Locate Jersey head to leave the States

Friday 20 January 2017

It's emerged this afternoon that the Director of Inward Investment and International Trade Development at Locate Jersey, Wayne Gallichan, is to leave the States.

Mr Gallichan is a long-standing civil servant, but caused controversy last year by booking £13,000 business class flights on a taxpayer-funded trip to South Africa to attend a mining conference, along with his boss, Mike King.

Mr King resigned earlier this month, taking approximately £70,000 in lieu of his six months' notice - he had earlier been turned down for voluntary redundancy. Days later he was heavily criticised by the Comptroller and Auditor General for his role in the Innovation Fund scandal, which has now also claimed the scalp of the Assistant Chief Minister Philip Ozouf. 

The Chief Minister, Senator Ian Gorst confirmed Mr Gallichan's impending departure in a BBC interview this lunchtime, saying he wouldn't usually comment on employment matters, but this was a special case. 

A spokesman for the Government of Jersey commented:

“The staff member in question successfully applied some months ago for voluntary severance, which is a scheme that is open to all States of Jersey employees and forms part of our ongoing modernisation programme. When a staff member’s application to this scheme is accepted, they are then entitled to a set payment which is calculated according to salary and length of service. So far, more than 150 members of staff have taken voluntary severance. These are, however, private arrangements and are not comparable to resignations, which would, in the case of very senior employees, be formally announced.”

Mr Gallichan's departure will be part of a major reshuffle at the top of the Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture Department, who will now have to find new people to fill the roles vacated by both Mr Gallichan and Mr King, as well as potentially taking on the roles previously held by Senator Ozouf.