Civil servant and campaigner to stand for election

Monday 21 January 2019

A civil servant with experience working in Jersey and Australia’s government standing on behalf of Reform Jersey, and the chairman of a local pressure group, have announced they will be standing in the upcoming St. Helier by-election.

Jersey-born Lyndsay Feltham (40) said that she wished to stand for the district 3/4 seat in order to “support the delivery of positive change for the benefit of the island."

The mother-of-one, who is the daughter of former seat-holder Deputy Shirley Baudains, lives in the area of Westmount. 

She was educated at Grouville, Le Rocquier and Hautlieu before attending university where she obtained a degree in BA Performing Arts – Enterprise Management.

Pictured: Nominations night is next Tuesday 29 January and will take place at the St. Helier Town Hall.

Mrs Feltham later went on to spend 12 years in public service, working both in Jersey and for the State Government in Western Australia. 

Further explaining her rationale for standing in the by-election, the Reform Jersey candidate for the late Deputy Richard Rondel’s seat continued: “I firmly believe that it is the duty of the government to maximise the value of the services that it provides to the people.

“For me, this does not mean austerity-driven budget cuts and a continuous drive for savings. It means keeping people at the heart of decision making, encouraging public sector innovation, and involving the community to co-design the services best suited to meet their needs. More listening and more action.” 

Senator Sam Mézec, Chairman of Reform Jersey, said his party was “pleased” to be supporting Mrs Feltham, given her “in-depth knowledge of the political issues facing the island."

Pictured: Islanders will cast their votes in the by-election on 27 February.

“Her experience working in the public sector in both Jersey and Australia, as well as supporting her mother’s campaigns when she was younger, will be invaluable in making her an effective States Member from day one,” he said. 

Mrs Feltham joins six other islanders who have declared their candidacy so far ahead of nomination night next Tuesday 29 January. 

So far, candidates from last year’s election Inna Gardiner, Geraint Jennings, Anthony Lewis and Gordon Troy have all joined the runnings, alongside newcomers Andrea Mallet and John Baker, who also threw his hat into the ring today.

Mr Baker is founder and chairman of the Jersey Action Group, which has heavily campaigned surrounding waterfront development.

In a post on Facebook, the candidate, who has worked for St. Helier in an honorary capacity for 25 years, said his slogan would be "putting St. Helier first".

He explained: "In that respect, I am working with the Parish on a number of projects which include Recycling and Composting and the creation of a Parish Council which will ultimately bring more democracy to Parish politics and encourage more community involvement in Parish affairs. I also work with a number of local charities.

"I am very keen on protecting our natural and built environment. As founder of The Earth Project Jersey, I want to push the idea of a greener St Helier – more open spaces – more trees – and cleaner air and water."

He also described the hospital as a particular area of interest, and confirmed that he did not support continuing with plans to build on the Gloucester Street site.

Election day will take place on Wednesday 27 February.