Nightclub owner to stand with Alliance for town seat

Wednesday 18 May 2022

A local nightclub owner unhappy with how the Government’s covid job retention scheme was run is standing for election in St. Helier with the Jersey Alliance.

Chris Tanguy, who was born in Jersey and owns Tanguy’s in Mulcaster Street, is hoping to take one of five seats in the St. Helier Central district.

He explained that politics runs in his family, with his late uncle, Cyril Tanguy, being elected in 1960 and serving as a Deputy of St. Helier No 1 district for 18 years and going on to become President of Harbours and Airport and Telecoms.

On why he was standing for election now, Mr Tanguy, a father of three grown-up children, explained: "People have asked me many times in the past if I would think of standing for election. I never felt the time was right due to family and business commitments and that I would not have been able to fully focus on governmental work.

"However, today, in the words of Robert Burns, 'now's the day and now's the hour'."

Speaking about his business experience, he said: "I am very much a people's person having spent 45 years in the nightclub industry, meeting and mixing with people from all walks of life.

"This has given me a very good insight into what makes people happy or disillusioned with living in Jersey; from my recent experience it is very much that of the latter."

Mr Tanguy I have always been happy to air my views when asked and never afraid to put my head above the parapet."

Reflecting on his experience as a business owner during the pandemic, he added: "I feel there was a lack of support from government during the pandemic. Financial support for small business was slow to be implemented, to follow that, and in some cases, substantial amounts that were given through the Co-funding payroll scheme are being reclaimed.

"This has caused much distress to many who are only just beginning to recover."

Jersey's election is taking place on 22 June.