POLITICAL parties are ramping up their efforts to secure votes ahead of the election, with one party unveiling a ‘mini manifesto’, another due to confirm its choice for Chief Minister today and a third setting out its stall on population.
The Jersey Liberal Conservatives, which is led by former Bailiff and ex-External Relations Minister Sir Philip Bailhache has released a document outlining the party’s position on key issues such as housing, the economy and political accountability.
Among its contents is a commitment to raising the entry requirements for wealthy immigrants and promised shared-equity schemes to assist Islanders who are struggling to access housing.
‘The mini manifesto is designed to give a flavour of the JLC’s emerging policies and commitments, the most important of which is to restore political accountability,’ said Sir Philip.
Meanwhile, Jersey Alliance was due to elect its first party leader at its inaugural general meeting today. The party’s membership includes several ministers, among whom is Chief Minister John Le Fondré.
And the Island’s longest-standing party, Reform Jersey, recently outlined its approach to population in a statement, with the full detail of its associated policy to come in a manifesto.
The party has criticised the government’s Common Population Policy, which was approved in the States this week despite opposition from Reform, the Progress Party and several independents.
Recently, further candidates have also come forward, including a third Steve for the Progress Party, which announced former Island Games director Steve Bailey was the latest to join the group, alongside Deputy Steve Luce and Senator Steve Pallett. The JEP’s assistant editor, Lucy Stephenson, announced her intention to stand as an independent in the newly formed district one – which covers St Mary, St Ouen and St Peter – on a platform focusing on diversity and transparency.
The 2022 election will be the first to be contested under the new electoral arrangements, with the Islandwide role of Senator being scrapped, and the new Assembly comprising the 12 parish Constables and 37 Deputies, who will be elected across nine districts. The changes mean that many potential candidates and current Senators are trying to decide in which electoral district they will stand.
The JLC was registered in the Royal Court in January, joining the Progress Party, Jersey Alliance and Reform Jersey on the June ballot papers.
JLC’s ‘mini manifesto’ was published ahead of a full, costed manifesto, which is expected to be revealed six weeks before the election.
As part of plans to reform the Island’s economy, the JLC said it would raise the economic bar for the admission of wealthy immigrants, using the Control of Housing and Work Law. High-value residents are currently required to demonstrate assets of at least £10 million, but Sir Philip said this was ‘too low’. He added that his party would like to see this ‘quite a lot higher’, but said the exact number was a matter for discussion.
Other aims include creating a dedicated Environment Minister, instead of the current combined planning and environment role, and a minister with responsibility for social and community matters ‘to create greater cohesion in our society, to remove the blight of poverty and to support and nurture the third sector and minorities in Jersey’.
To increase the affordability of housing in Jersey, the JLC said they would develop shared-equity schemes – which offer loans to help form part of a deposit for a property – for Islanders who cannot get on to the Affordable Housing Gateway.
Measures announced in Reform Jersey’s population statement include adopting a work-permit system and steadily reducing permissions given to businesses to employ staff from outside the Island. The party wants to align the minimum wage with the living wage ‘to provide greater stability in the workforces in struggling sectors’ and to reform the tax and Social Security contributions systems ‘to ensure that everyone pays their fair share’. Reform members also aim to tackle the housing crisis, encourage qualified people to remain in the Island and to improve rights for people when they become Jersey residents.
