The council was formed to show the parish has the ability to take on greater devolved powers in areas such as licensing, planning, approvals for outside events and parking, which often require States approval.
It was agreed the council would run for a year on a trial basis, which comes to an end in December, with the view to becoming a permanent entity.
The council has been divided into three portfolio committees – environment, community and communication. St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft said they had put forward their case to make it a permanent fixture. He admitted that some work had been affected by the pandemic but said that parish officials were best placed to make decisions for St Helier.
‘We as a parish want to make the important decisions for our town,’ he said. ‘We have boots on the ground and know first hand what is best and can bring more control if we have the authority to grant licenses and make other decisions.’
One of the main issues Mr Crowcroft has is the licensing application process, which he described as ‘slow, complicated and expensive’, something he said benefits no one.
He added: ‘Businesses have to jump through numerous hurdles to deal with licensing issues. They have to go through the appropriate minister who will be busy dealing with coronavirus-related issues, they will go through Planning, Treasury and the Parish Assembly too, which is a long waste of time.
‘If the shadow town council was responsible it would make it a lot quicker for everyone and any problems a business may have could be quickly solved and, vice versa, any problems we have could be dealt with by our parish members.’
Mr Crowcroft said the lengthy decision-making process could have a negative impact on businesses’ income.
‘This summer has been a prime example with many businesses filing for varying licenses to operate al fresco and adapt their business to provide an income during the pandemic. If they do not get these decisions straight away then their income can be further hampered during the summer season.’
