Island ‘will fare better than rivals’
Thursday 18th March 2010, 3:00PM GMT.
A survey has discovered that Jersey is one of the most attractive places to live and work
JERSEY will be one of the most attractive islands in the world in which to live and work in future, according to the results of a survey by global accountancy practice KPMG.
The Island fared well in comparison with other island communities on its economic planning and infrastructure provision.
Jersey reflected particularly positively because of its lack of national debt. In comparison, some regions had ratios in excess of 100 per cent and were struggling to finance infrastructure projects.
KPMG’s head of advisory for the Channel Islands, Ashley Paxton, said the results showed that Jersey was in a strong position compared to many.
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? He should read how dispirited people are with the island on this site. An island that has lost a lot of its attractive qualities over the last thirty years. Whilst I don’t doubt the figures that have been pulled together in this report, it surely misses out on those other non-monetary factors which contribute to a society’s wellbeing and happiness. On those I think we are going backwards.
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This is excellent news. So as long as your house or luxery penthouse flat is paid for and you have a few million in the bank Jersey should work out nicely for you.
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Mmmm i dunno i,d say the Maldives were more attractive as islands go!
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This is a bit bonkers.
Five years ago there were reports recommending Iceland as a go ahead finacial centre, Dublin as the heart of the Celtic tiger, Dubai the jewel of the Middle East, etc, etc.
Now where are they?
Maybe Jersey will be a great place to be in ten years time but I would not put my shirt on it!
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If you are a millionaire or work i the finance industry – yeah great !!! for all us other poor basxxxds it’s a sxxt-hole !!!
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Yes of course! we believe it all.
Plus Jersey will have an Aqua park,dry ski slope an aquarium at st Catherines and a whale and dolphin sanctuary.
All these things were suppossed to manifest plus Johhny Depp making a film in the island.
Yes Jerseys gone back to 1946 in terms of what it offers especially if you were here in the 70,s 80,s, and i for one would like to kiss it goodbye and live in a warm place just as soon as my house is sold.
The best island in the world! you make me laugh!
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‘Mmmm i dunno i,d say the Maldives were more attractive as islands go!’
To be fair, the report did say the future… the Maldives are meant to be submerged under water in a few decades!
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Mogit! your my hero those words and more!!
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Mike… So will jersey when mother nature takes back what she own,s on the waterfront reclaimed land
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“Plus Jersey will have an Aqua park,dry ski slope an aquarium at st Catherines and a whale and dolphin sanctuary.”
Do not remind me!
The bridge to France, the tidal barrage and road across St Aubin’s Bay to generate green power and create out of town parking at Noirmont.
The chemical plant on the north coast that would process salt out of sea water and make bromine and fine chemicals.
Every day is April’s Fools Day in Jersey!
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This forum should be called… “Less than 1% of the population thinks…” Unfortunately this forum suffers from a problem, that problem is every time I read it, here we have the same 10 – 15 people who are all pretty negative and shall we say ‘set in their ways’.
Do these same people actually think that their negative views are heeded by anyone else?!
People on this forum will I am sure be surprised to know that you are wrong, Jersey is already a wonderful place to live and work and will only get better.
All I have to do is read the name of the person commenting and I already feel depressed, the same people who comment by the way on every article! Do us all a favor and change the record, this negativity that just a few people have of the hundreds maybe thousands that view these pages each day, stops anyone else from putting their view forward because they will get forum bashed by guess who “the normal suspects”. I look forward to the day it stops!
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No 11, sadly I think your monicker should be Dr Pangloss.
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What is there to be so optimistic about “ProudJerseyMan”?
Here are three current headlines from this site:
“Anger over lack of nursery places”
“Anger over plans for third supermarket”
“Airline anger over proposed Guernsey airport closures”
On second thought, perhaps we should be optimistic for change brought about by public anger!
