We will fight for senior government officials to be held directly accountable. It is morally wrong that the people of the Isle of Man have been forced to pay for:
- All the errors on our Promenade
- Liverpool landing stage cost overruns
- NSC waterslide delays
- Bus Vannin budget blowouts
- The second and third COVID lockdowns
There were already proposals in the last Tynwald to link pay for senior government officials to performance, and we can build on them immediately. Rewarding staff for doing good things will improve our culture and improve public services.
Putting skin in the game
Senior officials need to have ‘skin in the game’: they need to be rewarded for doing good things, and to be held accountable for doing bad things. Currently, bad incentives mean that we have passive excuses of “mistakes were made” and “lessons were learned” without identifying specific mistakes, specific errors, or specific lessons – or holding decision makers accountable.
Improving performance through accountability
A core lesson learned from leading teams in business: accountability doesn’t mean handing out more punishments. Accountability means that errors are reduced in the first place, because staff performance improves. Rewarding high performing staff reduces their chances of leaving for work elsewhere, and builds a better culture focused on citizens.
Improving accountability and public governance
End collective responsibility for supposedly “independent” politicians. All politicians should state their views honestly in public – not just in private.
Establish a permanent Manx Independent Commission Against Corruption to investigate allegations of misbehaviour by Government departments.