I will be in King Street this morning despite the weather forecast and hope to meet as many people as I can and answer voters questions about the election issues. At the hustings the big issues have been :
Education , how to improve
Health service , the two site hospital
The budget deficit and tax implications
The economy and jobs
zero hours contracts
Three years ago I was elected Deputy for St Brelade following careers in the private and public sectors including former chief officer of Planning.
I have been chairman of the Environment Scrutiny panel and have completed over fifty public hearings and reviews, including energy policy
As a backbencher, I have lodged many private propositions and gained States agreement to
I want to use my short time today to speak about planning and finance. My full policies are in my manifesto and website,
As the second most populated parish you know about the pressure from development. Just glancing at the Island Plan town map shows just how important are the areas zoned as protected open space, playing fields and public park. Sadly your neighbour, St Helier desperately lacks such open space and has a population density half that of Hong Kong but double that of parts of London. Accommodating population growth without creating dense urban ghettos is going to a big issue. This has to be given greater political priority if we are not to create social problems for the future
Planning requires long term vision setting policies with the community to encourage development which enhances local amenities and meets the community needs. We need a long term urban development plan to ensure our town remains a good place to live
The Island Plan needs to be enforced with rigour, I have had too many cases in this district where things have gone wrong with our planning system and caused huge problems for people. The improvements to our planning system, including a new appeals system, have to be implemented swiftly and efficiently. The new minister will have a much stronger role setting policies and giving the political direction which has been missing.
Our 2015 budget represents a departure from decades of financial prudence; our government is now spending more than we receive. The continued growth in public spending is no longer sustainable. We have to review spending priorities and progress public sector reform while protecting frontline services such as health and education.
We need our government to work in a way which suits our close community and builds consensus rather than encourages adversarial politics.
We need to rebuild lost trust in our government and restore confidence in it.
In this election, you have a choice of voting for change or for more of the same from the existing ministers
We need a fresh approach. I have the capability and experience to deliver the changes which a great many people have told me they want to see.
I humbly ask for your vote as Senator.
Thank you
Q. What are the candidate’s views on GST on food, what will they do to make life more affordable for people working and not on benefits and paying tax, i.e. middle Jersey
A. I am unhappy with GST on food and essentials because it is borne by those least able to pay. We compensate those on Income support. There is a food bonus available to those who get no benefit but pay no tax, which is little known. If we can’t find a workable way of exempting food from GST, we should look at introducing a tax credit to marginal tax payers. To meet the cost we should ensure the tax rates apply to all, the 1% agreements for wealthy immigrants should be ended. New wealthy immigrants should pay the 20%.
Q. Are the candidates in favour of the two site hospital?
A. I favour a single site. The two site proposal will result in clinicians and patients living on a building site for 10 years which will be intolerable. Many doctors have criticized the two sites as inefficient and costly in clinical time. Converting an existing building is more expensive than building new which gives better value. We can have a new hospital of which we can really proud. There is a site available for the hospital – the waterfront. I want that option looked at. When completed we can sell or release the existing hospital site for another use e.g. housing.
Q. Are candidates in favour of the use of medicinal cannabis?
A. Of course people suffering from medically diagnosed conditions should have access to medication which relieves their symptoms. I don’t understand why there is a problem, The Minister has the legal power and doctors have the means to prescribe for patients. Why aren’t they doing so.?
Q. Do the candidates consider the present service for urgent mental health referrals adequate, if not what should be done?
Q.What should be done to improve the mental health service for young people through CAMHS to prevent tragedies affecting our young people?
A. Our Mental Health service has been badly neglected and inadequate resources allocated. As society needs increase through pressure of works, finances, relationship breakdown, so will the risks of mental illness? We must put mental health a priority with children at the top of the list. We should consider putting Social Services in a seperate department with ring fence funding to ensure they take priority for resources We must support and resource GP’s to provide a service and the increase the resources of the youth service. More should be done to spot problems in the schools
Q Are the candidates in favour of same sex marriage?
A. I want to see civil partnerships available to both same sex and different sex couples, so both groups have the choice of either a civil partnership or a civil marriage. I don’t want to make changes which impose same sex marriage on the faith groups, unless they choose. I will support the result of the public consultation.
Q. What will the candidates do for families who are unable to care for elderly relatives suffering from Alzheimer’s?
A. There is no single solution. We need to develop a range of services from long term continuing care provided in partnership with community, voluntary and private sector organisations to respite care. This requires support from the States in providing training and specialist knowledge .We have the funding mechanism of the long term care fund. As far as possible we need to help families who are able to care for relatives in their homes by providing respite care and support.
Q.Should people over 65 be forced to retire, do the candidates agree the skills of the over 65’s can make an important contribution to our economy.
