40 projects shortlisted to help island bounce back after Covid-19

Hundreds of ideas were initially considered for the island’s economic recovery and the top 40 were chosen as being most effective in revitalisation.

The list is wide-ranging, with projects such as a second electricity cable link with France, and the acquisition of land for affordable housing.

It also includes initiatives to improve day-to-day quality of life, such as a domestic abuse strategy, and a centre where islanders can access emotional health and wellbeing services.

If the overarching plan is approved in March, the list of 40 recovery actions will be whittled down further, and July is when the real action will start.

Deputy Heidi Soulsby, the vice president of Policy & Resources, said there were some exciting ideas in the list.

‘July is where we agree what the recovery actions will be, we link the resources to it and the capital side of things.

‘Basically this is where the crux of it will be, linking the resources to the actions.

‘We’ve got to work with States members between now and July, and prioritise them and understand which ones we can go forward with and which ones we can’t, because not all those 40 actions will make the final cut – I think that’s important to understand.

‘This is a honed-down list of several hundred but we can’t do all of the 40 that are there, and some are bigger than others, so it’s really about the next few months after the debate deciding which ones do we really go for.’

Many of the projects on the list are things which were already known about and are ongoing, such as the review of air and sea links, the upgrading of the harbours and the airport, the investigation into the island’s tax base, and the transformation of secondary education.

However, there are also some eye-catching new ideas, such as supporting the finance sector with the establishment of a Guernsey Investment Bank to act as a cornerstone investor.

Under the title of ‘unlock entrepreneurship’ is a suggested review of the open market, the development of investor/entrepreneur visas, and a plan to support and attract business start-ups.

On the social policy side, the anti-discrimination proposals do make it onto the list, as does modernisation of the abortion law, and the implementation of secondary pensions.

There are also plenty of health initiatives, including bringing in NICE drugs, reviewing the mental health provision, support for the healthy weight strategy, more social prescribing by GPs, a review of primary care from the perspective of making it more affordable, and the creation of a children and family services hub.