Whose job is to develop economy?
What’s the point of the States Committee for Economic Development? a letter writer asks today. And he is not the only one saying that.
While the argument appears to have been built somewhat on a fit of pique by an aggrieved runway campaigner, it's a question worth asking. The committee has proved it is able to ruffle the community with its runway 'decision'.
And does it offer value politically, or in terms of services offered? Most of its business administration services have been outsourced to others, and now the major committee with the smallest budget (some £10m.) finds itself with responsibilities to promote all industry sectors, manage the island’s ‘reputation’ for commerce; handle competition and regulation, under stress from its handling of the Sure-Airtel merger; and the ‘blue economy’, a report is due next year.
It also holds responsibility for that long-term staple priority for the States, the skills strategy, always a high priority but never seeming to make much progress.
ED's predecessors were born of a time when the island was prospecting for light industry to replace horticulture. Various successors have had no material impact since, as commerce continues to run itself, largely find its own sources of business, the GFSC regulates with little effective oversight from government, and still we wait for the skills strategy.