‘I think we have made good progress on lots of things – and been disappointed with progress on some’

‘WHAT we can say with absolute conviction is that we will get on with things, and achieve things, and meet deadlines. We will suffer no procrastination.’

And so Chief Minister Peter Ferbrache launched the ‘Action This Day’ States of 2020-25 back in November last year, listing more than 20 action points.

Last week he argued that progress on priorities is being made, while accepting that rather ambitious deadlines – many items were going to see a report back to the States within three months, Covid lockdowns not withstanding – have been missed.

So how would he summarise that November ‘statement to the nation’?

‘To get things done,’ he said.

‘And I have found it frustrating over the last 11 months. The process is stultifying.

‘Not every day, but most days, I get things coming through and think my goodness me, it’s going to be more difficult than I anticipated just to get things done.

‘It took longer than I thought – there’s no point making excuses, even though I’d been in the States, I’d not been on P&R before, and when I looked at it I realised it was going to take longer.

‘I think we have made good progress on lots of things, and been disappointed with the progress on some.’

LISTEN TO A FULL INTERVIEW WITH DEPUTY PETER FERBRACHE ON THE LATEST GUERNSEY PRESS POLITICS PODCAST:

Deputy Ferbrache stands by the intent of his ambition.

‘By the time I leave the States in June 2025 I’m sure I won’t have achieved all I wanted to. I’ve always been a person to set goals and I’ve never been satisfied, but if we can do some of those things, I don’t think I’ll be saying that’s brilliant, I’ve done a fantastic job, but at least we’ve done some of those things.’

He has also had to juggle P&R with the Civil Contingencies Authority – he described the role as a ‘responsibility’ and is still able to say ‘most people say Guernsey’s done a really good job in relation to Covid’.

The CCA exercises a style of executive government, and it is a model that its chairman likes.

He said he would continue to pursue it, though such change would not happen in his political lifespan.

‘It’s not going to happen in my time so these are my views and I’m sure they won’t be echoed by many.

‘I do think we ought to have executive government. I really do think that. We’re living in a fast-moving world now, and we’re not an independent state, a sovereign state, but almost.

‘We’ve got governing powers, we’re recognised by the WTO and the likes, we’ve got our seat almost at the table, and while the democratic process must continue, debating everything to death is not a luxury we can use all the time.

‘We will look at that. I may not get very far as I may be in a minority of one, two or three, but that’s been my view for a long time, and I think Guernsey will eventually come to that, whether that’s in four, eight, 10 years, I know not.’

Housing and immigration have become the priorities for the States this term, and while progress has not been electric, Deputy Ferbrache thinks some has been made.

The States quickly launched a Housing Action Group, ‘not just a talking shop’, led by Deputy Peter Roffey with Deputy Ferbrache sitting as a member, and later this week the States will announce a ‘significant’ land purchase which will help in this area.

‘I’m not saying we’re going to solve the housing problem but we’re going to try to attack it and ease it a bit.’

The aim has to be to introduce a steady and sustainable supply of new housing into the market.

Immigration – influenced by Brexit and Covid – has caused challenges for many sectors, particularly hospitality, which has seen hotels and restaurants closing temporarily or restricting opening hours to cover staff shortages.

Guernsey’s population management regime stands apart from Brexit, although the issues for the industry have been impacted by it, but securing visas on the other side of the world can slow down the process.

Deputy Ferbrache said the commitees and politicians responsible are ‘fully alive’ to their responsibilities and the opportunities.

The first major States debate of the term was over the redevelopment of harbours – a debate which eventually ignored proposals from the States’ Trading Supervisory Board in favour of P&R pursuing a development agency project for the whole of the east coast.

Deputy Ferbrache admitted the debate was ‘not the States' finest hour’ but said that the programme was now ambitious to make the most of an opportunity.

‘The last four or five years have been completely wasted,’ he said, and faith has been placed in a non-political development agency – a new concept to Guernsey, but not in other jurisdictions – to move things forward.

Then came the bitter divisions over secondary and post-16 education. Eventually the committee/‘ruling coalition’ had its way, and the new sixth form centre project was approved. And it has seemed to potentially free-up the States.

‘At least education has moved forward now. We’ve spent a lot of time centred on education, there’s still lots of work to do and we’re never going to satisfy everyone. We’ve got the buildings and systems sorted now but I want us to be more innovative. I want Guernsey kids to be at the top of the education platform.

‘It has taken a lot of energy. ESC put in a lot of effort and took a lot of buffeting, and I think they did very well. But I think it has now released some energy.’

The States immediately followed the secondary education decision by announcing a significant public-private partnership with Sure to deliver fibre connections to the home across the island. The States will put in £12.5m. into the five-year project, with the telco spending £25m. itself.

Other projects have caused more frustration.

Civil service reform has been ‘slower than I hoped it would be’. Rationalisation of States property is crawling forward.

‘I think things will develop there relatively quickly. But there are not as many places redundant as people think, and the places we can sell will bring in millions rather than hundreds of millions.’

And an early enthusiasm for spades in the ground has not yet materialised. Deputy Ferbrache wanted a list of practical capital projects which could be advanced, and explicitly listed remedial works on projects such as Havelet slip, Fermain wall and Cow's Horn steps.

‘Progress has been nowhere near as much as I would have liked,’ he said.

‘None of those projects has developed, it’s taking too long and it should speed up. There are always reasons for not doing them, I want to see reasons for doing them, and would like all three done.’

Finally there is the politics itself.

Some members say they all rub along, some offer evidence of huge divides, and this has often manifested itself in the Assembly, where, on the major policy issues so far, deputies have tended to split along party lines, even though there is only one political party active and they only constitute five of 39 members.

Deputy Ferbrache said the Assembly was more cohesive than the previous 2016-20 States, but he said he had not expected the rancour which has often been demonstrated, in and out of the Chamber.

‘In a democracy you’ll have disputes and differences, that’s reasonable, that’s why you have a democracy. I think that for some in the Assembly, if I were to say that today is a certain day, they’d say it’s different day.

‘That’s regrettable, and not caused by me.’

What about public perception? P&R has done a couple of drop-in sessions and Deputy Ferbrache says he wants to hear from voters as much as they want to hear from him.

‘I think generally, on most things, people think we’re trying to do our best.’

Hear the full interview with Deputy Ferbrache on the Guernsey Press Politics Podcast from today, wherever you get your podcasts