Jersey Government Plan includes £61m extra for services

Jersey's proposed Government Plan for 2023-2026 includes £61m in additional public funding

The Government of Jersey plans to invest an additional £61m in the island's key public services during 2023.

It comes as Jersey's proposed Government Plan for 2023-2026 has been released.

The plan includes investment in areas such as healthcare, children and education, skills training, and emergency services.

It is due to be debated in December after a period of public engagement.

The plan includes an extra £20.4m in additional health funding including off island medical care, end-of-life care, community services and improving health care.

Children, Young People, Education and Skills Policies would benefit from an extra £16.5m in additional funding, including education reform and inclusion review, children's social care reform, demographic and needs assessment and social worker recruitment and retention.

Top seven priorities

The plan also revealed further funding would be allocated for ambulance, fire and rescue, police resourcing, victim support and domestic abuse law.

The Government of Jersey said it would support improvements to public infrastructure through £141m of capital investment in 2023 and offer further assistance with the cost-of-living crisis.

In addition, the Council of Ministers has agreed seven priorities for change as part of the proposed Common Strategic Policy 2023 to 2026, with the shared ambition for Jersey to be a place where everyone can thrive.

'Putting islanders first'

The priorities of the Government Plan are housing and cost of living, economy and skills, children and families, ageing population, health and wellbeing, environment, and community.

Ministerial Plans, which are due to be presented and launched on 11 October, provide further detail as to how the government aims to achieve its priorities.

Treasury and Resources Minister, Deputy Ian Gorst, said: "The proposed Government Plan has been created with three key ideals: protecting our future, putting the needs of islanders first, and supporting a strong economy.

"The government must shape its policies to support a strong economy, ease the pressure on family budgets and ensure our success can be shared across the community."