The chair of a committee responsible for overseeing the running of the States Assembly has stepped down after three years in post.
Constable Karen Shenton-Stone said it was “time to let somebody else take over” as chair of the Privileges and Procedures Committee (PPC).
A new chair will be elected at the next States Assembly sitting.
In her resignation letter, Mrs Shenton-Stone wrote: “A core tenet of representative democracy is to be replaced, and I hope that my successor will benefit from the experience they will receive over the coming months, and the insights they will gain.”
The PPC, which is separate to Scrutiny panels, oversees the procedures, code of conduct and facilities for States Members.
“It is a separate part of this Assembly, and it is vital that it stays this way so that it may represent the whole Assembly,” explained Mrs Shenton-Stone, who was first elected as Constable of St Martin in 2018 and has served two electoral terms in the States.
The politician cited voting reforms as one of the key successes during her tenure – with Jersey elections now being held on Sundays, and automatic voter registration coming into place aiming to make it easier to vote.
She explained: “We are all aware that the electoral turnout in Jersey is shockingly low, and for an island that speaks fondly of its democratic institutions and consensus-driven government, it is imperative that our words are met by delivering a more engaged and democratically-active electorate.”
This follows a turnout of only 41.7% in the most recent election – the lowest of any OECD jurisdiction.
As chair, Mrs Shenton-Stone oversaw the PPC’s attempts to further reduce gender disparity in the States with the 2022 election seeing a 50% increase in the number of female politicians elected.
Mrs Shenton-Stone previously spoke about a proposition which was lodged to improve remote working capabilities in the States which she said would mean that “those with care responsibilities would be able to continue to participate in States sittings remotely, should they choose to, during health-related incidents of a family member”.
The Diversity Sub Forum, a sub-committee of the PPC, has been working on issues around supporting gender diversity to increase inclusivity within the States.