In its interim report, the independent five-member panel led by former MP Sir Bob Neill has ruled out options including joining the UK or France, Alderney becoming a parish of Jersey, and seeking overseas territory status.
It also said full independence or much greater autonomy would be ‘unsustainable in practice for Alderney and Sark’ and concluded that making the smaller islands parishes of Guernsey would not preserve their distinctiveness.
Instead, the commission expects its final report next September to recommend updating the nearly 80-year-old agreement. This could be done through service level agreements setting out which services Guernsey provides to Alderney, what they cost and how they are reviewed.
Those agreements would give Alderney more say over its services, including the choice of whether to commission them from Guernsey or elsewhere.
The commission said the current arrangements were ‘not conducive to the sustainability of the Bailiwick’.
It warned that carrying on without change could lead to ‘further crises regarding service delivery’.
For Sark, it said both islands would benefit from a transparent agreement covering all services Guernsey provides, with clear costings, and with Sark responsible for funding them.
The report noted that the commission was set up while Guernsey’s finances were under pressure, and that two issues had prompted the wider review – the cost of rehabilitating Alderney’s runway, and a £1.5m. loan to help Sark buy its electricity grid.
It found the money flowing between the islands was difficult to establish. It also said Sark did not keep an accurate record of who lived on the island.
In the next phase, the commission will consider whether there should be a formal inter-governmental council of the three lead committees with authority to make Bailiwick-wide decisions. It will also look at whether there should be a formal dispute resolution process.
Its first public survey received 255 responses, most of them from Alderney.
‘We are pleased with the engagement we have had so far, particularly in the two smaller islands,’ said Sir Bob.
‘I cannot encourage strongly enough the communities of the islands to have their say about the islands’ future relationships.’
The commission's recommendations to the islands will be advisory, and the lead committees involved are expected to respond within 90 days of the publication of the final report.
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