Let's think about this. Salary costs in both islands are very high. If we are outgoing to reduce our public sector by outsourcing administration to Jersey, and vice versa, where is the economic benefit? We'd be saving costs here but likely be paying more to get the job done in Jersey, and vice versa. Might as well keep it here. Savings would be far more likely by outsourcing to areas in the south of England which are readily accessible to Southampton or Exeter, taking advantage of air links for easy visits. It's £75 return between the islands these days, and is often cheaper to fly to those other airports if booked early. I'm sure one of the airlines would jump at a contract price. Now, if both Guernsey and Jersey were to set up a joint CI public sector outsourcing centre in, say, Devon, the local authorities there would probably even give us a grant to facilitate it, as it would create welcome jobs there. Salaries around 20% to 30% cheaper than here in the islands, along with economies of scale, and lower house prices than in the islands, would encourage some from the islands to relocate to Devon. Seems well worth exploring to me. It still results in collaboration with Jersey, but only in relation to cost savings, not politically. There is no doubt that medical services in both islands could provide cost savings benefits in several specialist areas rather than duplicating them 25 miles apart, along with sharing police/prison training costs, but still keeping them separate. Oh, and remove airport landing taxes and fees on all inter-island flights, which would chop close to £30 off a current £75 return flight. Then it all becomes much more feasible. That would then enable numerous air routes to be far more viable to a market of 160,000 rather than to markets of 100,000 and 60,000. Aurigny could be far more profitable with a much bigger volume, and tourism would benefit throughout the islands as well. Inter-island air travel could be more like a bus service with special arrangements to go virtually straight from the aircraft with baggage to the connecting flight without having to check in again and go through security. That could definitely produce considerable benefits all round.
Voice For Victims
Voice for Victims is a campaign aimed at promoting the rights of those affected by child sexual abuse.
