Select a region
Two former Deputies are attempting to renter local politics via the forthcoming by-election in St.Helier.
There will now be at least nine candidates for the single seat in district 3/4 which fell vacant following the recent death of Deputy Richard Rondel.
Today, one of the former district Deputies, Guy de Faye confirmed his intention to re-take his old seat in the by-election which will be held on the 27th February:
"I intend to tackle the excessive cost of residential accommodation in Jersey, which is the major drain on most people's incomes, reducing their living standards. I consider that tenants in States Housing are seriously overcharged and I have been shocked by recently discovered abuses of private sector renters, who deserve greater security of tenure and minimum quality standards for what they pay.
"I shall also seek review of Jersey's fundamentally flawed economic growth strategy, which relies heavily on bringing more people into the Island, simply adding to the overpopulation problem. This all impacts on the next review of the Island Plan, due shortly and likely to witness a showdown between substantial building development and preservation of the landscape. Green spaces in St Helier 3/4 are already being targetted and more will come under threat."
Pictured: the St. Helier by-election will take place at the end of next month.
And another former St. Helier Deputy, Nick Le Cornu, also announced his intention to get back into the States Assembly today; describing himself as an employment lawyer and political campaigner with 20 years of campaigning for social justice in Jersey, he was previously the sitting deputy for the district of St.Helier 1, having won that seat in a by-election in 2014, before losing it in the general election later that year.
For this campaign, he is standing following the recent decision by the Attorney General not to prosecute a group of sitting States Members for potentially breaching the law setting out how they should declare campaign expenses.
"After 2 Deputies and an unsuccessful candidate were charged with offences in the Magistrates Court earlier this month I investigated and discovered that this was the tip of an iceberg of incompetence and cover-up. This convinced me that I must stand in this by-election.
“The extraordinary decision of the Attorney General to grant an amnesty to all offenders, revealed the privilege afforded to the few. The expenses scandal is systematic of a much broader malaise afflicting Jersey. Incompetence and unfulfilled promises by politicians has been a recurring theme for years.”
So far, candidates from last year’s general election Inna Gardiner, Geraint Jennings, Anthony Lewis and Gordon Troy have all joined the running, alongside newcomers Andrea Mallet, John Baker and Lyndsay Feltham. They are now joined by Nick Le Cornu and Guy de Faye.
Nomination meeting for the election is on Tuesday night next week.
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.