JLC leader wants minister for minorities

Sir Philip Bailhache Picture: DAVID FERGUSON

Sir Philip Bailhache, who chairs the Jersey Liberal Conservatives, said an assistant minister could be given responsibility for communities to help foster better relations with minorities.

‘That would at least put the existence of these communities on the government’s radar,’ he said.

In a JLC blog post, the former External Relations Minister said that more needed to be done ‘to acknowledge the contributions made to national life by minority communities and the social and cultural value that they bring to Jersey’.

He cited ArtHouse Jersey’s recent call for Portuguese, Polish and Romanian artists for a paid residency in the Island next year as an ‘inspiring example of what can be done’, and government restrictions on gatherings that prevented Catholic communities from holding traditional celebrations on Christmas Eve as ‘careless of the interests of an important section of our community’.

Roman Catholic communities, which include a number of Portuguese and Polish citizens, traditionally hold their most important festive celebrations on Christmas Eve. But Covid restrictions last winter prevented them from doing so.

Sir Philip said the number of non-British residents had grown steadily and, in 2021, ‘nearly 25% of our population comes from or has roots in other European countries’, adding that ‘all those who have made their homes in Jersey have a stake in the Island’s future’.

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