More staff surely not the answer
MANY islanders will be shocked to read the news that all it’s going to take to fix the issue with a shortage and the cost of housing in the island is a half-decent plan – the jury’s still out on that one – and half-a-dozen expensive civil servants.
Environment & Infrastructure’s bid to scupper plans for a dedicated Housing Committee has brought the its Budget submission into the light, including a request to find six more civil servants who would attract a total pay package, between them, of some £430,000.
The committee says it’s better value than paying thousands in extra wages for a committee president and a small secretariat to support him or her.
E&I says it’s making good progress in 10 priority areas already, and it could pick up another 10 if it had the resources. These include a review of rent controls, the introduction of a statutory deposit protection scheme, a policy for ‘living well at home longer’, energy efficiency grants and a stock condition survey. All potentially useful. But mission-critical?
The plea is always ‘more resources’. The answer is surely greater prioritisation. If this is what you’ve got, work out your priorities, and deliver on those.
Few will credit that £400,000 a year for six generalist civil servants, probably poached from the private sector, is the answer to this thorniest of problems.