Speaking at a breakfast event hosted by the Institute of Directors at the Old Government House Hotel, Lindsay de Sausmarez set out her vision for a more open and engaged style of leadership, both within the States and with the wider island community.
‘What I’m really hoping is that we can have disagreements agreeably, and make sure that we are constructive and collaborative in the way that we work,’ she said.
Addressing the ‘elephant in the room’ of the ongoing legal proceedings involving former P&R external relations lead Jonathan Le Tocq, who resigned from the committee earlier this month and is awaiting trial on charges which include indecent images, Deputy de Sausmarez said she was not able to comment or take questions directly relating to his case, but acknowledged the impact of recent events on the island.
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‘I know full well the importance of good governance, and I know we all appreciate how much scrutiny Guernsey is under, particularly as a small jurisdiction and as a finance centre,’ she said.
‘If we can take a positive from it, I think we can have confidence that we live in a jurisdiction which does have the strength of democracy and the strength of institutions to hold truth to power, so I think that is a silver lining, perhaps.’
In order to enhance collaborative working within the States, which she acknowledged the previous Assembly had struggled with, Deputy de Sausmarez said she and her fellow remaining committee members – Deputies Gavin St Pier, Charles Parkinson and Steve Falla – had each linked themselves with two different committees to get them involved at the early stage of policy development across the States.
She said there was already a ‘very different’ feel to how things were operating.
‘I think if you ask any States member who has experienced more than one term, and indeed if you ask civil servants, I think they will all tell you that there is a very, very different atmosphere already.
‘The idea is that we get in early and make sure that we are supporting those committees.’
She was also seeking to create ‘strong and durable’ connections with businesses and the third sector, emphasising engagement would not be ‘lip service’ but ‘meaningful, two-way dialogue’.
Meetings with several groups and organisations had already taken place, and Deputy de Sausamrez said she was keen to keep conversations going as a way of testing policy ideas.
‘Getting people around the table and listening to each other’s perspectives, there is a degree of understanding and compromise that develops.
‘I think it’s a really effective way of working, and I’d like to see that rolled out as far as possible.’
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