Move to publish Guernsey States' accounts after election is 'severe blow to the democratic process'
One of the candidates vying to become Guernsey's next President of Policy and Resources says not seeing the full state of the island's finances ahead of the General Election has damaged the democratic process.
Deputy Charles Parkinson, who finished third in the poll, says the complete States' accounts for last year should have been made a matter of public record before the election, so voters could have been better informed.
He explains: "I think the States' finances are in much better health than we've been led to believe before the election.
"We didn't see the 2024 accounts before the General Election, which was a severe blow to the democratic process."
The States of Guernsey says deputies in the previous Assembly voted to publish the accounts on this date.
The full details confirm a deficit in the day-to-day running of public services, amounting to £44 million across 2024, which was made public before Polling Day.
They also show a number of other figures surrounding the state of public finances in the Bailiwick, including:
The Government and all state entities, including water and Aurigny, went from an operating surplus of £37 million in 2023 to a deficit of £18 million in 2024.
The overall amount of cash left over has fallen from £51 million to £21 million.
Investments grew from £103 million to £129.8 million.
Deputy Jonathan Le Tocq, who is also aiming to become Guernsey's next Chief Minister, believes the £44 million number was the most important to understand the overall financial picture.
He says: "That is the amount we need for business as usual. This includes the running of the hospital, schools and paying the salaries of teachers and nurses."
Deputy-elect Andy Sloan, the former Chief Economist for the States of Guernsey and one of the 20 new States members, says that greater transparency is needed in the process of publishing accounts.
He adds: "I haven't seen the exact figures yet, but they probably aren't as bad as they were claimed to be last November.
"However, they're still not great and we've got to address that deficit one way or another."
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