States Strategic Plan – first annual review

Friday 20 August 2010

In September, the States will debate the first annual review of the States Strategic Plan (SSP). The SSP was approved last October as a replacement for the Government Business Plan and it was described at the time as a real breakthrough for government in Guernsey bringing together policy and financial planning for the first time.

The plan is presented to the States by the Policy Council but the planning process continues to be steered by the SSP Team led by Ministers Deputy Charles Parkinson (Chairman) and Deputy Carla McNulty Bauer (Deputy Chairman). There are five other team members who are not Ministers and who serve for a period before being replaced by others on a rotational basis. Deputy Parkinson thinks that this helps to refresh the team’s thinking and to keep it in touch with a cross-section of political views. “For me, the SSP Team is a good example of States Members working together on corporate, government-wide issues. With each annual review of the plan we are trying to make the process more effective”.

The Policy Council and SSP Team’s task this year has been to further develop the plan and to review and update those elements that were put in place last October. There is an introductory section to the main review report that sets out the States’ Objectives and the context this year in terms of external affairs and the economy. There are sections on policy development and the role of the SSP in achieving better corporate working; updates and forecasts on the States’ finances and progress with the Financial Transformation Programme, and a section on the way in which the SSP is being monitored to assess the impact of government actions. Appendices to the main body of the plan provide summaries of the States’ Policy Plans (Fiscal & Economic, Social and Environmental), and progress reports on the Island Resource Plans (Population Management, Energy, Strategic Land Use and Island Infrastructure).

Deputy Carla McNulty Bauer says that the plan is all about providing the States with the bigger picture so that they can make wise decisions at a time when public finances remain under pressure. Deputy McNulty Bauer said: “We are using the SSP process to improve the way we develop public services making sure that we put our limited resources to the very best use we can”.

A major political topic this year is the degree to which the States as a whole should be involved in departmental policy. Members are being asked if they want to explore this issue further and if so, the SSP Team will be consulting them in depth on the options before making recommendations via the SSP review next year.

Another important aspect of the SSP is the introduction of a more objective system to evaluate and then prioritise spending on proposals for new service developments. Like last year, only money to be realised from efficiency savings will be spent on new services in 2011. In real terms this means ‘competing’ proposals from States Departments, Committees and Policy Groups to spend approximately £2.4m in total.

The SSP provides details of the rationale that has been applied following consultation with States Members, and the resulting list of projects/services being recommended to the States by the Policy Council. The recommended list includes a predominance of services responding to the social welfare needs of islanders with the development of a Guernsey Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and a Community Service Scheme for offenders as joint top priorities, but other aspects of government are also represented.

Deputy Parkinson emphasises that the prioritisation process is a way of providing States Members with a more objective basis for making difficult political choices about spending. Deputy Parkinson said: “This year’s plan explains the criteria used for weighing up the pros and cons of the new service proposals for 2011 and the way the appraisal has been carried out. The SSP Team has helped to develop the rationale but hasn’t scored the bids; our role is to make sure that the system is fair and unbiased. Both the main SSP review report and the appendices are open for debate and the SSP Team hopes that States Members will use the opportunity to help set the direction for the further development and improvement of the plan next year”.