A Guernsey sunrise
Some institutions, from
the monarchy downwards, survive the loss of their primary
functions without needing to re-invent themselves or take
on new roles. Attempts at reform can even be seen to be
counter-productive. Do the Douzaines fall into this
category or will they drift further into irrelevance unless
they adapt to the 21st Century? It must always be borne in
mind that the primary justification for any change should
be that it benefits parishioners rather than the Douzaines
or the States.
Consultation
- The Policy Council, States
Departments and States Committees issue consultation
documents to the Douzaines and receive their responses.
Such consultation, on parish matters, is central to the
continuing relevance of Douzaines. However the consultation
is on a customary basis, there is no statutory obligation
on the States’ bodies. The Douzaines’ rights to receive
relevant documents and for their responses to be
incorporated into subsequent reports should be enshrined in
a charter with the States if not in statutory law.
De-centralisation
- At their October 2007
Meeting the States voted in favour of the Policy Council’s
proposal to transfer, after further negotiations, five
disparate functions to the Douzaines. That vote was the
culmination of a three year process which few found
entirely satisfactory. It is not what services should be
devolved to the parishes that is of immediate interest but
what route can be established for transferring services
(and it could be two way traffic) with greater ease and
flexibility. The only criterion for deciding which, if any,
services should be devolved is whether best value, taking
into account cost and quality, would be achieved for
parishioners. If such value cannot be demonstrated then the
States and Douzaines could explore alternative solutions to
encourage more parish-level input into service delivery.
Standards
- As a quid pro quo the
States should expect the Douzaines to achieve agreed
recommended standards to demonstrate that they;
are
representative of, and actively engage with, all parts of
their parishes,
are effectively
and properly managed; and
have the ability and capacity to take on any additional
responsibilities.
The recommended standards might cover such matters as the
administrative training of the Constables and parish
secretary, the conduct of Parish Meetings, annual reports
and accounts, communications with parishioners and an
ethical framework.
Parish Plans
– Douzaines, together with parishioners and
local businesses, should be encouraged to develop Parish
Plans. Ideally, Parish Plans would inform and feed into the
Government Business Plan as well as into the policies of
the Environment Department’s Rural and Urban Area Plans.
They should articulate the vision which parishioners have
for the future of their parish and could cover anything
that is relevant to the people who live and work there,
from the protection of our coastline to participation in
Floral Guernsey.