Experienced leadership. Sound judgement. A clear plan to make Jersey a place where people thrive, businesses grow, visitors return, and opportunity is open to all.
Jersey is a remarkable Island, a place we are all proud to call home. But for many Islanders, life is becoming more difficult. The cost of living continues to rise, housing is harder to access, and there is a growing expectation that government should deliver better value for money.
At the same time, we face significant global and economic challenges. Jersey has always succeeded by adapting and moving forward with confidence, but in recent years we have lost momentum. Regulation and red tape have grown too much, government spending has risen too quickly, and opportunities for economic growth have been missed.
Getting Jersey back on track starts with one simple principle: a strong, competitive economy is what creates good jobs, supports local businesses, and generates the revenues needed to fund the high-quality public services, including health and education, that Islanders rightly expect.
I have served Jersey as a Senator, Economic Development Minister and then as Treasury Minister, and I understand both the opportunities and the challenges we face. After eight years in the private sector, I have seen first-hand the pressures on households and businesses. I have been encouraged to stand again to help bring experience, discipline and a clear plan to deliver results.
My approach is straightforward, to make Jersey more affordable, to ensure government delivers better value for money, and to create the conditions for sustainable economic growth that benefits everyone in our community. That includes reducing unnecessary or disproportionate regulation, red tape and bureaucracy that is strangling businesses and making the Island uncompetitive. This requires long-term thinking, practical action, and genuine partnership between government, business and Islanders.
What others say
“Alan offers considerable political, ministerial and business experience at a critical time for Jersey. He is exactly the kind of person we need back in Government.”
Kevin Keen OBE
Jersey Businessman & Commentator
“I have seen firsthand Alan Maclean's professionalism, calm judgement and ability to deliver under pressure. He is the right choice for Senator at this challenging time when tough decisions are needed.”
Ben Shenton
Former Senator
“I had the privilege of working closely with Alan during my time at Jersey Finance. Alan brings real commercial insight and a clear understanding of the finance industry. He combines strategic thinking with sound judgement and was instrumental in the progress we made in strengthening the sector's contribution to the Island.”
Geoff Cook
Former CEO, Jersey Finance
“
Jersey is a place that should liberate people, ideas and ambition.
A strong economy will sustain and create the jobs and revenues needed for quality public services.
Four Priorities
What I will deliver
01
Making Jersey More Affordable
Cap government fees and charges below inflation for a minimum of 12 months
Pensioner cost-of-living credit for lower and middle income over-65s on fixed incomes
Active competition policy, give the JCRA an explicit remit to remove barriers to entry in food, fuel and building materials
Open-book review of the DFDS contract and flat-rate card, with volume-discount mechanisms so savings reach consumers
Fuel duty freeze and tax thresholds uprated with inflation so households can plan with confidence
Accelerate affordable housing through planning reform and a cost-of-living task force with private and third sector
02
Responsible Public Finances
Restore a binding multi-year fiscal framework with surplus targets, modelled on Sweden and New Zealand
Reverse the £50m-a-year Social Security raid (£200m over four years) and ring-fence the fund
Civil service rightsizing through natural turnover, automation and ALO consolidation, a 5% non-front-line reduction
Replenish the Stabilisation Fund and Strategic Reserve in line with Fiscal Policy Panel advice
Estonia-style digital government to cut running costs and improve delivery
Pillar Two receipts to reserves and strategic development, not day-to-day spending
03
Economic Growth and Diversification
Implement the Time to Win report in full, government, industry and regulator delivering together with quarterly milestones
Fintech regulatory sandbox at the JFSC modelled on the Monetary Authority of Singapore
e-Jersey digital-government strategy drawing on Estonia, single sign-on, digital ID, services 24/7
Productivity grants for SMEs in tourism, hospitality, retail and agriculture, modelled on Singapore's PSG
Sustainable air-links strategy, protect and expand connectivity (easyJet and Heathrow secured by Alan)
Medical tourism strategy and Jersey as a global innovation test bed
04
Cutting Red Tape and Bureaucracy
Repeal unnecessary and outdated legislation
SME deregulation, simplify employment law and annual reporting
Planning reform: digital fast-track and automatic approval for compliant minor applications
Reduce planning fees, current levels are deterring development
One-in, one-out rule for new business regulations
Jersey Competitiveness Index, annual tracking and public reporting
Long-term financial resilience
A Jersey Sovereign Wealth Fund
Pillar Two tax receipts present a significant opportunity to seed a sovereign-style investment fund. The goal should be a fund in excess of £10 billion, providing a stable income stream that reduces Jersey's reliance on volatile tax receipts and protects public services for future generations - Norway and Singapore offer models.