A. People should not be forced to retire. I am over 65, have worked since 16 in careers in private and public sectors and have plenty of energy , hopefully my skills have matured over the years. We need the Discrimination law to include ageism which is rife. We need to amend pension rules for greater flexibility.
Q. What knowledge and experience do the candidates have which equips them to challenge civil servants and the Treasury Minister, on their policy advice?
A. I was a civil servant for many years and used to providing advice, my experience is most civil servants are helpful and knowledgeable. However as a Deputy I have challenged civil servants at scrutiny and public hearings on policy issues. The Treasury Minister is a special case, it’s difficult to get air time when he is in full flow, but I have persuaded him in budget matters.
Q. What action will the candidates take to support small businesses?
A. Bureaucracy must be reduced, I heard of a recent example of putting a board outside a shop for an event, required parish, and planning, licensing consent. We must try to rationalize. I want to see a review of zero ten taxes. Shareholders in local businesses pay who pay tax on dividends are competing unfairly against off island corporations who trade or provide services here, and pay no tax on profit distributions. I would like social security concessions for start up businesses
Q. What are the candidates views on zero hours contracts, especially in the public sector, i.e. Jersey Telecoms?
A. There is widespread abuse of such contracts including by the public sector. I have raised this in the States and we have been promised legislation to limit their use to appropriate circumstances. Zero hours contracts inhibit economic recovery because people can’t make spending commitments.
Q. Do the candidates consider Ministers should abide by a code of conduct, especially where conflicts arise between senior civil servants and Ministers, as evidenced by the reported comments of the former States CEO on the reasons why he left employment and similar cases?
A. Yes, Ministers should comply and complaints can be made to the States Privileges and Procedures Committee and will be investigated. But this is unsatisfactory and PPC, of which I am a member, proposes to set up an independent disciplinary body. Underlying the question is the problem of conflict and relationship breakdown between an individual minister and top civil servants, of which we have seen too many in recent years at cost and loss of expertise. We need a better mechanism to manage and resolve these matters.
It’s a real pleasure to be in St Lawrence where I lived for 20 years. In this hall I recall proposing a candidate for Centenier, and designating parish green lanes.
The parish is at the heart of our community, involving people closely in decisions which affect our lives.
This was how things worked in the States in days before Ministers. All States members were involved in government.
As a backbench Deputy I have tried to influence policy through scrutiny and as an individual member.
I have chaired the Environment scrutiny panel , gained States agreement to my propositions setting Planning policies and law , tax and pension measures , saved Picquet house for our heritage being a few.
Time limits me to mentioning only a few policies
We must diversify our economy, encourage new enterprises and remove unnecessary bureaucracy .We must develop our creative and IT sectors and open new up new sectors, including renewable energy technology. We should support event led tourism
On Environment we must conserve the natural beauty of Jersey and manage the effect of population growth on our infrastructure and land use
Health, we must meet the health needs of our ageing population and provide access to primary health care for all
Education, our service must meet the skills need of our economy and our children’s futures
Finance, we have to correct the imbalance of public spending and taxation by setting spending priorities protecting education and health , and public sector reform.
These Policies are now decided by Ministers.
Eight of the current ministers are candidates for re-election on this platform and standing on their record. Several have been in office for six years. Please ask?
Have these Ministers delivered joined up and inclusive government?
Are you confident these Ministers have the right mix of qualities, experience and skills to meet the challenges which face us?
You will hear plenty from them about their record in office?
There are important questions Ministers have to answer
Why has Education not received attention until now, could more have been done?
Why do some of our GP’s have low confidence in the Health Strategy?
Why wasn’t our deteriorating public finances identified and policy responses developed sooner?
Its time for change
With change things government can improve by working differently and can regain public trust
I am standing for election to offer you a choice for change
I offer you all my experience as a States member and careers in private and public sectors.
I am an independent member; I decide on what I best for Jersey
I elected I will seek election to the Planning minister.
I ask you humbly to consider me for one of your votes as Senator
Thank You
Three years ago I was elected Deputy following careers in the private and public sectors including former chief officer of Planning.
I have been chairman of the Environment Scrutiny panel and have completed over fifty public hearings and reviews.
As a backbencher, I have lodged many private propositions and gained States agreement to
Time limits me speaking to only a few of my policies set out in my manifesto and website
In times of economic recession, we must build on our strengths, take opportunities and adapt quickly. We must encourage new enterprises and remove unnecessary bureaucracy. Our education system needs greater emphasis on development of skills to meet local employment needs. We must develop our creative and IT sectors and open new up new sectors, including renewable energy technology. We must support and grow event – led tourism. Just look at the success of Branchage festival and Jersey Live.
Despite the recession, the Island is under pressure from development requiring continued vigilance. We have seen too many out of scale coastline developments which change our Island for ever and must work to keep our Coastal National Park unspoilt. The improvements to our planning system, including a new appeals system, have to be implemented swiftly and efficiently.