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Must be some strange parallel Jersey KPMG are on about…
Girl (10) abandoned by mother in town at night
Man ‘lucky not to die’ in noisy neighbour row
Accused in dock over pub stabbing
States deficit to hit £64m
400 Health jobs ‘in cash crisis threat’
Recession blamed for shoplifting rise
Court hears of ‘gangland punishment’ beating bid
Businessman convicted of greed ‘on a massive scale’
Constable vents fury at ‘failing’ income support
Obese Jersey
Fisherman denies role in heroin plan
Haut de la Garenne: Couple in court
Unemployment at 30-year high
Teachers to hold strike ballot next month
Guilty verdict after assault on 61-year-old man
Man (61) ‘beaten to the ground’
Man fights off addict armed with syringe
More homeless as recession hits
Victim Support on brink of closure
Rape cases hit four-year high
Have-a-go hero left disabled
Heroin in Christmas card man is jailed
Man jailed for town stabbing
Man pours hot oil over victim
Paramedic attacked while treating drunk
‘Doormen need stab vests’
‘Boy racers’ make lives a misery
Teenage rapist ‘played war games for hours’
Twenty-nine child victims of sex offences in 2009
Jail for man who stamped on stranger’s head
Rapist (15) jailed
Ageing population: What to do?
Manhunt on after latest town attack
Can we afford to live in Jersey?
Two in court over St Helier attacks
Hunt for gang of ten who attacked teenager
JT redundancies: Notices being sent out this week
Children in care after false abuse claim
Fight is on for UK health deal
Headbutt man is spared a jail term
‘Savage’ attacker is jailed
New taxes on cars and properties are approved
Stiletto heel attack: Three jailed
States reject plan to pay off £222m pension debts
Teachers are ready to strike
Boy (15) admits Westmount rape
Cars targeted in spate of thefts
New campaign highlights domestic violence
‘Negligence’ claim over Tamiflu (criminal!!)
Hooligans wreck bonfire charity bid
Drugs trade profits higher in Jersey
Sex offender jailed for four years
More families in need of help
Three years’ prison for ‘horrifying’ knife attack
Use of handcuffs after crash ‘a disgrace’
Water company: 20 jobs are at risk
Women’s Refuge faces cash crisis
Teenager faces 13 sex charges
Cocaine widely used in clubs
Child abuse inquiry: Fourth man in court
Classroom violence ‘a major problem’
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ProudJerseyMan
get real
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Mogit & Deputy Dog are both suckers for headlines. The press are not always right.
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To Proud Jersey Man (comment 11) You are most fortunate to be living happily in Jersey and to be content with your situation.However everyone is different and requires/needs/wishes for different things.My son remained in Jersey when the rest of the family chose to leave and live in England and for him it is absolutely the right place and he has a great lifestyle(single and able to afford a good standard of living)My husband and I however are much better off in the UK and love it and actually would never visit Jersey again if it were not to see family and friends.We now find it cramped,expensive and basically ruined by over development and too many people.On a recent trip I was most interested to listen to the moans and groans of people on the bus every day and yet when meeting up with old friends most of them are happy with their lot.I will repeat what I have said before-it is just a shame if people feel they have to leave because of the high cost of living or lack of affordable suitable housing.I also noted that out of all the people I spoke to about Jersey politics and current affairs many had no knowledge or interest in what went on and in fact the most knowledgeable person was my friends mother aged 90!!!(and not Jersey born)!We are all different and long may it stay that way.
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SE
Like the way you only see fit to select ‘bad’ headlines… what would worry me more is if ‘good’ news became headlines, the reason they are headline stories is because they are out of the normal happenings!
It would be quite pointless if let’s see… Man ‘lucky not to die’ in noisy neighbour row; however 94,999 other residents were fine! (Not meaning to belittle the misfortune of this gentleman just proving a point!)
I’m not a rich person, don’t work in finance and have tried living on three different continents so know what I am talking about when I say it’s a great place. I came back to Jersey because I want my kids to grow up in a nice safe community.
Hey, if you don’t like it stop taking up the space of a person who will aprreciate it and get out of the Island!
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No. 17 Julie It is very unfortunate that you had to leave Jersey to live in the United Kingdom. I would be very unhappy if that happened to me.
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Toastedteacakes (19) I don’t think that my comment sounded as if I “had” to leave Jersey as this is certainly not the case.It was a decision made by myself and my husband as we were both disenchanted with the island for many reasons and we are,as I said,very happy with our choice.My daughter never returned to Jersey after university and she is also happy to be in the UK (a nice rural part I hasten to add which makes St Helier look like an inner city!)So please don’t worry about me- I am as happy as Larry!(whoever he is!)
