‘Boil has to be lanced’ - P&R to face no confidence vote today

Deputies decided last night that they will debate a motion of no confidence in the Policy & Resources Committee today, having agreed a move to push it up the States agenda by 24 votes to 10.

P&R president Peter Ferbrache and three of his colleagues abstained from that vote, but Deputy Ferbrache had already said he was happy for the majority to decide whether to debate today, or delay until the next scheduled States meeting on 12 December.

Last night he said he understood the value of the committee’s future being decided today.

‘The boil has got to be lanced, whatever that is,’ he told the Guernsey Press Politics Podcast.

• Hear more from Peter Ferbrache as Simon De La and Matt Fallaize recap Thursday at the States on our Shorthand States podcast

Asked how he expected the result to go, he said he just did not know.

‘Clearly I think it’s unnecessary.

‘But I can’t tell, I just don’t know. It’s going to be close.'

If the committee falls, it is expected that a new president of Policy & Resources will be elected before the meeting closes. The rest of the committee may follow later today, or in the next week or two.

Deputy Charles Parkinson’s motion has been laid after P&R twice failed to secure support for extra taxes and a funding package to cover a structural deficit and infrastructure investment.

And this was shown up as deputies once again refused to provide any funding for the Education, Sport & Culture Committee’s Transforming Education Programme, with a move for £26m. of essential maintenance on the education estate rejected.

ESC president Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen said that an ‘emergency policy letter’ could be on the way to find a new way forward.

She and her committee met with P&R during an adjournment in debate yesterday. She said the committee had come away with renewed hope for ‘a timeline of delivery’.

‘The door is not closed. We take on board the comments made and hope to deliver some really clear views about how we can maintain and move forward.

‘I don’t think anybody in this chamber is satisfied with the current situation.’

Deputy Heidi Soulsby, who Deputy Dudley-Owen had accused on Wednesday of ‘politicking’, said the States now needed ‘to get out of this predictable mess’.

‘Which means an end to intransigence and blame, and a demonstration of humility and a desire to reach a compromise, which has been sadly lacking to date.’