Work Plan shows signs of struggle

The Government Work Plan was the way that the ‘States of Action’ was going to deliver a prioritised and costed plan of activity. 12 months after its launch, it’s being trimmed, progress stunted in some areas, and set against a new mantra of a lack of resources, both financial and physical, which is stopping it from being delivered.

Some of the issues facing government today are way out of States control.

And Scrutiny yesterday was able to reveal a senior committee seemingly wrestling with its own ambitions and seeking a way to deliver ‘action’.

Interestingly enough, the only deputy to span the previous and the current Policy & Resources Committee, Deputy Jonathan Le Tocq, thinks the States is ‘heading in the right direction’ and was ‘over-cautious’ in the past.

And the States Accounts, just published, show some signs of what voters wanted – some tighter controls on spending included – while being unable to consistently hold back expenditure, and facing unforeseen pressure on resources.

But 18 months in, a time when action and delivery should be to the fore, billets are largely tissue-thin.

This States seems to be struggling with challenges around every corner, and unable to afford and deliver what members, and the public, want to see.