Guy de Faye
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Key Policies
Agriculture
The agriculture industry has been virtually crippled by stiff global competition. The Common Agricultural Policy continues to favour EU producers and as the EU expands into Eastern Europe, their advantages will be enhanced by cheap labour. Nevertheless, the countryside that has been shaped by local farmers over the centuries must remain the bedrock of Jersey's way of life and all Islanders should be able to enjoy the benefits of our rural heritage. - more...Capital Spending
Unfortunately and almost inexplicably vast sections of the Island's basic utilities have been seriously underfunded over a period of decades. Roadways, sea defences and the sewerage system, to highlight the obvious examples, have been neglected due to ill conceived "cost saving" measures designed to trim budgets. - more...Chief Minister
"You are the new Chief Minister. You hold a piece of paper that tells you which States member supported you and who declared for your rivals. Your choice of "Yes Men" to install in your Executive is an easy one. You also have the opportunity to decide which of your colleagues may have their policy ambitions thwarted over the next few years. How lucky that elected representatives were prepared to publicise their preferences despite the procedure of electing a Chief Minister being subject to a secret ballot."I trust the preceding hypothetical exposition indicates why the process of electing Chief Minister involves a secret ballot and helps to explain why I shall be keeping my choice of Chief Minister a secret.
Competition
Jersey has become a very expensive place in which to live and many of the high prices are due to monopoly businesses and a rip-off culture within the economy. The new competition law and regulatory authority should help crack down on these inflationary factors, but it will not be an universal panacea. What is good for Jersey does not always accord within generally accepted economic theories.- more...Economy
As the dominant major sector in Jersey’s economy, the Finance industry must be supported and protected against increasing competition from offshore rivals and international regulatory pressure- more...Education
Jersey offers some of the best education in the British Isles and the current high standards should be maintained. However, education doesn’t begin and end at school or university. Jersey’s public and private sectors need to increase investment in education, training and career development, so that residents can be re-skilled to meet changing employment conditions. This would also help to reduce the need to import employees from outside the Island.Environment
Jersey's unique geography is the Island's most precious asset and that heritage must be protected for future generations. Sadly, concern for the environment has not been a high priority until recent decades and Jersey's natural habitat has been seriously degraded. It is sad that unique local species like the agile frog are struggling to survive in an Island that is world famous for saving endangered animals.- more...Government Reform
Jersey needs effective government, but that should not be at the expense of hard won democratic values. The concepts and reforms that emanated from the Clothier team showed marginal concern for Jersey's traditional values and the Island was fitted with an off the peg solution primarily designed for UK regional authorities - more...Health
As the number of elderly in Jersey's population rises, healthcare will become an increasing problem, so let's start tackling the issue now. Health funding will always lead the budget priorities, but the public purse is not a bottomless pit, as the Island has recently discovered. Getting the most out of our existing services is vital, but keeping people fit and healthy is the best way to save on medical spending. Jersey already has a good record on preventative health care and this is the route to follow, whilst ensuring that first class facilities remain available for those that do fall ill. Swimming is one of the most beneficial aerobic exercises and can be enjoyed at all levels and at all ages. In an island surrounded by sea it can make no sense that any local resident might be unable to swim. Jersey should offer a much higher level of public access to both sport and leisure swimming pools.Housing
Limitations on land space and building development inevitably mean it will always be difficult to provide all local residents with adequate and affordable housing. Jersey's system of housing qualifications is unfortunately discriminatory, but it is hard to see an alternative to giving preference to Jersey-born people. Gradually reducing the qualification period to 10 years will make it easier for qualifying residents to obtain mortgages, but the regulations should not be abandoned unless a satisfactory alternative can be found.This approach is, of course, discriminatory and the system is at least two tiered, but the native residents cannot afford the luxury of unlimited hospitality and uncontrolled immigration, as many much larger jurisdictions are beginning to discover for themselves.