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ProudJerseyMan
i lived in jersey for 11 years (and loved the place – still do) i had to move away because of housing (cost of) – my problem. i remember in 1997 reading a headline along the lines of “phone book set fire to in phone box” – fantastic stuff; i would not worry when my girlfriend (now wife) phoned me at 3am saying she was walking home from Chambers – would you be happy for your wife/sister/daughter to do that now? Thought not. Jersey has changed, very much for the worse and yes, to get a point across, i did pick on the bad headlines – and there were plenty to choose from. As i said Jersey Man – get real. the idyllic jersey has well and truly gone and as for moving away and giving up space to someone else…enough said. Cheers and i wish you well
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No. 20 Julie For each negative person you met on the buses you took within Jersey who moaned and complained about their lot, there are 2000 who are ‘as happy as larry’ just like you.
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Jersey is not perfect but it has natural beauty that is accessible to all. It is relatively safe compared to the UK. Once you take tax and average wages into account property is no more expensive than in any other desirable part of Britain. If you want a 3 bedroom house with a garden within a 10 minute commute of central London see how much that costs.
I just wish the moaning minnies would leave. Jersey is what it is: a small island with some limitations. It will never have the range of supermarkets you would get in Croydon or the nightlife of Manchester. But if you cannot value and enjoy and seek to preserve what Jersey has got to offer maybe you would be happier elsewhere.
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Proud Jerseyman
I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said.
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I’m bucking the trend here but I think that Jersey is still a great place to live and work. having spent significant time in the UK recently it is totally ruined. Crime, illegal immigrants, unemployment without the inherant disadvantages of the commute to work.
I agree Jersey used to be better and crime is more of a concern than it used to be but I’d never go back to the UK. Cost of living is balanced out by wages for the most part and you can’t beat a 20 minute journey to work ( unless like lucky me it takes 3 mins ). This place is special and even a bunch of incompetant politicians can’t spoil it. The natural beauty, choice of beaches and overall quality of life. I think it’s easy to see what we don’t have and take for granted what we do, grass is greener syndrome.
I do hope that things improve economically and that we take a more pro active approach to crime but these are fixable given the right policies.
I love the place and have since I first set foot over 20 years ago.
Now come on and slag me off.
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Having been away for 10 years, my perceptions are that Jersey has certainly changed for the worse. A few more facilities but more crowded, more uncouth, certainly more threatening in town in the evenings. I suppose if you haven’t been away you wouldn’t notice it as much. Its lost a lot of those aspects that made it charming. I don’t think this has happened to the same extent in Guernsey and I presume that’s in the main due to better population control via the licence system. Not that its much better in the UK. A lot of natives feel like involuntary immigrants in their own country after New Labour effectively opened up the borders 13 years ago.
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MLP “This place is special and even a bunch of incompetant politicians can’t spoil it.”
Sorry I have to disagree with you there. They can and they are IMHO.
Jersey tends to lag behind the UK so give it a bit more time. Things will get worse. Jersey was much better in the past for the majority of islanders, no doubt about it in my mind.
Many of my adverse comments on here are because I can see the gradual deterioration in the island and it has been accelerating over the last 20 years so. If people can’t see this they are either fresh off the boat or aren’t affected by these issues IMHO.
Should anyone have to leave their place of birth because of anothers greed?
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Anna G – everything Proud Jersey Man says?
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Overpopulation increases health problems and overpopulation increases crime. We could add that overpopulation causes public discontent.
So even if you don’t currently consider Jersey to be overpopulated, if the States get their way it will be. The only happy people then will be the ones shut away in their country manors not having to deal with real life.
Still the study was carried out by an accountancy practice who probably looked at how much money we’ll have and decided our level of happiness based on that. Not exactly a good measure of happiness!
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I’ve lived in Jersey for 12 years, and in my opinion the island has declined in many ways. Perhaps it’s purely because I’m 39 and cynical now, and not the carefree 27 year-old when I arrived! I just don’t feel the same about Jersey anymore, and I have many friends who feel the same. Whether I’d be happier living anywhere else is debatable though
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Toastedteacakes (22) each negative person you met on the buses … there are 2000 who are ‘as happy as larry’
Sorry Mr TeaCake but with 2,000 happy people on your bus, I can only presume you are on a daytrip to Neverland. Wake up and get a life.
