Submission - Population and Migration - Andy Howell - 26 June 2019

Andy Howell , 26th June 2019

Jersey's Population June 26th 2019

1. Jersey's population is increasing by over 1,000 people each year. Most of this is down to people moving to Jersey. The Government wants to reduce this number. Do you agree?  

Absolutely this is the most important issue that the States face at the moment. 1,000 people each year is excessive. The number needs, instead, to be reduced down to the smallest possible, Ideally certainly less than 100 per year. 325 per year is too many and was fixed' at a biased workshop in ?2007. We need to focus on utilising people living locally. We should return to a position where every job is offered to a local resident in the first instance. We should be cherishing those who are already here and using their skills. The Island already seems too overcrowded. We cannot go on like this. The recently reported 106,800 figure is shocking. We need now to try to reduce the current number.

2. The Government's Policy Development Board is focusing on the following areas. Which of these do you think is particularly important, and why?

• Fiscal Policy [Government taxes and spending]

It is not in the interests of the Island to bring in increasing numbers of workers' to service the elderly of the Island. This is just like a Ponzi' scheme and is unsustainable. At some stage the Island has to accept that it cannot go on in this manner and that we need to reel in' our expectations and our spending. Government spending needs to be reduced before taxes are increased. Bureaucracy needs to be reduced before taxes are raised.  

• Ageing demographic [Ageing population] Much is written about this, but the elderly are not all a burden. Indeed, many contribute a great deal to the Island eg. by means of voluntary work for the Island and they are also tax payers. Trying to alter the demographic is not sustainable. Families need to take responsibility for their elderly relatives. We have to make do' with what we have. We cannot go on expecting an ever- increasing standard of living; we need to live more simply. A smaller population works better, together with everyone helping one another.  

• Public Service Provision [Providing public services like, schools, hospitals, police, fire service etc] There is insufficient public service provision for an ever increasing population. There has been a headline that we shall be short of water. Our schools are overcrowded; there are long waiting lists at our Hospital. The population has to be limited.  
• Planning [sites for housing, protecting green spaces etc] We have to come up with a plan to limit the number of people moving to the Island. We need an up to date census, but also we have to restrict those coming to work here. Controls should be brought in asap, irrespective of Brexit or the EU.
• Aim: We have to keep our green fields and farmland and wild areas' for the good of everyone.
• Transport policy [Roads, buses, cycle routes etc]
• Impact of migration on housing affordability [Impact of increased population numbers on the cost of buying/renting a property] Increasing numbers mean a reduction in available housing stock and also an increase in the price of housing, meaning that renting has become more expensive and to buy a house is becoming increasingly difficult for young people. The current situation is NOT sustainable.
• Immigration controls [passport controls, ability to travel to/from the UK] Yes and also controls on workers from the EU.  
• I also believe that we should not be using UK agency' workers, who do not pay Jersey taxes. Rather, we should be using local talent.  
• Work and housing controls [employment licences and housing qualifications] I think we need to bring in some sort of work permit for anyone, other than those who have been born and brought up in Jersey. People e.g. Doctors, Nurses and Teachers should be classed (as previously) as essentially employed. I believe that controls have definitely deteriorated with the recent system of registration cards' and allowing anyone from the UK and the EU to live here.
• Access to services and housing for people moving to the Island The current system is not as good as what went on before limiting housing to local ( A_H) ; essentially employed J category; and IIK entry seemed to provide a much better control. In 1982 there was also

a category for agricultural workers and those working in hospitality to be able to work in the Island for 6 months at a time and then to be required to return to their homeland. This was a much better system. At that time there was a much better check of population.

3. Are there any other issues in relation to population growth that the Government should be focusing on? It is currently possible for anyone to come and live with a friend or relative if the said friend or relative has accommodation. It is then possible to find work suitable for those who have not been resident for 5 years'; after 5 years it is then possible to apply for any job. This is perhaps an area that needs to be addressed? (together with the length of time before benefits are paid?) It is my understanding that it is also possible for licences to be re-cycled' to another worker after 5 years. This practice should stop.  
4. What are your main concerns or priorities about population growth? My main concern is that I do not wish Jersey to become like Hong Kong. It already seems too crowded, with too much development.
5. The last Government suggested the following ways to control the number of people moving to Jersey. What do you think about each of these?

• Prioritising employment licence requests from businesses which invest in skills and training and who deliver productivity or other community improvementsalthough again, the number of such licences needs to be kept to an absolute minimum. We should train local people for local jobs and, once again, licences should only be given in exceptional circumstances.
• Short and medium term, time limited work permits Yes
• Criminal records checks for new migrants Yes  
• Photos on registration cards Yes

6. If you are a business or industry group, what are the biggest challenges you are facing as a result of current migration levels and existing migration controls?  

Terms of reference

To hold the Government of Jersey to account for delivery of a new Migration Policy for the Island and to identify the key areas and issues that the policy needs to take account of.

We will do this by:

1. Examining the terms of reference and planned work programme of the Migration Policy Development Board
2. Considering and commenting on the proposed timeline for delivery and implementation of a new Migration policy
3. Identifying how Ministers are contributing to the development of the new policy, with regard to the areas that fall within their remit
4. Listening to the views of organisations, individuals and interest groups on the Government's plans and the challenges in relation to population and migration that they are currently facing