Jersey's new economic minister keen to work more closely together

Kirsten Morel was elected minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture last week, having previously been assistant minister during the previous term under Lyndon Farnham.

He said he had been frustrated by the lack of inter-island working in the past and was keen to see that change.

His department focuses on developing and diversifying Jersey’s economy, developing growth and trade, and liaising with organisations to support and promote sport, arts, heritage and culture.

Deputy Morel said the timing of the election right before the summer break was unfortunate, but he was keen to meet Guernsey counterparts as soon as possible.

‘Inter-island working is something I really want to take forward,’ he said.

‘There are so many areas we should work together. Look at energy and look at offshore energy resources. It is something we need to see if we can work together on, whether it is wind or tidal energy.’

He said Alderney, which has been investigating its potential use of renewable energy sources, had already been in touch.

He was also concerned about the limited travel links between the islands.

‘That’s something we want to change,’ he said.

‘We have Aurigny and Blue Islands – could they be doing more for inter-island transport?’

Another issue affecting both islands are staff shortages caused by Brexit.

Deputy Morel this was an area where the two islands should be sharing ideas on how to overcome it, potentially using economies of scale by working together.

He said that during the pandemic the islands went down different paths, but perhaps there could have been more chances to work together, such as jointly sourcing PPE.