Deputies will vote next week on a proposal for Mr Smillie to lead sweeping changes to improve the capacity, culture and performance of the public sector.
Policy & Resources would still have to approve terms of reference for the work, but it would be directed by the States to provide whatever funding was required to make the changes effective and lasting. The proposal, put forward by Deputies Marc Laine and Mark Helyar, was published yesterday in one of eight amendments submitted to the Government Work Plan up for debate next week.
‘I am really hoping this leads to having a more effective leadership team serving the chief executive and politicians,’ said Deputy Laine.
‘Obviously it is not going to happen overnight, but Boley will have a real mandate to change things now.’
In a recent article for the Guernsey Press, Deputy Laine said that the States was set up to fail with a team of senior officials who had failed to provide even a modest standard of leadership and advice.
Following discussion with P&R and others, he has submitted a less specific amendment than he originally envisaged, dropping details such as independent scrutiny in the recruitment and retention of senior figures and outsourcing a range of services to private providers.
However, he has retained the idea of using external experts to support Mr Smillie in developing and driving through what could still become the biggest shake-up of the civil service in decades.
‘The emphasis is on outcomes rather than process, and improving structures, performance management, capability, culture and delivery arrangements in a way that strengthens the organisation’s ability to deliver the Government Work Plan and better support political committees,’ said Deputy Laine.
‘By mandating the chief executive to undertake this work as a priority, and by directing P&R to ensure he has access to the people and resources required, including external expertise where genuinely necessary, the States can provide the conditions needed for sustained improvement.
‘Regular reporting will ensure visibility of progress, reinforce accountability, and allow reforms to be shaped by evidence rather than constrained by rigid frameworks.’
The changes made to earlier drafts of the amendment are understood to have made it more likely that P&R itself will vote in favour of the final version next week.
Deputy Laine has estimated that the work would cost between £150,000 and £250,000.
No timeline has been provided for the work, but P&R would be required to report back to the States Assembly regularly with updates on progress.
