Lottery money to be used in Social Investment Fund

Members approved proposals from the Policy & Resources Committee to establish this fund, which will be used to provide financial backing for the Bailiwick’s charitable and community sector.

Other resources will come from the seized assets fund, the transfer of probate from the Ecclesiastical Court to the Royal Court, and dormant accounts, among other areas.

Some of the money will be ring-fenced, such as £700,000 a year from 2021-23 for Beau Sejour.

Emilie McSwiggan placed an amendment, seconded by Deputy Chris Green, which wanted there to be an explicit undertaking to ensure that the fund was used to ‘nurture the growth of Guernsey’s civil society, and not to take the voluntary sector or yoke it to the government’s agenda’, particularly in light of the fact that two of the five directors of the proposed company running the fund would be States officers.

Deputy Peter Ferbrache felt like the boy pointing out the non-existent Emperor’s New Clothes and wondered if the amendment was as positive as it was claimed and he thought it could be counter-productive.

Could the point be reached where basic and essential services were outsourced to the third sector, Deputy Laurie Queripel asked.

P&R vice-president Lyndon Trott said the committee would set priorities of awards to be allocated, but these could be revised.

The amendment addressed the role charities have in addressing unmet social needs and in challenging harmful government practices, he said.

P&R would not oppose it.

The amendment was approved and during the brief debate that followed, Deputy Mary Lowe said that she was concerned at the role to be played by P&R and the States Treasurer in allocation of funding.

Employment & Social Security president Michelle Le Clerc did not want to see some large bureaucratic system of administration created, she said, and wanted to be sure that smaller organisations would still be able to apply for funds.

The amended proposals were passed.