Views wanted to help form new economic vision

Tuesday 16 January 2018

Deputy Gavin St Pier says it would be better if the current proposals for an economic vision for Guernsey are torn up and the work starts again.

Speaking at the Chamber of Commerce annual lunch, the Policy and Resources President said the proposals put forward by the Committee for Economic Development do not "move us on".

Deputy St Pier says while there are ideas with merit in the economic vision policy letter, it is in many respects no more than a re-tread of the Committee's own policy plan which was agreed by the States six months ago: "The Policy & Resources Committee's view is that there has not been enough consultation with other parts of the States. This was an opportunity to provide a government-wide vision of how we build a strong and sustainable economy over the next ten years, building on new technologies and existing expertise. Instead, the vision is too narrow, too long on words and too short on substance.

"It is, in many respects, a missed opportunity".

Pictured: Deputy Gavin St Pier speaking at a previous Chamber of Commerce lunch

Deputy St Pier said deferring the paper in order to overhaul it will not have a negative impact in the short-term: "But in the long-term, the absence of a clear vision is damaging. How can we make decisions on air and sea links, on ferries and runways, when there is not a clear vision of the type of economy that we, collectively, want to build?

"We need a manifesto for growth and public-private partnership. Not a consultation paper that will lead to a suite of boundaried strategies".

The economic vision is due to be debated by the States later this week, depending on how long the secondary schools debate takes. The P&R President said the new Economic Development President, Deputy Charles Parkinson, and his committee: "will have the opportunity to press the 'reset' button on economic development. And they also have the support of the Policy & Resources Committee and the Chamber of Commerce to be truly big, bold and brave in their vision" adding "all of the Committees are listening: please give us your views".

You can read Deputy St Pier's speech to the Chamber of Commerce in full here.