Knowledge CentrePolicy BriefsResearchAcademic CentreThink PiecesNewsJoinAboutContact
About
NewsJoinAboutSubscribeContact

News

Advisory Council meeting, 29 June 2023

Advisory Council Meeting, 29 June

The first meeting of the Policy Centre’s Advisory Council was held at the Prosperity 24/7 offices on Tuesday 29 June 2023. 20 members of the Council attended.

Overview

Simon Burgess, the Chair of the Advisory Council, opened the meeting by thanking those attending for their support. He outlined the role of the Centre, noted that the terms of reference of the Advisory Council had been agreed by the Centre’s Management Committee and that it had been registered as a Jersey charity.

The objectives of the meeting were for members to –

  • Improve their understanding and hopefully commitment to the Advisory Council.
  • Produce an agreed set of priority topics for research projects.
  • Get to know each other and how to work together to support the direction of the Policy Centre.
  • Agree next steps.

Alan Merry, Chair of the Management Committee, said the Centre had deliberately undertaken a great deal of work, all on its website, before seeking general support rather than first seeking support on the basis of plans. The website was already very widely used and the Centre had over 1,000 followers on LinkedIn.

Criteria for research projects

Alan Merry facilitated a wide-ranging discussion on the criteria that should be used to decide the areas on which the Centre should concentrate. The following points were made –

  • The Centre should look at areas that are not being covered by other organisations.
  • The Centre should work in areas where it can make a difference.
  • There has to be a clear understanding of the end-game.
  • Ways of engaging the public must be part of the process.
  • The Centre needs to earn the trust of politicians from all backgrounds and officials.
  • Politicians are a target audience but the Centre has an overall objective of increasing public understanding and engagement of public policy issues.
  • The Centre needs to engage with local media in order to get its message across.
  • The Centre needs to take into account the views of all sections of the community.
  • The Centre's Advisory Council needs to be more diverse (a point recognised by the Chair who indicated the intention to address this), although noting that there were already a diverse range of views in the room, but the Centre is committed to increasing diversity.

Research priorities

A “strawman” had been circulated listing possible topics for research.

Kate Wright, Vice Chair of the Advisory Council, facilitated a discussion on which should be prioritised. The following points were made –

  • An issue for Jersey was making things happen. There had been many reports but ineffective implementation.
  • The effectiveness of the political system needed to be improved.
  • Could more use be made of people's assemblies?
  • International comparisons were important. In particular, it would be useful to know what metrics can help drive policy.
  • It was suggested that in some areas, for example climate change and energy, the available data did not support current policy measures.
  • In engaging with people from disadvantaged or marginal groups an independent organisation was more likely to be successful than anything connected with the government.
  • There were important areas like healthcare or population management where the government currently seemed to have no policy and no policy capability.
  • The work of the Youth Parliament was relevant. Its priorities were housing, diversity (including religion) and “a safe place to hang out”.

Following discussions in smaller groups the following priorities emerged –

  1. Housing
  2. Poverty
  3. Implications of the the ageing society.

Other issues that had some support were healthcare, education, the economy (in particular the reliance of the finance sector) and Island resilience.

The close inter-relationship between the various issues was noted and it was acknowledged that many subject areas crossed others.

‍

Subscribe to our Newsletter...

Subscribe
info@policy.je
follow us
Knowledge CentrePolicy BriefsResearchAcademic CentreThink Pieces
HomeAbout UsUseful Links NewsContact
© 2024 Policy Centre Jersey | Registered Charity No. 467
Made in Jersey by WedigitalPrivacy NoticeCookies Settings
By clicking “Accept”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. View our Privacy Policy for more information.
ManageDenyAccept
Privacy Preference Center
When you visit websites, they may store or retrieve data in your browser. This storage is often necessary for the basic functionality of the website. The storage may be used for marketing, analytics, and personalization of the site, such as storing your preferences. Privacy is important to us, so you have the option of disabling certain types of storage that may not be necessary for the basic functioning of the website. Blocking categories may impact your experience on the website.
Reject all cookiesAllow all cookies
Manage Consent Preferences by Category
Essential
Always Active
These items are required to enable basic website functionality.
Marketing
These items are used to deliver advertising that is more relevant to you and your interests. They may also be used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement and measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. Advertising networks usually place them with the website operator’s permission.
Personalization
These items allow the website to remember choices you make (such as your user name, language, or the region you are in) and provide enhanced, more personal features. For example, a website may provide you with local weather reports or traffic news by storing data about your current location.
Analytics
These items help the website operator understand how its website performs, how visitors interact with the site, and whether there may be technical issues. This storage type usually doesn’t collect information that identifies a visitor.
Confirm and close