Spending scrutiny should extend to States partners
Public spending is always under the taxpayers’ magnifier, but scrutiny of expenditure can hit a wall when money is paid out to government partners which do not publish public accounts. Nick Mann argues...
View ArticleStates ‘raid’ on departments’ budgets an interesting milestone
High-level strategic policies that do little to show the public how they work, what they actually mean and how the money is being spent are contrary to government openness – and transparency on funding...
View ArticleLack of scrutiny only adds to housing policy failure
With the average property costing 15 times the average salary and a housing market that has all but completely stalled, Nick Mann says a body independent of the Treasury and Housing departments is...
View ArticleMisplaced secrecy a stumbling block to effective government
Two critical, if dissimilar, issues were propelled into States debate last week – the matter of herbicide glyphosate in local streams and the reciprocal health agreement, both topics where greater...
View ArticleComments undermine sensible discussion of refugee decision
Use of the word ‘Islamophobia’ by the chief minister last week has instigated a slew of coverage in the national media and attracted the attention of a few far-right groups. But if there are sound...
View ArticleEducation needs to do a lot of convincing over its plans
The Education Department is again under fire as its proposals to abolish the 11-plus and create a single secondary school over four sites have been criticised from several angles. If it wants to push...
View ArticleThe £400,000 question
In the 13 years since the States passed a policy to instigate referendum legislation it has failed to do so. Why can’t government just be brave enough to do what it has been tasked with and make a...
View ArticleThe puzzle of engagement
With the electoral roll now closed it has emerged that about 20,000 people have not signed up. How could these people be more engaged? While island-wide voting is seen by many as a ‘magic bullet’ that...
View ArticleAnswers needed on the ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ deal
There remain many questions about the bond of £330m. which the States took out in 2014. Not least of these involves the absence of predicted costs. Efforts by Deputy Laurie Queripel to get some answers...
View ArticlePSD and the whole sorry saga of a wasted strategy
Deadlines missed and key elements dropped, coupled with soaring capital costs – the Public Services Department’s waste strategy has seen so many twists and turns over this political term, resulting in...
View ArticleAt-a-glance guide to key votes of this Assembly
As nominations open in the 2016 General Election, Nick Mann begins a series looking back on the key votes of this term. This week he looks at the 2012 vote on States members’ pay, an early (failed)...
View ArticlePublic dissatisfaction starts to rear its head...
In the second part of a series looking at the key votes taken by this States, Nick Mann looks at a period where public campaigning came to the fore. He also considers some previous votes on the hot...
View ArticleFrom debt to La Mare via paid parking and car duty
Nick Mann continues his guide to the key votes in the last States. Here he takes a look at a period where borrowing is approved, the transport strategy begins to hit the rocks, the story of La Mare and...
View ArticleThe ‘boomerang’ issues and what was decided
In this instalment of the key votes from this term of government, Nick Mann finds a few ‘boomerang issues’ that kept coming back: rebuilding La Mare, the transport strategy and Sunday trading
View ArticleThe big issues tackled before the end of term
As the States started moving into its final few months there was a noticeable upturn both in the number and importance of the issues that were being debated. In the penultimate article looking at key...
View ArticleBig decisions that brought four years to a conclusion
In the final part of the round-up series looking at the key votes taken by this States, Nick Mann looks at an almost frenetic period for the government – deputies revisited and said ‘yes’ to...
View ArticleStepping into the jaws of a politically-charged beast
It has been an eventful week on the island’s political stage, with Gavin St Pier elected as the president of Policy & Resources, followed by the subsequent vote for his team. But compared to the...
View ArticleP&R yet to plot a course for four-year journey
It’s nearly three weeks since the general election and the States is still sorting out internal matters such as committee presidents and members. But even this early in its four-year lifespan, Nick...
View ArticleThe period of calm will not last long for new Assembly
With presidents and committee members being decided with barely a murmur of disquiet, the new States Assembly may now be entering a period of relative calm, says Nick Mann. Now is a time quite...
View ArticleLong-term strategy needed to encourage sporting take-up
With a debate tomorrow regarding the hosting of the 2021 Island Games and a Sport and Activity Strategy being produced by Education, Sport & Culture due next year, the stage is set to provide a...
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