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The Policy Centre has updated its comprehensive brief on the proposal for an offshore wind farm in the south-west of its territorial waters following the decision of the States Assembly that the issue should be pursued. Key points include -The wind farm would cost between £2 billion and £3 billion to build and would take about 10 years from approval to producing electricity.The role of the Jersey government would be to negotiate a leasing arrangement for the seabed with the operator and develop the appropriate financial arrangements, and policies in respect of planning, taxation and regulation.

On 26 April 2024 the Policy Centre held a discussion meeting based around the Centre’s research paper Low Income in Jersey . Simon Soar, Director of the Centre, chaired the meeting.Sir Mark Boleat, Senior Adviser to the Centre, opened the meeting by summarising the report. Comments were made by –Deputy Lyndsay Feltham, Minister for Social SecuritySam Ray-Chaudhuri, Research Economist, Institute for Fiscal StudiesFiona Vacher, Executive Director, Jersey Child Care Trust.

The Policy Centre has published a new research paper Problem Gambling in Jersey. The paper brings together relevant information on problem gambling in Jersey. There is little data specific to Jersey, but relevant UK and Guernsey statistics and analysis are drawn on. The summary of the paper is set out below.If the UK experience applies in Jersey, 500 people experience problem gambling, nearly 4,000 gamble at elevated risk and around 7,000 people are negatively affected by someone else’s gambling.

The Policy Centre has published a new report Low income in Jersey https://www.policy.je/papers/low-income-in-jersey. The report brings together available statistics and research in a form designed to facilitate an informed discussion about the nature of low income in Jersey and policy options for addressing the issue.

The Guernsey Policy and Economics Group is a non-for-profit apolitical organisation committed to providing independent research, analysis and advocacy relating to growth strategy, social policy and the economy of Guernsey. On 8 March 2024 the Group published a report The Machinery of Government. The Report drew on a survey which had been conducted among States members. The summary of the report commented that – Concerns expressed over the last twenty or more years that government by consensus is not working are becoming a clamour. Our government should be able to make increasingly difficult and important decisions readily. No system of government is perfect, but we should be doing better.

The Policy Centre Jersey has published a comprehensive report Social mobility in Jersey. This report brings together detailed research on two areas – the impact of high housing costs on social mobility and the provision of university education on-Island – and extracts from relevant reports on other areas relevant to social mobility – the school system, early years provision and action that employers can take. The work that has been done is sufficient to identify that there are significant barriers to social mobility in Jersey and the areas where action can be taken to improve social mobility.

The Policy Centre Jersey has published a new think piece – Vision CI, written by Guernsey-based economist and consultant Chris Brock.The think piece is a thought-provoking case study designed to generate positive debate on the potential integration of public services across the Channel Islands and sets out possible next steps options for consideration by all potential stakeholders and interested parties. The paper argues that the impact of common challenges facing both Jersey and Guernsey set against the current escalating backdrop of long-term international and national tensions and events is a daunting scenario: “Therefore, it is unlikely that there will ever be a better opportunity to review a pan-CI approach to the provision of many key public service functions.”

On 9 February the Policy Centre held a discussion meeting on the ageing population. Key points included: the population of Jersey is ageing rapidly; this has significant implications for the structure of the economy; policies are needed that help people stay healthier for longer; people can be nudged in various ways to adopt healthier lifestyles, but equally some are concerned about a nanny state mentality; Government policies need to be based on a vision, taking account of the ageing population.

We are hosting a breakfast meeting at BDO Ltd on Friday 9th February. The subject of this event is Ageing Population. We have attached a policy brief as a reference point ahead of the event.

A new Policy Brief has been published on progress on the implementation of Jersey’s Carbon Neutral Roadmap (CNR).The brief summarises the Carbon Neutral Strategy and the Carbon Neutral Roadmap, agreed by the States Assembly, noting that “the objective in the CNR is “at a minimum reduce emissions by 68% compared to the 1990 baseline by 2030, and reduce them to 78% from baseline by 2035”.We have noted that Jersey has made considerable progress in reducing emissions – a 46% reduction between 1990 and 2021, an annual rate of about 2%. However, a significant proportion of this was accounted for by electricity supply being switched from an oil-fired

The Policy Centre has published a new Policy Brief - on transport policy . Key points - According to the 2021 Census there were 1.53 cars or vans per household in Jersey compared with 1.24 in England. 16% of households did not have a car or van, the proportion varying from 2% in St Mary to 30% in St Helier. 28% of carbon emissions derive from road transport. The key targets to be met by 2030 in the Carbon Neutral Roadmap include ending registration of new petrol and diesel cars and small vans and 67% of vehicles decarbonised. The default assumption in Government plans is that fuel duty rises in line with inflation. However, in the last two Government Plans fuel duty has been frozen at a cost of £5 million a year. The Sustainable Transport Policy, published in December, makes no reference to fuel taxes and does not provide an analysis of how the 2030 objectives are to be pursued. It prioritises six areas including raising the profile of public transport and managing vehicle movement through parking measures.

The Policy Centre has published a new think piece University education on-Island - some reflections on the past . The author, Dr Michael Goldstein, former Vice Chancellor of Coventry University, carried out a huge amount of work between 2004 and 2015 on higher education in Jersey. The paper notes that some progress has been made but that there continues to be a complete absence of Government policy or strategy for higher education. The paper argues that much more needs to be done to develop a strategic approach to improving the scale and scope of on-Island higher education and that there needs to be far better cooperation between the various delivery parties. The paper concludes that “the previously proposed Higher Education Centre for Jersey would be a practical way to achieve these objectives, and thereby better serve the interests and needs of the Jersey population”.

The Policy Centre’s 22 Policy Briefs each comprise a succinct up-to-date summary of the current position in respect of a significant policy area in Jersey. The Briefs include links to relevant policy documents and research. They have become well-established as a comprehensive and easily accessible source of reliable information on Government policy.

The Policy Centre has published a new research paper University education on-Island. The paper describes what university-level education is available in Jersey, analyses data on participation in university-level education and educational standards in the Island, discusses the case for a “University of Jersey” and considers other options for increasing university-level education on-Island. Its purpose is to provide the evidence base and analysis of options to enable appropriate policy responses to be developed.

On 8 December 2023 the Policy Centre held a discussion meeting on University education on-Island . That discussion was based on a draft research paper which has now been finalised University education on-Island and published on the Centre's website. The paper analyses data on participation in university-level education and educational standards in the Island, discusses the case for a “University of Jersey” and considers other options for increasing university-level education on-Island. Its purpose is to provide the evidence base and analysis of options to enable appropriate policy responses to be developed.