First draft of 'Island Plan' published

Building a 'secure, vibrant and sustainable' future is the vision set out by Government - outlined in the draft 'Island Plan' published today.

The key areas focused on are communities and housing, health and wellbeing, the economy, environment, and education.

Within each of these areas, the government's goal is to create a 'secure, vibrant, and sustainable' Island over the next five years. 

The plan also mentions the relationship between the Council of Ministers, Tynwald and government departments.

Government has outlined actions they hope will be beneficial - such as an annual conference to allow the public to voice their opinions.

There's also a requirement of a yearly report from every department and board.

The document has been published ahead of next week's Tynwald sitting.

This draft of the plan will be amended and modified by Tynwald over the coming months, with hopes the plan will be finalised in January. 

Chief Minister Alfred Cannan MHK said: “Our Island Plan sets out a bold and ambitious vision for the future of the Isle of Man and a clear direction of travel for the next five years.  At its heart are the people of the Isle of Man and the work required to improve the quality of life for everyone in our community.

“The Island Plan is simple, focused and high level to enable us to forge a strong sense of purpose and address the issues that matter most to our community.  I engaged with Tynwald Members within 24 hours of being elected as Chief Minister to ensure that our plan reflects their views and develop the issues MHKs heard on the doorstep in the lead up to the general election.”

The Chief Minister continued: “This is very much a draft plan and has been developed for consultation and further input.  We are ready to listen.  Over the coming weeks we will be working to engage right across our Island community to get feedback and views on the plan.  The first stage of this will be in Tynwald next week, where I look forward to hearing Members debating the plan.

“The feedback we receive will help us to refine the plan, with a final version going to Tynwald in January.”

You can see the plan here.