"Failure to progress public sector transformation is my biggest disappointment"

Friday 18 September 2020

The States has failed to make tangible progress with transformation of the public sector, according to the outgoing Scrutiny President, as he reflected on the highs and lows of his eight-year tenure as a deputy.

Deputy Chris Green first stood in the Castel in 2012 and has served two terms in the States of Guernsey.

After a place on Education and Scrutiny in his maiden term, the lawyer-by-trade became Scrutiny's President at the start of 2016 amid a number of changes in personnel and to the machinery of government. 

"Personally, my biggest highlight of the last four years has been the big increase in public scrutiny hearings," said Deputy Green. 

"We have managed to do twenty-three hearings this term, alongside five quality reviews of topics in detail on the States’ Bond issue, on so-called In Work poverty, on Aurigny, on the capital allocation process within the States, and on Freedom of Information."

He also presided over an unprecedented 'snap hearing' of the previous Education, Sport & Culture Committee after a controversial anti-two school Facebook page was put live by one of its members without States branding. 

Pictured: Deputy Green said he is proud to have represented the Castel for the last eight years.  

Education is one of the areas that Deputy Green believes the States has failed to progress, although he stands by the 'pause and review' as the right move given some of the professional uncertainty around the one school, two colleges model.

His greatest disappointment is not, however, the handling of education. It is the lack of substantive progress since the Chief Executive Officer of the States pledged to "fundamentally redesign" public services, removing more than 200 civil service posts in the process. 

"The main disappointment has been the failure to make more tangible progress with transformation of the public sector in my view," said Deputy Green. 

"The States has also failed to make much progress on air and sea connectivity, which was a key issue in the 2016 election."

Pictured: Castel Deputies Barry Paint, Chris Green and Richard Graham are three of the eight current States members who are not seeking re-election. 

"Whilst I think it is fair to say that progress on settling the secondary education policy has not been substantial, I think it was right to review the two school model when it became clear that key stakeholders were not behind the proposals. Still, the next States must choose a model for secondary education and get on with it."

These are all major issues that the next States needs to get right, however in Deputy Green's view there is perhaps one matter that trumps them all.

"The most significant issue for the next States will be how to deliver on the Revive and Thrive strategy and how to safeguard our economic strength for the long term.

"We need a strong economy to ensure that we have the resources to invest in core public services, in social and environmental initiatives and in key infrastructure. We simply must invest in significant infrastructure, including digital infrastructure and in skills, to drive forward our post-Covid recovery.

"The next States does also need to ensure that the Revive and Thrive agenda is an inclusive one that will be more than just business as usual. Covid has given us a critical opportunity to think differently about how we do things and we must take it."

@deputycgreen says politicians are human beings - all the usual strengths and weaknesses - but we have the opportunity to work together to rebuild trust and sort it out. ‘I don’t think it’s rocket science.’ #IoDmidTerm2020 pic.twitter.com/EclvwbdEZG

— IoD Guernsey (@IoDGsy) September 16, 2020

Deputy Green will not play a part in that decision-making but will remain an interested observer, telling Express last month that he "would be very keen to seek election again, possibly in 2025 or 2029".

"I am probably most proud of helping to get universal pre-school education into place when I was on Education in the 2012-2016 term," he said of his time in the States. "I would like to see early years education expanded over time, because investment in those early years of life can help extend opportunity massively in our community.

"Ultimately, I feel very privileged to have been able to represent the Castel in the States for the last eight years.

Upon completing his term as a States member, Deputy Green plans to spend more time with his family and his legal career.