The critical factor affecting all housing policy will continue to be the need to restrict the Island's population. Meanwhile, it is important to assess whether tax payers are getting the best value from the heavy public investment in residential accommodation. It is not acceptable for States Housing to be allowed to fall into disrepair, let alone to be subjected to abuse and vandalism by tenants.
Law and Order
If everybody obeyed the law, we would have no need of a police force. Sadly, that is unlikely to ever happen unless the community takes a bigger responsibility for policing itself. Jersey's traditional Honorary Police was founded on an early version of a neighbourhood watch scheme. Vingteniers were responsible for the behaviour in twenty households, Centeniers took on one hundred. It would be an immense advantage if a modern version of those values could be initiated, with alert members of the public assisting a vibrant Honorary Police Force and a highly responsive uniformed Police Force to crackdown on crime. St Helier residents, in particular, should always feel free to roam their own streets and an early priority must be adopting a zero tolerance to threatening behaviour in public places.Population
Overpopulation is a global issue and Jersey has its own unique difficulties. Even at current levels, it is proving difficult to provide adequate accommodation for local people and the fringe effects, such as the pressures on education, health, basic infrastructure plus associated problems like traffic congestion tell their own story. Policies for balancing immigration growth against economic requirements could be damaging in the long term. The reality is that Jersey should be seeking to reduce its population.However the short term need is to expand the workforce with more wealth generating employees to ensure that internal revenues can bridge the expected shortfall in finances when Zero/ Ten fiscal measures kick in. Worryingly, this means that if living standards are to be maintained, Jersey will have to pursue a less sustainable existence before the economy can be reshaped into a more balanced one.
Rates
After operating in a very unbalanced way for many years, the parish rating system is being reformed. In future there will be an Island wide rate collected from all parishes, with additional commercial and domestic rates. The new Island wide rate will be used to pay for items like certain classes of welfare payments, which had previously placed an unfair burden on the densely populated urban parishes.One of the remaining problems is the substantial number of buildings owned by the States of Jersey, which pay no rates at all, even though they benefit from the same parish services as any other premises. This "freebie" distorts the real costs of government and deprives parochial funds of revenue and ought to be resolved in favour of the parishes.
Senior Citizens
We owe today's elders a debt of gratitude for making Jersey a prosperous and attractive island. More than any other section of the community, they deserve to have quiet enjoyment of their surroundings. They also deserve respect for their experience and consultation on how they want to run their lives. However, it may no longer be appropriate to offer universal free benefits when more and more people retire with generous pension provisions. Being over a certain age threshold does not indicate a sudden demise to an existence of limited means. Perhaps some of our elderly would rather take the cash instead of a free TV licence and, whilst on the subject, isn't a single parent struggling with children just as deserving a case for cheaper access to a television?Importantly, whilst everyone else plans for their future retirement, the elderly are already there, so let's tap into that knowledge to ensure that proper provision is made for the next generation of retirees.
Social Security
Social Security payments need a comprehensive review to ensure that the right people are paying up for receiving the right sort of benefits. The Low Income Support Scheme seems likely to provide that sort of review. Its aim will be to ensure that benefits are properly directed to the people who really need them. In the cash rich days of the past, substantial amounts of money were handed over to recipients who were either unable to use it as intended or didn't actually need it. Now, instead of creating a debilitated and demoralised welfare dependent society, the approach must be to give people "a hand up" by encouraging them to help themselves and better themselves.St Helier
St Helier ought to be a capital that both its residents and the Island can be proud of, with landmark buildings commanding attractive streetscapes, improved provision for cyclists and pedestrians, additional space for continental-style wining and dining, a wider and tailored range of leisure facilities, all linked by 21st Century integrated transport options. The town must be well managed, properly policed, adequately resourced by fair rates and, above all, safe. Faced with the challenges of the Waterfront - will it suck the heart out the Town's retail centre or contribute to a welcome pressure to reduce the cost of commercial space? - the States should commission a Town Centre management study to resolve those and many other questions as a matter of urgency.Meanwhile, when it finally gets under way, the new Town Park at Gas Place, with the projected three stories of underground car parking, should prove to be a tremendous asset. Unfortunately, even a Town Park's open air resources aren't much fun in the driving rain and more thought needs to be applied to making St Helier a pleasant location in all weathers.
