Wednesday 18 December 2019 - Thinkpiece

Governance – A Thinkpiece

Topics: Governance

Departments: All

Sector: All

Report - Governance - A Thinkpiece - 18.12.2019

Thinkpiece: pdf (1.19 MB)

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Background

Good public services are underpinned by good governance – effective, transparent processes for making and implementing decisions. Good governance embraces sound processes but also ethical behaviour and a commitment to openness. Good governance does not grab headlines; but failures in governance are often at the heart of poor quality public services.

Scope

This Thinkpiece draws on the C&AG’s previous reports to the States Assembly on corporate governance, internal control and value for money. It relies on her experiences over her seven years as C&AG, drawing together observations both from reports that she has issued and from the wider learning gained in undertaking the role.

Conclusions

As part of the ambitious reforms that the States have embarked upon there have already been changes in governance.  But there is much more to do to refine, clarify and simplify the governance arrangements in place.

Considering the issues raised by this report will require careful thought, at political and officer level, within the Government of Jersey, the wider States and beyond. Genuine engagement and debate will be needed to determine whether, how and how fast to move forward on the matters identified.

The C&AG noted that there is no obvious forum to take forward consideration of these matters but that the Public Accounts Committee would be well placed to commence the process. Whatever structural arrangements are adopted for consideration of the matters that are raised in this report, the quality of that consideration will itself demonstrate the States’ commitment to good governance.



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