Islanders using cash feel penalised - panel

The most vulnerable people in Jersey could find themselves unable to pay for goods and services as the use of cash declines, politicians say.

A report from the Economic and International Affairs Scrutiny Panel raised concerns about a lack of government planning for the drop in people using cash over the last decade.

It recommended Jersey's government should create a strategy to "ensure all islanders have the same access to digital payments", support budgeting skills and help charities to digital payments.

Deputy Montfort Tadier, the scrutiny panel's chair, said some islanders felt "penalised" for paying with cash and were worried there could be a "two-tier" pricing system in future for those who paid in cash and those who paid electronically.

Tadier said many islanders had an "emotional connection" to cash and felt physical money helped them with budgeting and to "better understand the value of goods and services".

The panel said it had nearly 2,700 responses to an anonymous survey it ran as part of its review.

It said 21% of people said they "mostly" used cash, while another 8% said they used cash about half the time.

The amount spent on the island with cash dropped nearly two-thirds between 2016 and 2023, from £272m to £102m.

However, the decline had levelled off slightly in recent years, the panel added.

Liberty Bus, which runs the island's main bus services, said tickets bought with cash had dropped form 100% in 2013 to 2.5% in the first half of 2024.

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