P&R 'missed a trick' on economic growth
BBCPolicy and Resources (P&R) is "missing a trick" by not making economic growth one of its super priorities in the government work plan, according to the president of the Committee for Economic Development.
During BBC Radio Guernsey's review of the year, deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller commented her committee had made representations to make economic growth one of the five super priorities.
P&R President Lindsay de Sausmarez disagreed, saying: "Every single one of our super priorities is about economic growth.
"If you think about what the nuts and bolts of economic growth are, they're all captured by the super priorities."
De Sausmarez added: "You can't have economic growth without a stable tax base, without the housing at Leale's Yard."
Her committee proposed five super priorities which it wants the States to adopt next month:
- Decide and deliver tax reform
- Clear and commence site development at Leale's Yard
- Agree and advance a sustainable health and care system
- Shape and strengthen the focus on early years and families
- Determine and design future harbours infrastructure
Deputy Haley Camp, a member of the Committee for Economic Development, also criticised the proposed plan.
On social media, she commented: "No economic development - has this P&R given up on Guernsey?"
Deputies Sarah Hansmann Rouxel and Sally Rochester said they both broadly supported the government work plan and would back it when it came for debate on 28 January.
Kazantseva-Miller said: "It's easy to say, well, everything is the economy.
"But unless you've got quite a laser focus about economic development and how that translates into then positive outcomes for the whole community, I do think it becomes too much of a bit of a blanket fish to some extent.
"But having said that, what we have agreed is that we will, as a committee, develop an economic development strategy, and that's going to pull some of the different levers and work streams under one economic development strategy.
"I think that that piece of work around developing the economic development strategy is absolutely crucial."
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