In brief: St Helier Central Deputy Lyndsay Feltham has tabled an amendment to the government’s Common Strategic Policy 2026–2030, seeking explicit commitments on housing affordability, homelessness prevention and bringing long-term empty homes back into use. The amendment focuses on renters, arguing that simply building more homes does not guarantee those homes will be affordable or suitable. No specific spending commitments are attached, leaving ministers to work out the costs.
What the amendment proposes
Deputy Feltham, co-leader of Reform Jersey, wants the island’s strategic plan for the next four years to go further than its current focus on new builds and assisted purchase schemes. Her amendment, as reported by the Jersey Evening Post, calls for four specific objectives: reducing the financial pressure of renting, increasing the availability of affordable rented homes, preventing homelessness, and returning long-term empty properties to active use.
The existing draft policy, she argues, addresses supply but sidesteps the equally important questions of cost, tenure and suitability. “Increasing housing supply is important, but this does not in itself establish that the homes provided will meet the needs of those experiencing difficulty accessing accommodation,” she said in her accompanying report. “Consideration must also be given to the cost, tenure and suitability of those homes.”
She also makes the straightforward point that home ownership is simply not on the table for a significant portion of Jersey’s population. “They should nevertheless be able to access a suitable home, afford their rent and have reasonable security in their accommodation,” she added. On that, at least, it is hard to disagree.
The detail, and what is missing
The amendment is notably light on specifics, which is either a sign of sensible flexibility or a convenient way of avoiding hard questions about cost, depending on your perspective. The Jersey Evening Post notes that the amendment does not specify individual schemes or spending commitments, and that ministers would need to identify the costs and staffing required, which could include investment in affordable housing and funding for support services.
Deputy Feltham also calls for government services to work together to help households before difficulties escalate to the point of losing their homes, and argues that bringing suitable empty properties back into use would make better use of existing housing stock without necessarily requiring new construction.
The amendment is directed at the Common Strategic Policy rather than at a specific budget line, meaning it would set a political direction that subsequent spending decisions would need to follow. Whether ministers would then follow through with meaningful funding is, of course, a separate question entirely.
The broader context
Jersey’s housing market has long been a source of anxiety for residents who rent, with affordability a persistent concern across the island. The government’s existing strategic approach, as described in the source material, leans towards increasing supply and supporting those who wish to buy. Deputy Feltham’s amendment is an attempt to ensure that those who cannot or do not wish to buy are not treated as an afterthought in the island’s housing strategy.
The proposal to tackle long-term empty homes is particularly interesting. Bringing vacant properties back into use costs the government relatively little compared with funding new construction, and it addresses a visible frustration among islanders who see homes sitting idle while others struggle to find somewhere to live.
Source: Jersey Evening Post
