“UNFAIR” and “discriminatory” housing qualifications belong in a “bygone era” and should be abolished, according to the Housing Minister.
Deputy Sam Mézec said there had been “relatively high-level” government discussions about moving towards scrapping the current system, which severely limits where many people who have been in Jersey for less than ten years can live.
Deputy Mézec also highlighted the “serious” impact Jersey’s housing crisis was having on the economy when he spoke at the latest Chamber of Commerce lunch event.
Asked about the current system of residential statuses, the minister said: “The challenge here is absolutely one that we must get to grips with. As far as I’m concerned, if you are in Jersey, with the right to be here, working and contributing, then it isn’t right or fair, that we relegate those people to a small part of the housing market.”
Under current housing legislation, Islanders who have been in Jersey for less than ten years and are not considered essential employees can only live in “registered” accommodation. This consists mostly of guest-houses, lodging houses and spare rooms.
Registered Islanders are three times more likely to live in overcrowded conditions than those with “entitled” status, according to recent figures.
Deputy Mézec continued: “It’s unfair, and it’s discriminatory.
“It’s a policy that exists because of a bygone era where it was an attempt at having a population policy or an immigration policy in place that would try to put people off coming to the islands because the conditions would be so terrible if they didn’t have the appropriate qualifications.
“The fact is that it hasn’t had that impact, and it means that there are people who we live among and work with who don’t live in the kinds of housing that they deserve to.
“So it has been my manifesto position that people who are in Jersey, who have come here to work, ought to have equal access to the rental market.
“I would like to get to that position as soon as possible and there have been some relatively high-level discussions in government about what a journey towards that would look like.”
In his speech to Chamber of Commerce members, Deputy Mézec highlighted that he had declared a housing crisis on his first day in office – a crisis that poses an “existential threat” to Jersey’s future prosperity and social cohesion.
This impacted recruitment and Jersey now has a falling population rate, he said.
He said: “If we’re not able to deliver for working people a housing system here that meets [Islanders’] needs and supports them to work towards their aspirations and be productive and happy citizens, we will lose more of them and risk the Island facing a terminal decline.
“So there’s a lot at stake, and we can’t be complacent.”
In his speech, he said he was focusing on three “pillars”: supporting more Islanders into homeownership, improving the experience of renters, and addressing the “plight” of homelessness in Jersey.
