for Housing E s.mezec@gov.je