Business organisations collaborate in a bid to ‘drive positive change’

The Guernsey International Business Association, Hospitality Association, Construction Forum, Institute of Directors, Guernsey Retail Group, Chamber of Commerce, the Confederation of Guernsey Industry and the Association of Guernsey Charities have formed a collaboration to identify the pressing policies to be tackled.

A shared survey will be distributed to organisation members in the new year, and the information is hoped to advise potential candidates running for next year’s election on the critical issues that business organisations would like to see being tackled.

‘For hospitality members, connectivity might be the most important issue, or another sector might think that tax is the most important thing,’ said Chamber of Commerce executive director Alice Gill.

‘Once the survey is out we’ll go from there and see what comes out of it and what is a priority for members.

‘We could all do a survey individually, but with collaborative working being a hot topic, we’re hoping to lead by example.’

In the first meeting, the group discussed policy priorities within each organisation, and unanimously, the business leaders were in agreement that the housing crisis was a key issue impacting the broader economy, from skill shortages to overall workforce development.

The collaboration is not a formal group, but representatives will meet when necessary to explore areas to work together.

They will be meeting before the end of the year ahead of the survey’s launch.

‘As leading organisations in Guernsey, we have committed to work collaboratively to drive positive change for our community. We believe that leadership by example is essential, and that through strong partnerships and collective action, we can achieve our shared goals,’ a shared statement said.

‘Collaboration is key and by pooling our expertise and resources, we aim to create a thriving future in Guernsey.’