Areas of Guernsey's States IT transformation branded 'shocking waste of public money'

Deputy Gavin St Pier has launched a scathing attack on poor management and decision-making around government initiatives that cost £42M.

Speaking in his role as Vice President of Policy and Resources, Deputy St Pier laid out the findings of the new CEO, Boley Smilie, who has spent time with frontline staff across the States, assessing where initiatives have gone wrong.

Deputy St Pier says Revenue Services is a particular area of concern:

"The Revenue Service Transformation has cost £24 million, most of which has been incurred in the last 5 years.

"Given the ongoing problems, for reasons I do not understand, as a programme, it was formally closed earlier this year.

"But we have a system that is clearly not yet complete, appears to have reduced functionality for Revenue Service staff compared to its predecessor, provides poor service levels for customers, and apparently is a system with a limited lifespan.

"How on earth did this happen?"

He says the problems are not confined to one department:

"They appear to reflect structural and cultural problems that have undermined the effectiveness of other major programmes.

"In recent weeks, the Policy & Resources Committee has learned for the first time that the original MyGov programme, for digital government in Guernsey, which apparently in the four years to 2023 cost £18 million, has delivered very little of what was promised.

"These failures represent an unconscionable waste of public money. They have damaged trust and confidence in government’s ability to deliver change effectively."

But, Deputy St Pier was quick to assure islanders that frontline staff were not responsible for the failures:

"They have worked tirelessly to keep services running despite poor systems, unclear responsibilities, and inefficient processes.

"They have shown professionalism and commitment under pressure. The Policy & Resources Committee wishes to put on record, again, all our thanks to each of them."

"Ineffective governance, and unclear accountability seems to have allowed projects to continue without clear evidence of progress or value for money."

Deputy St Pier says Boley Smilie, as Chief Executive, is leading a small team that will report on what went wrong and how to fix it, with transparency over failure at its core.

Mr Smilie says he is not pleased what he has found:

"It’s clear to me that there has been significant waste across several major transformation projects.

"I have been especially concerned about the first version of the MyGov programme.

"It was meant to digitise government services, yet from everything I’ve seen, it delivered nothing of any substance.

"We need to understand how that was allowed to happen."

The deadline for Guernsey 2024 tax returns has been extended by two months, from the end of November to the end of January.