AN assistant minister has confirmed he will be seeking re-election in June in a different district and as a Reform Jersey candidate.
Deputy Trevor Pointon, who was elected as an independent candidate in St John in 2018, is to run for the party in St Helier North next month.
He served as an assistant children’s minister and assistant health minister, and helped launch the children and young people mental health strategy – a four-year plan which aims to improve mental-health outcomes for young Islanders.
Deputy Pointon said he had chosen Reform Jersey ‘as I share many of the positive societal aspirations they stand for’.
‘They have already implemented successful policies and I want to be part of an effective team which can continue delivering for the people we represent,’ he added.
With recent electoral reforms seeing constituency boundaries change significantly, incorporating St John, St Lawrence and Trinity into one district, Deputy Pointon decided to contest St Helier North, which he said was ‘home to a diverse community, which I believe I can represent effectively’.
‘My motivation for standing is to improve services within the parish and make a difference for people and their families,’ he said.
Deputy Pointon added: ‘During my first term I have been able to assist a significant number of Islanders to resolve issues they have encountered as service users. In my time as an assistant minister, there has been significant additional investment in mental-health services with a measurable improvement in the delivery of services, but there remains a long way to go.’
Before entering politics, Deputy Pointon had a long career in healthcare, having served as a senior staff nurse at the Hospital from 1990 until 2013.
He was commissioned in the Army Medical Services from 1979 until 2006 and served in this role in Iraq in 2004.
