Neil Inder

Manifesto

The significant pieces of work I have led this term were the Brexit negotiations on access to Guernsey waters, roll out of fibre to all Island homes, the successful MoneyVal assessment and negotiations on Guernsey’s ferry contract.

I have shown pragmatism, delivery and leadership in all areas of government.

Delivery: Brittany Ferries

There were three significant dates when I wasn’t sure if Guernsey was going to have ferries the next day. One was in November of 2023 when Condor was in a financial crisis and the other two were in March and May of 2024 when Jersey wanted to conduct a ‘controlled explosion’ of Condor/Brittany via its Operating Agreement and fail its bid to enter into the tender. My words to Jersey were “if you do that the French will weld those vessels to the quay”. Jersey would have risked our ferry services and supply chains for their political ends. I wasn’t prepared to do that.

Delivery: Island wide Fibre Roll out

The only infrastructure project delivered by this government is the roll out of fibre to every Island Home. Working collaboratively with Policy and Resources my Committee has fast-tracked the delivery of fast broadband to 30,000 homes and businesses. Guernsey’s investment into the project was £12.5m with Sure Guernsey’s total investment of £37m. The project has created 75 additional jobs for local talent, making Guernsey one of the world’s most connected jurisdictions.

Delivery: Moneyval

Finance is our dominant sector. The Island went through a significant assessment and achieved a highly successful outcome, comparing positively to other jurisdictions. The myriad of unknown offices within the civil service who worked tirelessly to make this a success need commending as does the financial sector that came under significant scrutiny.

It may be unfashionable, but I know the civil servants in Treasury, the Home Department and at the Registry at Economic Development worked tirelessly to deliver that positive outcome.

I’d shudder to think what a ‘grey listing’ might have meant for Guernsey; but that didn’t happen. Our hardworking civil servants and the industry worked collaboratively to deliver.

Keyworkers – Policy Position

What the pandemic taught me, was that there is “no such thing as unskilled labour” - something I have often repeated in the States. All employees are cogs in the wheels of any machine.

Lose the specialised cleaning staff in any hospital and your highly paid surgeon’s theatre closes; lose the kitchen porter from any restaurant and your glad-handing Maître D’ is not serving food that night. The great lesson for me is that we are all ‘keyworkers’ in our economy.

Housing – Policy Position

Imported staff are important for public service delivery. But Guernsey sons and daughters should get a bias in favour for any new housing. Imported workers should not get a guaranteed priority for new houses built with your money. That policy is unfair, unreasonable, and not good enough. It turns Guernsey into a glorified carousel.

Public and Civil Servants – Policy Position

Some harsh words have been said about our civil servants and front-line staff; much of it from Deputies in the Assembly or political commentators looking for an easy ball to kick. That is not my position, and I respect the time that most of them put into their work. 

However, there must be inefficiencies within an organisation that large and I support moving services to digital platforms to accelerate cost savings.

Economic Growth – St Sampson’s Harbour

The key to future economic growth is on the eastern seaboard particularly at St Sampson’s. I sat as part of the Political Oversight Group for the Guernsey Development Agency and support their key objectives. The development of moderately affordable homes at Griffiths Yard is very encouraging. And I would pursue those priorities if elected.

Economic Growth – Leale’s Yard

The 300+ homes that would have been a game changer for St Sampson’s has failed to materialise. The economic benefits from that obvious to most, but the maths didn’t work for government. This project needs one final shot with a fresh new team to establish whether it will go forward. As an optimist, I’d like to think there’s a way; but if a fair deal for the developer and the taxpayer can’t be done, I would shelve the project and invest government money elsewhere.

Where to serve if elected

I would like to use my four years to assist in infrastructure development and housing. STSB is key to unlocking infrastructure development across so many areas and would consider putting myself forward as President of STSB.

Another role I would consider is on Policy and Resources, requesting the remit for the Property Portfolio; that is another area of government that could unlock economic potential.