PROVISION of space and activities for young people were among the hot topics for the five candidates battling it out to lead the Island’s most populous parish.
In what is set to be one of the most intriguing election battles – featuring three sitting States Members and two business owners – the Town Hall was standing-room-only for the St Helier Constable hustings.
Each of the hopefuls was given the chance to address the crowd and set out their stall before facing questions from the audience.
Alvin Aaron, who was first to speak, outlined an ambitious manifesto which featured removing GST from food, replacing DFDS and having tuktuks or golf carts to bus people around town. He also said he wanted to see more “bobbies on the beat”, but was interrupted by the bell right as he launched into his proposals to introduce registration plates for bikes.
Former Education Minister Deputy Inna Gardiner’s speech – which was, in contrast, perfectly timed – attracted a sizeable cheer from her group of supporters. She acknowledged the size of the parish and the task at hand in leading it, pledging to build parks and green spaces for the centre of town, if elected. She also stressed the importance of supporting the hospital project while ensuring the voices of parishioners were heard regarding the development, delivering a flood defence plan and reopening Fort Regent.
Mark Le Chevalier, a business owner, centenier and Accounts Committee member, said that he wanted to encourage participation in local democracy by hosting parish assembly meetings online. The father-of-two, who secured more than 2,000 votes when he stood for Constable in 2022, also said he supported the removal of GST from essential items, along with increased funding for schools and creating more apprenticeships.
Education Minister Rob Ward – whose Reform Jersey colleagues supported him from the back of the room – described the role as “steward for our parish”, adding: “The Constable should never be a distant figure.”
Among his core pledges were to build a new town school, ensure proper use of empty parish properties, give dog owners “a better deal” and support Repair Cafés. He said he would “bring experience” to running the parish and promised to stand for the chair of the Constables’ Committee, if successful.
Deputy David Warr, a former Housing Minister, stressed the value of town being attractive, which would help with resilience and the local economy – citing Halkett Street as a successfully regenerated area. He wanted to keep parish rates low and work with other parishes on services, convert unused parish properties into housing or a potential hotel, and take active travel more seriously.
Asked whether they would seek a ministerial role, the would-be Constables agreed that none of them would. The parish had to take priority, they uniformly agreed.
Repeat questions on parking and traffic congestion interspersed the evening – with answers split between those hoping to introduce a greater range of on-street parking and those who talked up alternative, green travel methods.
One of the questions which sparked ideas to flow was a question asked by a mother about whether young people could expect “an enriching and affordable alternative to hanging out at McDonald’s”.
Deputy Gardiner proposed a swing park – with her eyes on St Andrew’s Park – and developing spaces for teenagers to socialise, such as a wellbeing hub at no cost to users.
“It needs to be safe, it needs to be accessible, and it needs to be fun and something to do,” she said.
Mr Le Chevalier agreed that teenagers felt “left out” with Fort Regent currently out of action and the number of youth clubs reducing.
He agreed with Deputy Gardiner’s suggestion of a wellbeing hub, where teenager could “go and just sit and relax in a safe space and have a bit of fun”.
“I think this is a very big topic and I think we, as St Helier, can work closely with under-18s to get what their view, what they want, really try and put this in action,” he added.
Deputy Ward, who pointed out that he successfully brought a proposition for a new youth centre in town, proposed a Youth Comittee to include young people’s voices.
Further, he said there needed to be “a cultural change” in attitudes towards young people. He said: “Perhaps some see [them] as a threat when they’re in groups, it might be a bit louder, but I would say to you, have you seen older people in town sometimes?”.
Deputy Warr said indoor space was lacking, with venues closing down resulting in “a teenage crisis”. A wider play strategy was part of his proposed picture.
He congratulated Deputy Ward on his youth centre but added that he had “reservations” about it coming at the cost of a planned £7 million youth centre at Le Squez.
“Tough decisions have to be made”, he said.
Going last, Mr Aaron stood up and built suspense as he declared teenagers would “love” his suggestion.
“The solution is, if I’m elected, we’re going to have the best New Year’s Eve street party ever,” he said, with live music and a broadcast of New Year’s Eve celebrations “from New Zealand onwards”.
Islanders will head to the polls on Sunday 7 June.
