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Guess who’s back, back again? Deputy Lyndon Trott has been elected for his second shot at the States top job and is promising to “unblock” hurdles in the private development sector and ensure a positive MoneyVAL assessment.
He wants to rebuild public trust in the States and has assured colleagues that he doesn’t “play political games”.
This is a fair rallying cry, as Deputy Trott will be leading a difficult group; an assembly which has been unable to coalesce around important issues, while being consistently plagued with personality politics and debates that devolve into heated exercises in point scoring.
So, is this the man for the job, and who exactly is Deputy... no President, Lyndon Trott?
Much like the former President of P&R, Deputy Ferbrache, Deputy Trott attended Elizabeth College and supports Spurs.
A repeat customer, Deputy Trott first stepped into the political arena in 2000, then again in 2004... and again in 2008.
He was Treasury Minister for the island, when there was such a title, and was elected as the island’s third Chief Minister in 2008.
“Not left, not right: Just straight forward” reads the tagline under his 2020 manifesto, which also includes the claim that Deputy Trott is “tested and trusted”.
“Without doubt, our major domestic challenge over the next few years will be repairing our economy and rebuilding the financial reserves used to counter the worst effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. This will not be easy and the choices – on expenditure, on taxes, on public services and those employed to deliver them – will be among the hardest this island has ever faced,” he said.
The finances have indeed been difficult, while the choices he alluded to haven’t really been made. This current States body hasn’t made a decision on new revenue and has been unable to fund the tortured Transforming Education Programme.
While fielding questions yesterday he suggested that utilising some of the extra cash raised through better-than-expected economic performance in 2022 could be used to help fund the TRP.
“I will not shrink from that task and I will, as always, be straight with the people of Guernsey about how challenging some of the decisions will be. But with my experience and proven fiscal competence you can rely on me to do all I can to ensure our rapid economic recovery."
During his tenure as P&R Vice-President under Deputy Gavin St Pier, Deputy Trott led the States’ covid 19 economic support team.
This work saw millions spent in various support packages to those furloughed or enduring severe hardship.
“We're doing all we can to support businesses as well as individuals who have seen their pay cut, been furloughed, or found themselves suddenly unemployed,” he said at the time.
“We've worked quickly to bring in the measures, we are already making payments and we are looking at what more we need to do. After listening to the concerns from certain parts of the business community, we've expanded the sectors eligible for support through the payroll co-funding scheme.”
If you speak to those in the finance industry, Deputy Trott’s name is synonymous with zero-10, an in turns successful and contentious regime brought in while Deputy Trott was Treasury and Resources Minister.
From the 1 January 2008 the standard rate of income tax on company profits was set at 0%, while a limited number of banking activities would be taxed at 10%.
He argues that it has consistently made Guernsey an attractive place for businesses to set up shop, while detractors argue that it has allowed some businesses to avoid paying their fair share.
Former-CM, Deputy Ferbrache isn’t the only politician to spend millions on a boat...
In 2008 the States of Guernsey bought two ships to protect fuel supplies to the island. The purchase was made utilising the Emergency Powers Authority, a previous iteration of the CCA.
Deputy Trott was Chief Minister at the time and said the Policy Council had learned that the company, that owned the ships that supplied Guernsey with oil, was going into administration.
Deputy Trott’s tenure as Chief Minister wasn’t without controversy, with a notable incident being his involvement in a union dispute over firefighter’s pay.
Utilising the Emergency Powers Authority again, Deputy Trott intervened in a pay dispute with airport firefighters that had led to strike action.
He brokered a deal with the Airport Fire Service in 2009, while choosing to remove the Public Sector Remuneration Committee as a negotiator.
While the decision saw Airport Firefighters end strike action it attracted heavy criticism from political colleagues and led to the PSRC resigning in full.
It also opened the door to an infamous altercation between Deputy Trott and former Deputy Barry Brehaut...
Deputy Trott in his role as Treasury and Resources Minister oversaw the purchase of Aurigny in 2003 after British Airways announced it would stop running the London Gatwick route.
An emergency debate was held, and the States voted 32-2 in favour of the purchase.
Despite the airline making substantial losses in the years that followed, and only recently finding a stable footing, Deputy Trott has consistently made the case that buying the airline was a sensible move to protect the island’s links to the UK.
Deputy Trott is currently the Chair of Guernsey Finance, the board of which he joined in 2014.
A knowledgeable and well-known member of the finance community, Deputy Trott has dozens of non-executive interests and has developed close relationships with industry heads off-island during his time in post.
While it’s unclear whether Deputy Trott will still have the time to chair the group, his dedication to it has never been in question.
“Guernsey Finance, under the brand WE ARE GUERNSEY, provides an essential role in helping to not simply promote, but showcase the outstanding depth, substance and expertise within our primary economic sector,” he said in a statement online.
Retaining good inter-island relations is key for any successful President of P&R, and it’s here where the citizens of Alderney might suggest Deputy Trott falls short.
It’s no secret that Deputy Trott has a spiky relationship with the States of Alderney and while vying for votes for his presidency this week he didn’t even attempt to curry favour with the Alderney reps.
Alex Snowdon asked how any potential new President would work with Alderney, Sark and Jersey in a positive manner.
In response, Deputy Trott said:
“I have maintained my relationships with colleagues in Jersey... the same is true with my friends in Sark... I have always had a challenging relationship with Alderney, because I will not say yes for the sake of it.
“A classic example is Alderney airport; it seems to me that not only was a business case not made [the last time we debated it] but how can we possibly justify spending between £26-30million on Alderney, the equivalent of an £80million spend on a per capita basis, when we can’t fulfil the obligations to our own capital spend in Guernsey.
"We can’t build a new school but we can build a new airport that doesn’t make any economic sense?
“I know that wasn’t the answer my Alderney friend was asking for, but it was the one he was expecting.”
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