Bill Abel has been re-elected as the Chair of Policy and Finance in the States of Alderney – with the rest of the island’s politicians given their roles too, ahead of a by-election to fill two vacant seats in March.
Mr Abel has served on the States of Alderney since October 2020.
He is in his second term of office, which is due to end on 31 December 2026.
He has already served as Chair of P&F, having been elected to that role in January 2021. He chose to resign in June 2022 in light of a debilitating hip and knee condition he was struggling with at the time. He was due to have major surgery later that year.
Among his achievements during his previous tenure as Chair of P&F, Mr Abel was credited with working closely with the States of Guernsey to agree a Public Service Obligation (PSO) with Aurigny. At the time, he said while there was still more work to do and he offered to help his colleagues “where members feel I can add value”.
The topic of Alderney’s airlinks and the wider issue of the island’s crumbling runway and dated airport facilities remains a key priority for the island this year.
Joining Mr Abel on P&F are all current members of the States of Alderney, bar Alex Snowdon.
Steve Roberts has been elected as Vice President of P&F, with Committee members Stuart Clark, Kevin Gentle, Edward Hill, Iain MacFarlane, and Derwent Smithurst.
Mr Gentle has been elected Chairman of Alderney’s Building Development Control Committee, with Mr Hill, Mr Snowdon, and Mr Smithurst elected committee members.
The Economic Development Committee is comprised of Mr Hill, Mr MacFarlane and Mr Roberts with Mr Clark elected Chairman.
The General Services Committee will be led by Chair Mr MacFarlane, and members Mr Clark, Mr Roberts, and Mr Smithurst
Mr MacFarlane was elected to the Education Committee.
The two Representatives in the States of Guernsey have been confirmed as Mr Hill and Mr Snowdon, with Mr Clark and Mr MacFarlane to be available as cover if needed.
The two remaining vacant seats on the States of Alderney will be filled at a by-election to be held on 8 March.
It was first sparked by the resignation of Mr Abel’s predecessor as Chair of P&F, Nigel Vooght.
He stepped down from the States entirely in December, followed by the resignation of Bruce Woodhead at the start of the new year.
Mr Vooght had put Alderney’s airport at the top of his political priority list for 2025.
The list was included in Mr Vooght’s annual report, as Chair of P&F, which was to be read out at the 18 December States Meeting, held just days after he had resigned.
It included “finding a realistic solution that will see the rehabilitation of the runway commence urgently”.
He had also urged the States to “continue the development of future new revenue streams”, “agree and deliver a Programme of Government based on the hierarchy of needs, political priorities, underpinned by service plans”, and to “continue to develop and accelerate the work of agreed working groups to address the hierarchy of needs and priorities in the Island Plan”. He had said that “requires a more streamlined governance structure and improved decision-making process”.
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