I want to be clear in saying that I love our little Island. That said, there are a few things I would like to change…
1. It’s time to go green
I think our attitude towards the environment needs to be addressed. While we now have recycling in certain parts of the island, it’s certainly not quite the finished product. What is most baffling is our total lack of strategy as regards to clean energy – we are perfectly placed to benefit from solar, wind and tidal power, yet there have been no steps towards making this a reality.
2. Let’s get our heads out of the sand and talk about addictions
Picture: Are alcohol and drug dependency issues overlooked in Jersey? Ben thinks so!
While we are probably a lot more open as a society now, there still seems to be a head in the sand mentality when dealing with certain social issues, such as alcohol and drug dependency. These are real concerns and pretending they are not will not make them go away, we need to bring these conversations to the forefront and look at the root causes of these issues, rather than vilifying those affected.
3. Jersey nightlife is a bit of a snooze…
Video: As Director of Rocksteady Events Limited, Ben is familar with the Jersey entertainment industry.
As an event organiser and aspiring restauranteur, I would love to see more support for the night time economy.
Jersey could be one of the most vibrant places in Europe (and by all accounts, once was) for hospitality and entertainment, however there seems to be a desire to force people to stop enjoying themselves, or at least if they are, to do so in their homes. It’s proven that vibrant night time industry works wonders for tourism as well as providing a happier, more creative environment to live in. Getting people together in supportive, safe environments will also help to tackle some of the alcohol-related issues I mentioned previously.
4. We should encourage independents
In the last few years there has been an increase in the number of independent businesses, St Helier especially has some great small retailers and places to eat – I’d like to see more support for this, specifically something that supports the ‘pop up’ culture now prevalent in the UK . Why leave empty units remain unused, when a new business could make great use of the space, and use this as a leg up to establish themselves, giving us even more choice as islanders?
Finally, I would love to see us better connected to the other Channel Islands and other European hubs, such as Berlin and Amsterdam, or at the very least, France. As far as I am concerned, we are the same family as the rest of the CI, yet it is hard for us to forge ties due to the sheer cost to travel in between. Given how close we are to the continent it is ridiculous that we have to rely on an unreliable, overpriced ferry service, irregular and expensive flights to Paris or Dusseldorf or routing via the UK to get to Europe.