‘Behaviour rather than structure has blocked government’s progress’
The senior States committee has said that issues which have blocked progress for the government over the term of this Assembly have their roots in the behaviour of members in the past few years rather than the structure of the States.
‘Policy & Resources is minded to agree with Sacc that the difficulties in progressing the work of government this term have their origin in behaviour rather than the structure of government and number of States’ members,’ said P&R president Lyndon Trott.
‘While the committee shares the requerants’ wish to see government operating more effectively and is not opposed in principle to a reduction in the number of States members, it considers that the proposed approach of an arbitrary reduction of 10 members within months of the general election would not represent good governance.’
Hear more on this issue on the latest Guernsey Press Politics Podcast, featuring Deputy Meerveld and requete signatory Deputy Peter Ferbrache.
P&R and the States Assembly & Constitution Committee have both published letters of comment on Mark Helyar’s requete which proposes cutting the number of deputies by 10 when the States term ends next year. It will be debated by the States from tomorrow.
However, the senior committee said it ‘reserves its right to consider on their merit any other proposals brought forward in debate’, which may indicate that some P&R members will back an amendment from Deputy Neil Inder to reduce the number of deputies’ seats by five.
The requete will also face an amendment from two P&R members who want to set up a temporary committee after June’s general election.
Deputies Jonathan Le Tocq and Heidi Soulsby will propose setting up a new Government Reform Advisory Committee to review the structure and operation of the States and report to the States by the end of 2026.
‘This committee will progress a review from the start of the next term that explores what changes will make the greatest contribution towards a more effective and affordable form of committee governance,’ said Deputy Le Tocq.
Deputy Helyar’s requete proposes that there should be only 28 deputies elected at the general election on 18 June.
He has said that Guernsey has ‘a rudderless, leaderless system at the mercy of political ideologues and egotists’ and that cutting the size of the Assembly would help deal with problems such as ‘wasted costs, time wasting debate, a lack of accountability and inability to be decisive in its decision making process’.
Deputy Helyar has also claimed that ‘a statistically significant sampled proportion of Guernsey’s public’ back his requete, after a poll he set up on Facebook attracted 95% support among nearly 600 people who voted.
Sacc’s letter of comment challenges the arguments in the requete and advises the States to vote against it.
‘The rationale for a smaller number of deputies seems to be based largely on evidence from business sources, but running a government is not the same as running a business,’ said Sacc president Deputy Carl Meerveld.
‘While many of the skills needed to succeed in business are useful and welcome within government, there needs to be an understanding of the differences that exist too.
‘Businesses are free to take decisions without the intense scrutiny to which government is subjected, including from the media and the public.
‘Business leaders are not required to take into account the breadth of factors that politicians must in their decision making.
‘Trying to run government exactly like a business does not work. Conclusions of research carried out within the commercial world will not necessarily translate into success in a political arena.’
Deputy Peter Roffey has also submitted an amendment on the requete which proposes that Sacc should examine ‘the ideal number of States members’ in the next term and produce recommendations ‘in good time to allow any possible alteration in the number of States members to be implemented for the 2029-2033 States term’.