A sovereign wealth fund protects our future from fiscal shocks and signals that Jersey thinks in decades, not just electoral terms.
Establish a Jersey sovereign wealth fund in the next 4 years.
Seed with Pillar Two receipts under a time-bound strategy
Focused on infrastructure, economic development and international investment
Open participation, invite local residents and international investors
Target fund in excess of £10 billion over the medium term
Annual report to States Assembly, full transparency
The Detail
Policy in Depth
The full thinking behind each priority, the context, the case for change, and the specific commitments I will pursue.
Chapter 01
Priority 1: Affordability
Housing and Planning Reform
Housing affordability is one of the most acute pressures facing Islanders. The root cause is supply, constrained by a planning system that is too slow, too costly and too complex. The 2017 hospital block, which could have been delivered for £466 million, is a cautionary tale. We need an Island Plan delivered within 18 months. Planning application fees have risen dramatically and must be urgently addressed. Digital planning systems used in Singapore, Estonia and the Netherlands have shown that determination times can be slashed while improving quality outcomes.
Island Plan delivered within 18 months, no more delays
Auto-approval for minor applications not determined in time
Review planning fees and reduce to realistic levels
Digital planning portal, reduce paperwork, improve transparency
Rezone appropriate urban land for affordable residential development
Fast-track process for developments with clear economic benefit
Design quality incentives, reward developers who enhance environment
Dedicated first-time buyer affordable homes programme
Chapter 02
Priority 2: Responsible Public Finances
Bringing Government Spending Under Control
Jersey is running structural deficits. Public borrowing has reached unprecedented levels. Since leaving ministerial office in early 2018, the size of government has grown dramatically. Civil service headcount must be controlled, costs reduced, and the trajectory reversed. There are only three ways to raise more revenue: increase taxes, increase population, or grow the economy. Growing the economy is the only sustainable path, but it must be accompanied by iron discipline on spending.
Balancing budgets is the foundation of trust. A government that lives within its means earns the right to invest in Jersey's future.
Zero-based budgeting across all government departments
Balanced budget over 4 years
Pillar Two receipts to reserves and development, not day-to-day spending
Value-for-money audits on all major capital projects
Fiscal Policy Panel expanded, government must respond to expert advice
Public implementation tracker, reforms measured against milestones
10-year strategic economic framework
Chapter 03
Priority 4: Cutting Red Tape
Small and Medium Businesses: Liberate and Support
Small and medium businesses are the lifeblood of any community. The regulatory burden has grown relentlessly. New Zealand's one-in, one-out regulation rule and Denmark's SME deregulation programme are models worth adopting. Jersey also needs a cultural shift, celebrating risk-taking and backing ambition as something to be proud of.
A small, smart, nimble jurisdiction like Jersey should be leading the world, not importing yesterday's rules from a much larger country facing its own problems.
SME Deregulation Package, repeal unnecessary employment law complexity
One-in, one-out rule for new business regulations
Simplify business registration and annual reporting
SME Advocate, dedicated government liaison
Jersey Entrepreneurship Fund, seed grants and mentoring
Start-up visa pathway, attract founders to build here
High Street revival: rates review, pop-up enterprise support
Annual SME Health Survey, track and act on regulation burden
Chapter 04
Priority 3: Economic Growth
Financial Services: Adapting and Winning
Jersey's finance industry is the bedrock of our economy. The Time to Win report must be acted on urgently, government, industry and regulator working together, not in silos. We must be honest about sector concentration risk and actively build new economic pillars.
Cayman, Isle of Man and Singapore are actively competing for the business Jersey is losing. Action now, not delay, is required.
