REDUCING the number of States Members, an independent review of politicians’ pay and moves to increase the efficiency of the States Assembly are among policy ideas issued by one of the Island’s newest political parties.
The Jersey Alliance Party has published its latest policy paper ahead of the general election, with party leader Sir Mark Boleat describing the current political system as ‘broken and in need of urgent review’.
The series of papers include a number of policy ideas that may form part of the party’s manifesto in the run-up to polling day on 22 June.
A future Alliance government would, Sir Mark said, review the machinery of government, including the question of whether the Islandwide mandate should be restored and a reduction in the number of Members. The role of Senator was scrapped ahead of this year’s election in favour of nine new districts electing Deputies alongside the 12 parish Constables.
Sir Mark added: ‘The States Assembly does not do justice to the people of Jersey – far too much time is wasted on questions and debates which seem more concerned with point scoring than efficient government.’
Other policies in the Alliance paper include:
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Reducing question time in Assembly sittings to 40 minutes, abolishing questions without notice and limiting speeches to five minutes.
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Setting politicians’ pay based entirely on the recommendation of a wholly independent panel, with current arrangements, notably Members receiving the same salary regardless of their responsibilities, described as ‘unsatisfactory’.
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Addressing what the party describes as ‘serious deficiencies in career and succession planning’ in order to have more local candidates appointed to senior civil service roles and reduce the number of consultants.
The Jersey Alliance was officially registered as a political party in July 2021 and includes several members of the current government, including Chief Minister John Le Fondré, Home Affairs Minister Gregory Guida, Social Security Minister Judy Martin and Children’s and Education Minister Scott Wickenden.
