Leaning on goodwill has its appeal
ESTABLISHING an independent Performance & Reform Council is one of many ideas to be found within the pages of the Future Guernsey manifesto, published last night.
The aim is for islanders with a ‘proven track record’ to volunteer to advise committees how to make savings, in line with Future Guernsey’s stated ambition to save 1% (about £6.5m.) from baseline spending every year.
This has its attractions. First, it draws on the members of our community, and there are many, who say that they don’t want to stand for public office but would be very prepared to help if they were asked, and believed they could make a meaningful difference.
Some of these people have been engaged in drawing up the FG manifesto and its their idea.
It will certainly save the best part of a million pounds that would be spent on off-island consultants to give us advice that nobody's very keen to follow.
However we also don’t need to think too long before returning to the Reducing the Cost of Public Services consultation exercise, which asked the public to help the States to save.
It always felt like it was going to bomb and although the feedback around initial ideas was positive, unsurprisingly they don’t appear to have come to anything.
As with the entire manifesto, there is much that seems promising – but delivery will be key.