A FORMER Deputy with more than two decades’ States Assembly experience has confirmed her ambition to return to the political arena.
Judy Martin, who served as Social Security Minister between 2018 and 2022, having previously been an Assistant Health Minister, has been nominated as a candidate for Deputy.
Mrs Martin will line up against at least five other candidates for the three vacant positions in St Helier South, the electoral district she represented for 22 years after winning a by-election in 2000.
At the 2022 election, Mrs Martin received 496 votes to rank sixth of the 11 candidates in the district, with David Warr amassing a tally of 616 as the last of four successful candidates.
“St Helier South is the engine of this Island, she said. “I am standing because its residents deserve a strong, independent voice, someone who will fight to make Jersey more affordable and deliver real results for those who need it most.”
If elected, Mrs Martin said she would prioritise fairer treatment for working pensioners, more affordable childcare, and improved vocational pathways for young people from the age of 14.
“Too many people in Jersey are working hard but still struggling to get by. We need practical solutions that lower everyday costs and give people a fair chance to get ahead,” she added, saying that Jersey could not afford “another term of division and political deadlock”.
As an independent candidate endorsing the policies of Value Jersey, Mrs Martin said she supported the political movement’s focus on tackling the cost of living, the cost of government, and the cost of doing business, promoting cheaper choices for Islanders, reducing government waste, and revitalising the local economy.
Mrs Martin said that her political track record included extending parental leave to one year, securing free GP appointments for children in income support families, outlawing “no children” clauses in residential leases, and representing residents in planning matters.
During her time as Social Security Minister, Mrs Martin joined the newly-formed Jersey Alliance party in October 2021, but then left the party around six months later, saying that in contesting the 2022 election she wished to retain the independent status that she had adopted throughout her first 21 years as a Deputy.
The other candidates to have declared their candidacy are a trio of Reform Jersey colleagues, Deputies Tom Coles and Beatriz Porée and political newcomer Carla Jardim, plus independent candidates Samantha Gleave – who has also endorsed Value Jersey – and Bernie Manning.
