ST Helier is facing a “democratic deficit” with the reintroduction of Islandwide mandate, the parish Constable has said as he launched a bid to cut the proposed number of Senators in favour of more town Deputies.
As States Members prepare to debate the details of the decision, made earlier this year, to restore the office of Senator to the Assembly, Constable Simon Crowcroft has submitted an amendment that would reduce the number of Island-wide Senators from nine to seven.
Mr Crowcroft’s amendment to the new law, set to be debated during the second week of September, would keep the Assembly at its current size of 49 Members, with an additional Deputy for both St Helier North and St Helier South.
In the report accompanying his proposals, the Constable highlights differences between electoral districts in terms of the number of people for each representative. Without his amendment, St Helier South would have a representative for every 3,358 people, with St Helier North’s figure being 3,644, he adds.
Mr Crowcroft, who voted in favour of restoring the Islandwide mandate, contrasts these figures with the electoral district covering St Mary, St Ouen and St Peter, and the neighbouring constituency of St John, St Lawrence and Trinity, both of which have fewer than 2,000 people per representative.
Should the amendment win the support of fellow politicians, St Helier North would have 2,803 people for each Deputy and Constable, while St Helier South would have a figure of 2,582.
“Reducing the number of Senators from nine to seven is a simple step for us to take in order to address the most serious problem of a democratic deficit in St Helier,” he stated.
Having been abolished with effect from the 2022 election, the Islandwide office of Senator was restored, in principle, in March when a proposition from Deputy Elaine Millar secured 25 votes, the minimum figure required for changes to the electoral system.
