Should the Chief Minister get a pay rise?

Monday 22 May 2017

The Chief Minister could see his pay rise by £7,500, while other politicians’ pay remains the same, if the States agree.

A new proposition lodged by the Privileges and Procedures Committee proposes that the Chief Minister should receive a supplement of 15% on top of his current £46,600 salary.

To do this, they propose scrapping a section of the law prohibiting States members from receiving different levels of pay.

If successful, the increase will be implemented from May 2018.

The news follows a public survey in February, which saw 40% of respondents back giving the island’s most senior politician a pay rise.

The survey saw 38% say that States pay was not too high, not too low, but ‘about right’, while 54% decided that it was ‘too high’ or ‘far too high’.

Meanwhile, two fifths of respondents thought that higher pay for politicians was necessary to attract a higher calibre of candidate.

Pictured: Current Chief Minister Senator Ian Gorst, who could seek a third-term in the top spot next year, if re-elected.

It comes at a time when the Chief Minister, Senator Ian Gorst, is under considerable pressure from his ministerial colleagues, after he chose to back former Assistant Minister Senator Ozouf following the Innovation Fund fiasco, instead choosing to reprimand Treasury and Economic Development Ministers Alan Maclean and Lyndon Farnham.

Senator Ozouf resigned his post in January after a damning report into the Innovation Fund, which he as in charge of.  Senator Gorst claimed a later review exonerated Senator Ozouf, clearing the way for his reinstatement - but that prospect has angered many States members and some are promising that if Senator Ozouf is re-appointed, a vote of no confidence will be brought in Senator Gorst.

Businesses have also expressed concerns over the Chief Minister's proclaimed commitment to fostering local enterprise and ensuring Jersey is “open for business”, in the light of a raft of new charges announced last week for employing people from outside of the island, and proposed new commercial waste disposal fees. 

The proposition will be debated by States members on 4 July 2017.