After 56 years, official notices finally go online

Tuesday 19 April 2016

Public notices will now be freely available online as part of the States drive to improve access and save money.

They deal with a wide range of local life from new legislation, public meetings and road closures, to dog licences, elections, or companies in liquidation but for the last 56 years the law has stipulated that official notices had to be published in the Jersey Gazette, which in turn, had to appear in the Jersey Evening Post.

A recent request submitted under the Freedom Of Information law, revealed that the average annual cost to the States alone (not including the amounts paid by the Parishes or the whole private sector) was £278,065 between 2011 and 2014, with the Environment, Infrastructure and Education departments being the biggest spenders. Now, the Chief Minister’s department has announced that public notices can appear online, for free, on the gov.je website, and Twitter.

Chief Minister Ian Gorst said: “This is an efficient way to inform Islanders, free of charge, about official government information. The parallel publication of official notifications on the government website will continue until a proposed law change enables the official Jersey Gazette to be moved online to gov.je.”

A spokesman for the Chief Minister's Department confirmed that while notices could appear on gov.je immediately, a proposed law change might be considered by Ministers very soon, and come into effect before the end of this year. The issue is listed for discussion at the Ministers' meeting tomorrow. 

Moving important public services online has been championed by Bailiwick Express as part of its 'Get Jersey Digital' campaign, and Express Director Mark Jackson commented:

"We think this is a really important step, as it means that companies, States Departments and the Parishes are no longer compelled to pay for the Jersey Gazette as a way of communicating vital public information. Gov.je can be used free of charge, and we will certainly replicate that information on Bailiwick Express in the very near future, as a way of making sure it reaches the widest possible local audience. The savings for the Island are significant, and will be realised as soon as the law is finally changed.

But even ahead of that law change, the Chief Minister has clearly signalled what is going to happen this year, and the requirement to pay for Gazette is ending very soon." 

A blog on the States website, written by Ben Perron, explains more about why the change is being made:

"This project has two objectives: to improve the information service to the public and to deliver cost savings.

Rather than publish Gazette notices exclusively in the Jersey Evening Post there is now a requirement for notices to be more freely available, to make them easier to search and retrieve beyond the date they were published, and to allow users the option to subscribe to an email alert when a notice that might be relevant to them is added.

"A period of parallel publishing will take place during 2016 to enable new users to be trained to edit gov.je and for existing design and publishing contracts to be honoured.

"Once the online version becomes established and adopted widely the Council of Ministers will propose that the Jersey Gazette Act be amended. At that point savings against the £245,000 annual costs can be realised."

You can read the Official Notices section on the States website here.

A printed copy of a month’s Gazette notices will also be available from the Central Library, the Island’s Parish Halls and States buildings.