We must maintain Jersey’s independent character and support our community and voluntary services .
The 2015 Budget represents a departure from decades of financial prudence, our government is now spending more than we receive. The continued growth in public spending is no longer sustainable. We have to review spending priorities and progress public sector reform. We must look at corporate overheads and review layers of management to ensure they add value to frontline services such as health and Education which we have to protect.
We have to ensure our health service is organized to meet the needs of our ageing population and improve access to primary healthcare for all, not just those who can afford it. I want to make sure we are developing a health service which is right for Jersey and are not simply copying the NHS .
Above all, there is a need to improve our government. We need our government to work in a way which suits our close community and builds consensus rather than encourages adversarial politics. We need to rebuild lost trust in our government and restore confidence in it.
For these reasons I am standing for election as Senator.
In this election, you have a choice of voting for change or for more of the same from the existing Ministers .We need a fresh approach. I have the capability and experience to deliver the changes which a great many people have told me they want to see.
I humbly ask for your vote as Senator. Thank you
Q. Are candidates in favour of a property tax, what effect will it have on the parishes?
A. The Treasury paper is written in analytical and academic language, but its purpose is to extract more money from us in tax. We pay enough already. Centralising tax will mean the Treasury Minister having power to set the rate imposing increases, replacing the present rate setting by parish meetings. I am favour of a windfall tax on gains from in rezoning of land, but opposed to a tax on property values, sounds like the feudal system.
Q. Do we have a tourism strategy if no, what would candidates like to see included?
A. No. We have neglected tourism and allowed it decline. I want to see a strong focus on event led tourism, environment, heritage, culture, sports, and arts. This requires support People come to Jersey for a purpose, with they decline in fixed attractions; we have to provide our visitors with events, with a reason to come to Jersey.
Q. What are the candidate’s views on Gigabit Jersey, the costs of this service and reports of problems from different upload and download speeds; and limited number of program coders in Jersey?
A. I am big fan of hi speed internet access and leave the technical issues to the engineers. It has opened up new business opportunities and creates employment, enables home working. I have fibre 50 Mb at home, it is excellent but too expensive, I don’t like data charges, and this could undermine the benefits. Education are making big efforts with teaching coding with the exciting Raspberry Pi project, I have two at home, they are cheap and accessible. This will draw young people in the world of computing science.
Q. What are the candidate’s views on the Planning system and the loss of an important urban development in Bath Street because of bureaucracy?
A. We have a big problem with our Planning system. I have raised this with the Planning Minister at every quarterly meeting of our Scrutiny Panel, and published concerns in our legacy report. Big urban regeneration developments require resilient planning frameworks ie. masterplans.. This needs strong political direction, which is presently absent. Without it, developers have to rely on officer advice, invest big money in their applications and then find the advice overturned. They have lost confidence. The planning processes are bureaucratic, expensive and inefficient. The POS review into the planning system commissioned by the Chief Minister is superficial and of little benefit. Sorting this is a priority for a new minister.
Q. Is there an end to the continual increase in public spending and States manpower?
A. There has to be an alternative. We have to set priorities and decide which services are essential for funding and which are less important. The States have tried spending reviews for decades without success. Our silo government works against it each silo protecting their departments spending, resisting change. In a past life I have sat at the civil service top table and seen this happen. We must protect front line services and reduce management layers and overheads which add no value
Q. Did the low turnout on the referendum result provide a mandate for option B?
A Ran out of time to answer. I would have said:
The low turnout was a factor in my decision to vote against. It was mainly the way the referendum was carried out and the complexity behind the questions, which confused many of the public. It took no account of views of many on island wide mandate. I was not active in either A or B campaigns and will accept the latest referendum result, which is rightly a simple yes/ no. If this had been done before all ambiguity over the result would have been removed.
Q. Will tourism be the principal source of the growth and diversification of our economy, what level of States investment in tourism is appropriate?
A. Tourism broadens our economy, enhances the quality of island life and creates employment, it needs support. Event led tourism: arts, sports, culture, heritage, environment festivals all will bring visitors. The long lead times and risk will require financial support. There will be economic growth but growth in other sectors such as design, hi tech; media, renewable energy technology are big diversification opportunities.
Q. Should the States put pressure on the international banks to reduce imported contract staff and employ local people for these roles?
A. Economic necessity requires us to bring in expert skills now because there are insufficient people with the required skills available locally. We have to improve the training and education of young people to equip them for the work which is needed. We can become less reliant on imported contractors, but this will take time.
Q. Should Jersey negotiate with the EU for special dispensation to control immigration from the EU?
A. The expert advice is that this would require us to renegotiate the protocol of Jersey’s status within the EU, which is part of the UK’s agreement. Renegotiation alone is not really feasible. If the UK’s agreement with the EU changes then the situation may change. I expect our external relations minister to keep up with developments.
