Steve Falla was initially appointed to the role on an interim basis in July following the arrest of former deputy Jonathan Le Tocq, who had held the post for nine years. He later took on the role permanently, and has been kept busy on the road ever since.
Deputy Falla said he had been the obvious choice to take up the position, based both on the roles that the other members of the Policy & Resources Committee were occupying, as well as his previous professional experience in public relations.
‘Lindsay [de Sausmarez], Gavin [St Pier] and Charles [Parkinson] all had very clear and very busy roles, and so there was a sense that all eyes were looking at me,’ he said. ‘But it did also fit with my background in PR, being able to deliver the key messages about Guernsey and to feel confident about doing that with all kinds of people. I wasn’t fazed by taking it on.’
Juggling the role with other committee responsibilities, including leading on collaboration with the charity sector and douzaines, Deputy Falla said the months since he had been appointed had been productive for Guernsey’s external relations.
Members of P&R attended the conferences of four UK political parties, with Deputy Falla managing to speak briefly with senior government figures – including Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper – at the Labour conference.
Decisions had also needed to be made about which off-island invitations to attend in person, something Deputy Falla said the committee and supporting officers were being ‘very judicious’ about.
‘With the number of invitations we receive one could be off-island all the time. I’m already busy, so I literally can’t afford to be away more than I have to be.
‘But there’s also working out which opportunities we can skip without appearing rude or indifferent, and are there other ways in which we can engage?’
He said it had been ‘very rewarding’ to witness first-hand the enthusiasm France currently had for Guernsey, the link with Brittany Ferries a key factor.
French officials have been keen to maximise connections with Victor Hugo, while Guernsey representatives had attended summits in both Normandy and Brittany to further cement relations.
Regarding wider political issues with the UK, the EU and Brexit, and Guernsey’s own interests in the context of those discussions, Deputy Falla admitted he and other officials had not been ‘universally’ understood during the first meetings he had with UK and EU representatives.
‘But I’d like to think by the time we left that we were better understood.’
He has had opportunities to meet with senior officials including British ambassador to the EU Lindsay Croisdale-Appleby, and EU financial services commissioner Maria Luis Albuquerque.
‘We’ve met some really good people and had some really good conversations,’ he said.
‘But we need to constantly reinforce our position and our strength and what we can bring to the party.’
As for what lay ahead, several ambassadorial visits, as well as a meeting of the British-Irish Council, were planned in the island for next year, while Deputy Falla hoped to continue to strengthen ties with France, the UK, and Jersey.
‘Trade and tourism are the two key areas to build on in terms of France, and the door is open for us to do that, Brittany Ferries is a great partner for us.
‘In terms of the UK, I think there was a worry when Labour came in that there’d be more hostility towards Guernsey and Jersey, but I’ve not been met with any hostile reaction.
‘And with Jersey, I’ve realised you have to look at the bigger picture, and it would be foolish to allow some of our smaller differences to get in the way of things.’