Jersey Government Urged to Overhaul Oversight of Arm’s-Length Bodies
A major review released today, February 13, 2026, has called for a significant shift in how the Government of Jersey manages public funds, warning that the current system of oversight for Arm’s-Length Bodies (ALBs) and grants is "complex but poorly connected."
Deputy Inna Gardiner, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, noted in her foreword that while individual professionals across the system are working with "dedication and creativity," the central government lacks the strategic coordination necessary to ensure these organizations still provide value for money.
Risks of Perpetual Funding and Overlap
The report highlights a trend where organizations continue to operate and receive public money even when the "original need has changed or diminished." The Committee found that reliance on repeat or additional "top-up" grants can blur baseline funding and weaken the necessary challenge of whether a body is still required.
"Continuing to fund organisations simply because they already exist does not represent good value for public money," Deputy Gardiner states. The review urges the Government to be prepared to merge functions, reduce scope, or "bring activities to an orderly close" where objectives have been met or priorities have shifted.
Systemic Gaps in Oversight
While the review acknowledges that governance tools like the Public Finances Manual (PFM) exist on paper, it found limited evidence of:
Systematic Reviews: A lack of structured, periodic reassessments of whether a body remains the most effective way to deliver a service.
Strategic Escalation: Outcomes of individual reviews are rarely consolidated to give Ministers a clear view of performance, risk, and duplication.
Coherent Direction: A failure to ensure that independent bodies operate as part of a unified system rather than in isolation.
The Committee emphasized that this is not a critique of the organizations themselves, but a call for "clear leadership" and "joined-up working" at the heart of Government to ensure public money delivers real benefits for Islanders.
Read the full report: P-A-C-1-2026-Arm’s-Length-Bodies,-Grants-and-Subsidies-Review-FINAL.pdf