Q. What do the candidates think are implications of the property tax proposals?
A. If ever there was a green paper to read closely, this is it. It must mean paying more tax; we are paying too much now. At first sight it seems to proposing property rates be centrally administered by the Treasury Minister. This means that the Minister would be able to set the rate instead of parish assemblies. I support taxing windfall gains on rezoning of land, but not taxes on capital gains or on unrealised increases in property values.
Q. What are the candidate’s views on collective responsibility of ministers?
A. I voted against this change. In the absence of party politics this centralisation of power runs entirely counter to our historic culture of consensus government and the characteristics of good government . We have no means of giving a democratic mandate to the Chief Minister’s policies. My experience has been that ministers are defensive of their policies and take little account of the views of scrutiny. I prefer independent members voting in the best interests of the island.
Q What are the candidate’s views on zero hour’s contracts and what can be done about them?
A. There is abuse of such contracts and we should regulate them to prevent them being used inappropriately.
I was elected Deputy for St Brelade’s No 1 after giving up a career working as a Law firm Director and finance industry accountant. Before that I was Chief Officer of Planning for 13 years, a Health service Manager and Treasury Accountant.
In 2011 The States elected me as Chairman of the Environment Scrutiny Committee, onto PPC and the legal access review group.
As scrutiny chair I have held nearly fifty public hearings and reviews which have influenced Ministerial policies.
Working as a backbencher, I lodged twenty propositions and gained States agreement to many important changes to the Island Plan, amendments to the Planning Law, saved Piquet House, gained tax relief for charitable donations, reduced stamp duty for first time buyers, and continued survivor’s pensions for over 55’s. I have submitted over one hundred and fifty States questions to gain information on issues raised with me by the public.
So I am not afraid of hard work. Time prevents me today from speaking about my policies; these are set out in my leaflet and website including my CV. I want to talk to you about the way our government presently works highlighted by the new hospital project.
I have had many people including GP’s and former consultants all express serious concern over the two site hospital option which they unanimously consider unworkable. After nearly two years of this two site project working through the States with members asking for involvement, It took a scrutiny report and backbench members speaking strongly in the budget debate yesterday to gain a commitment from Ministers that the two site solution for the hospital would be brought to the States for decision, with alternatives costed and benefits appraised.
Yet the doubt in the community has been well known from day one. This raises important questions .
Do you prefer a government which involves and communicates with you openly and faces reality or one which leans heavily on PR spin or token communication where decisions are made first and you are consulted later?
Do you prefer a government which is genuinely committed to include all democratically elected members in policy setting on behalf of our community, or where public policy is decided in a small inner group?
Do you prefer a style of government which is inclusive and in line with Jersey’s traditions, or one which operates UK style which will eventually lead to party politics?
On 15 Oct you have a choice of more of the same or voting for change. You will hear very impressive speeches from the current Ministers, polished by years of practice in some cases.
If you would like a new approach to Ministerial government, I invite you to consider electing new Senators including myself. I have been prepared to put my political future on the line. If elected I will devote myself to the Ministerial challenge pursuing my manifesto policies. I have the judgement and experience to deliver real change.
I humbly ask for one of your eight votes
Thank you for listening
Q. Do the candidates have proposals to assisting local students with top up fees for university education?
A. Our current scheme is more favourable to the UK where they have student loans. I don’t want to see this here. The cost is a huge problem. We have to support local students but the current costs for both parents and the States are unsustainable in the longer term. We need to develop more locally available FE courses.
Q. If elected what positions would the candidates seek and why?
A. I will listen to my States colleagues. My skills best suit two roles , first Planning & Environment Minister where there is a big policy agenda to implement changes to which I gained States approval we have separate Planning Committee . Second, Health Minister, because I have worked in the health service, understands it well. It is the biggest issue for the future , needs skills which I have. Don’t want to copy the NHS.
Q. What do the candidates think about cuts in events funding from Tourism Development Fund ?
A. Ridiculous. We must develop event led sports, arts, heritage and environmental tourism. It is essential for economic diversification, and generates employment. We have great events bring large numbers of visitors and need more. Grants are essential.
Q. What are the candidates’ views on removing the Bailiff from the States?
A. I voted for the amendment, and against the proposal. In the long term change will be required. I have found the Bailiff to be objective, scrupulously fair, and apolitical, he is a real asset to States members.
Q What are the candidates’ views on wealthy immigrants coming into the Island and avoiding tax.?
A. We need to encourage hi-net worth people who are entrepreneurs, set up local businesses, and generate employment. They pay tax and it is better than off island corporate businesses trading locally who pay no tax.
Q. What are the views on keeping the Constables in the States?
A. I was not active in A or B campaigns. I will respect the referendum result. Personally I think the Constables have a separate role and should first be elected as Constable and then stand in States elections if they choose.