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14.Good post..and a staggering indictment of what is wrong here…for those who say don’t be negative,I say waht then should we do bury out heads in the sands of denial like this pretend Govt does…? the worm is turning.
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30.Beaumont – i had to leave because of housing and my recommendation to you is to stay put if you can – for all the comments made (by me and others) Jersey is a great place (mostly) but there is no denying it has gone downhill by some margin.
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Adrian – Sorry I have to disagree with you there. They can and they are IMHO
The things that I refer to in my post are unlikely to be spoilt be politicians competant or otherwise.The natural beauty, choice of beaches, short commute to work.unless of course they plan to remove the beaches and areas of natural beauty and somehow extend the distance to work.
Sorry I’m being facitious but I have been quoted out of context. This place is beautiful and all it needs is someone with a pair to clear up crime and sort out the economy, after all we have such an advantage financially not owing money to the rest of the world and having a high employment percentage comparatively.
I agree it used to be better but so did pretty much everywhere else, times change.As for feeling like a stranger in my own country following Labour’s open door policy – totally agree I struggle to find someone who drives a cab or works in a shop who can speak English back home.
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Mulvie (comment 25) Nobody should “slag you off” as you are entitled to your views and opinions as everyone is.But please don’t say “the UK” is this or that as there are miserable and beautiful parts of the UK and not all of it has been spoilt.My husband,from London originally,said for years that he would never return to the UK but when we finally left Jersey in 2006 it was because we both wanted to and it has turned out to the best decision we ever made.Perhaps as we are now middle-aged we are just ready to enjoy the unspoilt countryside,the friendly community spirit and the easy pace of life we have found here but as I always say-each to their own and vive la difference!!Stay happy and enjoy wherever you live-otherwise move!!
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KPMG says “Jersey reflected particularly positively because of its lack of national debt.”
on top of this it has been mentioned that Jersey has seceral hundred million pounds sitting in reserve.
So please can anyone tell me why we have GST again and why costs and taxes are increasing in these hard times???
If the reserve fund is for a rainy day then it’s been peeing down for over 18 months!!
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MLP yes most of the beaches are great. As is most of the countryside which hasn’t yet been spoilt. But for how much longer?
With a basically open door policy of take anyone who falls off the boat long enough to get a job how long before these bits do get affected?
As per the financially advantage this could go overnight and unemployment is creeping up towards the 2,000 barrier. Add in the demographic timebomb for good measure, and everything is hunky dorey-sorry just joking.
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I agree with Adrian that population is the biggest problem facing Jersey. We need to make sure that the unemployed are forced out. That will alleviate the pressure to build new houses (almost all building labourers are non-local so that will have another positive effect).
To preserve the Island we need to keep the population at or below the current level and stop any new building. Unemployment is the first sign of progress in that direction.
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“We need to make sure that the unemployed are forced out.” I hope you’re only meaning unemployed people who are not local and who are claiming benefits?
It seems that what the public want is not necessarily what the States want. The States want to grow the population because they fail to have any understanding at all as to what that actually means in the long-term, they’re just looking to secure themselves more money (and a longer political future) now. In some ways it’s not actually their job to care what their current decisions mean for Jersey in 50 years’ time because many of the decisions they would have to make to look after the long-term future of the island would be certain vote-losers.
If you had a population mainly of people who plan on still being here in 50 years time then they may vote for the tough decisions but maybe Jersey has a large number (with a vote) who are just riding the crest of a wave and fully intend to leave before the proverbial hits the fan?
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Leah,
I’m not judging anyone. My view is simple: that to preserve a Jersey worth living in the most important thing is to control the population and restrict any development out of town (although I have no objection to high rise building in St Helier).
It seems to me unemployment is a good sign. For as long as you are sucking in labour you cannot control population. I would be quite happy to see 2,000 unskilled unemployed leave the Island. It makes no difference to me if they are local or not. I just want a sustainable future and that means an Island of less than 100,000 people.
You never know, they might not find an antidote for UG99 and then the size of he population will be critical.
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