Extra £300,000 poured into government PR team

Tuesday 15 May 2018

An extra £300,000 is to be spent on improving the way the government communicates with the public in a bid to drive out inconsistency, silos and "extensive spend" on external agencies.

The transfer was agreed by outgoing Treasury Minister Senator Alan Maclean this week.

It comes just months after £120,000 was allocated for four new States communications officers – two for internal purposes and two for media relations.

However, States officials said that this most recent cash boost would provide interim funding for the new Director of Communications role and resources for the overhauled team. It brings the total spend on PR under new States Chief Executive Charlie Parker to over £400,000.

The new team will be spearheaded by Stephen Hardwick (pictured) – a former Labour adviser and HMRC Director of Corporate Communications – who will be retained on a top civil service salary of more than £100,000.

Pictured: Ministers spent hundreds of thousands on external communications experts - including former UK government spin doctors - during the last term.

He first joined the States of Jersey as one of four ‘interim’ consultants brought to the island to help new Mr Parker to achieve his ambitious ‘One Government’ plan, but had his contract extended this month.

It is hoped that a revamped communications function will minimise the need for external consultants after it was revealed last year that the Council of Ministers had spent hundreds of thousands engaging both local and London-based communications agencies during their term.

That spend included expert advice from former Tory PR adviser Ramsay Jones and former Downing Street spin doctor Alistair Campbell’s firm, Portland PR. £33,000 was spent on the latter alone in the months prior to the Care Inquiry’s publication.

States officials added that the money would help to fund a new Director of Local Services to work with parishes, the third sector and islanders to shape the proposed Department of Customer and Local Services – a new department under the reformed government structure.

Pictured: New States Executive Charlie Parker, who wants to implement a Whitehall-style vision of 'One Government'.

A report justifying the expenditure explained: "It has been long recognised that the States needs to transform how it explains its services and activities to customers, residents, businesses and other stakeholders, as well as how it communicates and engages with its 7,300 employees.

"A detailed audit of communications found that current structure and level of resource of communications is inefficient and inadequate to meet the needs and support the reputation of the States of Jersey. Additionally, it perpetuates duplication, inconsistency, silo working, extensive spend on external agencies, and poor staff engagement."

It later added: "Additionally, discussions and research about how the States of Jersey engages with its customers and with Parishes demonstrated a fragmented and inconsistent approach. This was underpinned by the findings of a public opinion survey conducted in February that only 32% of residents think that the States of Jersey takes their views on board, and only 53% think it’s easy to understand how to apply for customer services... 

"This bid provides interim funding for the Director of Communications role and immediate investment, pending the full allocation of resource for the new unified Communications function.  It also provides interim funding for the new post of Director of Local Services, pending the full allocation of resource for the proposed Department of Customer and Local Services. 

"This supports the next stage of implementing the vision for a modern, customer-focused, value-for-money and joined up public service."