Immediate cross-sector taskforce, implement Time to Win
Pillar Two receipts directed strategically
Digital assets, green finance and AI wealth management
Attract global HQ and corporate treasury functions
Jersey Finance does an excellent job and must remain well-resourced. But Locate Jersey, which drives non-finance inward investment, has been under-resourced and needs a sharper mandate. Jersey Business and Digital Jersey have overlapping remits, a single-board model should be explored to reduce duplication and reinvest savings into frontline support.
Reinvest in Locate Jersey, technology, biopharma, maritime targeting
Locate Jersey and Jersey Finance: coordinated, not siloed
Independent ALO review, identify duplication and consolidation
Explore single-board model for Jersey Business and Digital Jersey
Performance framework for all ALOs, clear KPIs
Savings reinvested into frontline business support
Chapter 06
Economic Growth: Innovation
Technology, Innovation and Jersey as a Test Bed
Jersey has a proud history as a first-mover, from early full-fibre broadband to financial product innovation using Jersey's unique captured demographic. Jersey Telecom's early network, trust law innovation, and financial product pilots all demonstrate this heritage. Small jurisdictions move fast, Estonia and Singapore prove it. AI will transform financial services, healthcare and government, Jersey must get ahead.
Jersey Innovation Sandbox, fast regulatory approval for pilots
Actively market Jersey as a test bed for innovation
AI strategy for financial services and government
Attract global tech companies with Island-specific incentives
Cybersecurity centre of excellence
Support AI Council, maximise opportunity, manage risk
Jersey Data Hub, privacy-compliant research platform
Chapter 07
Public Services
Health, A Modern System Built for Jersey
Jersey is building a very expensive general hospital for a population of 104,000. The cost of our health service is already one of the largest per head of population in the world. The right healthcare model is not automatically the NHS. We must design a Jersey-specific model, with medical tourism to partly offset running costs.
Jersey as a longevity and preventative healthcare hub, partnering with leading research institutions to trial cutting-edge programmes.
Deliver the new hospital with strict Treasury sign-off on every significant cost variation and quarterly public reporting
Jersey Health Model, outcome-focused, not NHS by default
Digital health records and patient portal modelled on Estonia's e-Health (99% of records digital, patient-controlled access)
Preventative health programme, exercise referral and cardiovascular/diabetes prevention modelled on Finland's North Karelia and Norway
Medical tourism strategy, targeted private and elective revenue, strictly ring-fenced so Islanders' access is unaffected
Long-term care funding settlement, a clear, financed framework for elderly care
Formal partnerships with leading UK hospitals and international medical student placements
Longevity and preventative health hub, partnering with leading research institutions
Chapter 08
Skills and Talent
Education and Talent, Building Jersey's Future Workforce
This is about building a complete talent pipeline, developing skills locally, retaining Islanders, attracting the talent we need and making the immigration framework work for Jersey's economy. Too many young Islanders leave and don't return. Too many skilled workers who want to come find unnecessary barriers in their way. On-island degree courses in finance, law, technology, marine science and healthcare could attract external students and bring economic vitality. I expanded the student finance scheme in the 2017 Budget, that ambition must go further.
Expand on-island degree provision aligned to Jersey's industries, in partnership with established UK universities, building on Highlands
A specialist international-student campus focused on niche postgraduate or professional courses, modelled on Luxembourg
Swiss-model apprenticeship and dual-education pathway expansion, parity of esteem with the academic route
Digital and AI literacy from primary school onwards, Estonia introduced coding in 2012 and has reaped the benefits since
Singapore SkillsFuture-style lifelong learning credits for adults, critical for a workforce facing AI-driven change
Maintain and enhance student loan and grant support (Alan expanded the scheme in the 2017 Budget)
Jersey Alumni Network, reconnect skilled Islanders abroad
Chapter 09
Visitor Economy
Tourism, Events and Connectivity
Jersey's visitor economy has been in decline and that must be confronted honestly. Tourism needs active reinvention, not merely maintenance. Connectivity is foundational, I secured both the easyJet route and the Heathrow link when in government. Every flight route lost is a competitive disadvantage for both tourism and finance. Jersey also has an underexploited opportunity in major events, finance conferences, cultural festivals and sporting occasions generate significant economic activity and enhance Jersey's profile.