Sunday Trading
Illegal to buy cut flowers from a shop on Mothering Sunday unless they were grown on the premises. Ridiculous!Tax
Taxation should be fair, easy to understand and simple to administer. Primarily, though, taxes should not place further pressure on the weakest members of our community. If anything, taxation should be skewed, in order to redress the growing divide between Jersey's better off and the more disadvantaged.- more...Tourism
Tourism is facing a very difficult period and the commercial downturn is bound to affect business in the town. The number of Tourism beds has fallen sharply due to changing market conditions and many hotel sites have now been lost to housing developments. Taxpayers' money has a role to play in marketing Jersey as a tourist destination and additionally in reducing the cost of landing fees levied at the Airport - more...Transport
St Helier must be the only town in the world to complement a harbour constructed on dry land with a ring road built like a maze. The St Helier Town Centre Traffic Plan may have some impact, but the Island requires a comprehensive transport review with more imaginative solutions to traffic congestion. - more...Waterfront
It is very short sighted to analyse development at the Waterfront simply in terms of how high are the buildings and where will they cast a shadow. The development as a whole is a far more complex issue, particularly in terms of the economic and planning impact on the rest of Jersey. For example, unless we can halt population growth, the amount of residential accommodation that is located on the Waterfront will inevitably have an effect on the pressure for building development elsewhere.This is an unique opportunity to secure Jersey's future at no cost to the taxpayer. One third of a billion poundsworth of private investment is available, but it could easily go elsewhere if the Island continues to prevaricate over how much development is acceptable.
Jersey deserves a world class Waterfront and we must ensure that professional architects, designers and planners of the highest calibre are engaged to provide that result. This is a one-off and there must be no mistakes. A bold vision is required. It must be right for Jersey and for the Island's future generations.
Weights & Measures
New pressurised beers are making it very difficult to buy an honest pint, despite the efforts of well trained bar staff. Pub regulars often find that their traditional “pint to brim glass” contains a large foaming head and substantially less than a pint of liquid. This may seem a trivial problem for the odd drinker until the scale of the problem is assessed. Given the volume of pressurised beer sold in Jersey on an annual basis, conservative calculations indicate that local beer consumers are paying over £1 Million per annum for their "foaming tops." The actual scale of the "rip off" could be considerably more, with the real accounting mystery being who, precisely, is pocketing the windfall? The introduction of oversize glasses, with an etched line to indicate the legal liquid level, would solve the problem of paying for froth.Young People
Inevitably, unsupervised children tend to get into trouble of one sort or another, but it cannot be acceptable for anyone to feel threatened on the streets of St Helier. Tougher community policing will help, possibly with a simple swap from patrol cars to mountain bikes. Long term solutions range from more youth clubs and "drop in" centres to reclaiming streets from traffic for additional recreational space.I support the creation of an international standard skate board facility in the People's Park. Adequate screening should ensure that noise levels are not disturbing for nearby residents and the completed project should enhance the appearance of the park. I have already initiated the installation of a "trim trail" on the slopes behind West Park. This equivalent of a fitness training assault course can be used by people of all ages and abilities and is due to be completed shortly.
I would also favour more use of schools - "after hours" - to encourage young people to take up educational or sporting pursuits during their leisure time, with obvious advantages for working parents.
sports facilitiesZoo
I was horrified to hear that the Durell Wildlife Trust was considering abandoning its Jersey base. This cannot be allowed to happen simply through a lack of funding support or other tangible assistance from the States. The Jersey Zoo is the Island's premier tourist attraction and must continue to be so.MY NAME IS GUY DE FAYE – I VALUE YOUR VOTE
Telephone:
07797 722 260
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