Non-States members stay on trading bodies over election
SUCCESSION plans have been agreed for the States entities, such as Aurigny and the Guernsey Dairy, to provide cover over the election period.
In a break with tradition, the two current non-States members on the States’ Trading Supervisory Board will stay on until no later than the end of this year.
The current States and all the committees and boards will dissolve after June’s general election and the newly-elected politicians will not get voted onto the various positions until mid-July.
There were fears that this political void would mean that there would be no one with a guiding hand on the tiller.
The president of STSB, Deputy Peter Ferbrache, explained that continuity was important to the States assets such as Guernsey Electricity, the airport, Guernsey Post and Guernsey Water.
He said they had to operate in a commercial and business-like way.
‘What’s proposed in the policy letter isn’t a change of power or emphasis because the mandate and the composition of the board needs to have, so it’s quorate, two elected States members so that it can conduct business.
‘But it will still need guidance after the end of June and up until the time that the new STSB gets its feet under the table and starts understanding the considerable number of assets to manage, look after and consider – and that’s going to take time.
‘If the whole board of directors were to be vacated as at midnight on 30 June it wouldn’t be in the best interests of the States, you wouldn’t with a normal board of directors – except in a case of in extremis – change all your directors in one go.’
Deputy Mary Lowe thought that succession plans could apply to all States committees because the importance of continuity was universal.
Deputy Victoria Oliver was worried about the potential for unelected people to say yes or no on big decisions.
She also had concerns that STSB could become ‘a bit of a boy’s club’.
In the vote, the policy letter was passed without opposition.
