Deputy Russell Labey was elected unopposed to the role yesterday in the States after being proposed by Chief Minister John Le Fondré.
However, in his speech he appeared to let slip that he had met Economic Development Minister Lyndon Farnham in ‘the Senator’s kitchen’. Current guidance is that mixing with other household indoors should be avoided.
In the sitting, Deputy Labey said: ‘I am surprised to be in this position. It is not something I sought and I was very happy doing what I was doing and the call came at 3 o’clock on Saturday afternoon from the Chief Minister. I said, “Thank you. I will think about it”.’
He added that ‘by 5 o’clock I was sitting in Senator Farnham’s kitchen.
‘He [Senator Farnham] said, “What’s this about, Russell?”,’ Deputy Labey continued, adding that he told the Deputy Chief Minister that he had been offered the Housing brief and that Senator Farnham had told him ‘there’s a real opportunity here’.
After being challenged on social media about the exchange, Deputy Labey denied that he had breached Covid guidance.
On Twitter, he said: ‘I have never in my life ever been in the Senator’s kitchen, I was speaking figuratively. I do regularly pass his house on my walks and if he’s in we sit in a lovely spot on the roadside wall.’
The new Housing Minister has pledged to include affordable homes, amenity space in St Helier and added protection for tenants among his priorities.
Deputy Labey was appointed after no other Members put themselves forward for the role.
Although his official title will initially be Children’s and Housing Minister, Deputy Labey is likely to take on an adjusted ‘housing and communities’ role in line with the Chief Minister’s intention to reshuffle ministerial portfolios.
The shifting of ministerial portfolios is set to be confirmed via ministerial decision.
‘Buyers need more assistance and we should be able to offer young people a realistic prospect of becoming home-owners,’ Deputy Labey said. ‘A housing problem is all our problem.’
Deputy Labey said high land values acted as a barrier to affordable housing and that he would take a ‘tough line’ on what he referred to as ‘land banking’, favouring compulsory purchase of plots where developments had been approved but not completed.
Responding to a question from Constable Simon Crowcroft, Deputy Labey agreed that more amenity space and community facilities had to be provided in the north of St Helier in the light of plans to build thousands of new homes in the area.
Such facilities were ‘absolutely essential’, Deputy Labey added, and that campaigning to achieve them had ‘defined my entire political career’.
The new minister was asked whether existing laws provided adequate protection for tenants in the event of them becoming homeless as a result of fire or other unexpected events.
Deputy Montfort Tadier raised the issue following a fire in St Aubin in December which forced members of six households to seek new housing.
Deputy Labey said that he was committed to improving the rights of tenants and conceded that there might be flaws in current legislation which should be reviewed and potentially updated.
Although he has stepped down as chairman of the Privileges and Procedures Committee, Deputy Labey said he had been given a seat on the committee by the Chief Minister in order to continue his contributions to achieving electoral reform.