Visitor economy revival, honest about decline, bold about recovery
Major events programme, conferences, festivals, sporting events
Route development fund, retain and attract airlines
Hospitality investment incentives, boutique and luxury accommodation
Jersey as enterprise and events destination, not only leisure
Heritage, active and sustainable tourism development
Further Commitments
Standing for every Islander
Agriculture and Local Food
Jersey produce labelling and marketing campaign
Reskilling and equipment grants for farmers
Farm diversification, agri-tourism and farm shops
Protect green field sites in the Island Plan
Vertical farming and food tech pilot programmes
Environment
Coastal protection and marine conservation
Tidal and offshore wind energy feasibility study
Sustainable transport, active travel, EV infrastructure
Green and sustainable landscaping
Welfare and Income Support
Welfare to work, tailored employment pathways
Childcare support enabling parents to work
Mental health and addiction services
Support for those approaching dependency
Benefits system: clear, fair, no unnecessary bureaucracy
Senior Citizens
Protect the Jersey Old Age Pension in real terms
Dementia and care home capacity review
Age-friendly Jersey, transport and digital inclusion
Longevity and active ageing programme
Carer support and recognition
Young People
Apprenticeships and well-paid local careers, Swiss-model dual-track education with paid placements integrated into qualifications
A better night-time economy, sensible licensing review, support for venues, festivals and grassroots music
Mental health and youth services investment, early intervention in schools and post-18
A Jersey Youth Council with statutory consultation rights, modelled on Norway's youth participation framework
Help to Buy Jersey, affordable starter homes
Youth arts, music, culture fund and expanded sports, leisure and outdoor adventure
Tax
No GST increase, the 5% rate is part of the simple, broad-base, low-rate compact
Targeted relief where reform is needed (e.g. essential medical equipment), not a rate change
Tax thresholds uprated with inflation so households are not dragged into higher liability by fiscal drag
New higher Pensioner-only threshold to protect fixed-income senior citizens
Modernise the tax framework, keep Jersey competitive and benchmarked
Charities and Third Sector
Multi-year (three or five-year) funding settlements for proven providers
Outcomes-based commissioning, pay for measurable results, modelled on Singapore's ComCare and NZ's Whānau Ora
Reduce regulatory burden on small charities, proportionate compliance for volunteer-run organisations
Expand tax incentives for giving, a Jersey equivalent of enhanced Gift Aid
Third sector commissioned to deliver public services where best placed
Environment (Detail)
Environmental stewardship payments review for farmers
Coast and countryside protection through proper planning enforcement and continued National Trust partnership
Net Zero pathway, realistic, affordable and sequenced, adopting proven Nordic technologies as they mature
Cleaner and more sustainable public transport options
Honorary Police and Parish System
Statutory protection for the Parish system
Increase Honorary Police support and recognition
Defend Constables' role in States Assembly
Parish community grants, local events and volunteering
A Culture of Enterprise
Celebrate Jersey business success, annual awards
Government procures from local businesses
Business angel and venture capital network
Reduce sector concentration risk
Entrepreneurial thinking in schools and colleges
Good Government
Balanced budget, no structural deficit
Permanent Economic Council, independent oversight
Open data and transparency on government performance
Third sector commissioned to deliver services
10-year strategic economic framework
What I will do
A clear plan, in stages
Phase 01
First 100 Days
Review and Reset
Commission reviews of government expenditure and regulatory burden. Establish Time to Win taskforce. Publish Competitiveness Action Plan. Begin ALO landscape review. Announce Jersey sovereign wealth fund framework.
Phase 02
Year One
Deliver Foundations
Island Plan adopted within 18 months. SME Deregulation Package enacted. Planning fees reformed. Medical tourism report published. Pillar Two strategy agreed. Jersey sovereign wealth fund legislation introduced. Locate Jersey relaunched.
Phase 03
Year Two
Growth Visible
New inward investment attracted. On-island degree pilots launched. Innovation Sandbox operational. ALO consolidation complete. Sovereign wealth fund seeded. Government headcount closely controlled. Housing pipeline accelerating.
Phase 04
End of Term
Jersey Back on Track
A more competitive, affordable, well-governed Jersey. Jersey sovereign wealth fund growing. Real improvement in cost of living, housing and public services. Jersey once again liberating people, ideas and ambition.
Please vote
Alan Maclean For Senator
Experience that counts. A plan that works. A Jersey we can all be proud of, for this generation and the next.
