Manifesto
Whether we were born here or have chosen to
live here, we have strong feelings about Jersey. Over the years we have
developed a sense of security and tended to leave the governing of our
Island in the hands of our elected representatives. In recent years this
attitude has changed dramatically, particularly since the introduction
of ministerial government. Many people are sceptical and suspicious of
any governmental policies as too often we have been totally misled or
completely ignored. The number of people that have registered to vote in
these elections is significantly higher than usual and I hope it is
because you want to see changes being made to improve the way we are
governed.
Whilst I am very much concerned with the issues facing young people,
families, small businesses and our Island heritage, I’ve been discussing
many of the issues we currently face with people from different walks of
life and now I would like to put forward some suggestions as to how we
can deal with these:
GST
On the morning of the States sitting to decide for or against GST, I was
at the door of the States Chamber with the small crowd of protesters to
let our States members know you did not want GST.
The whole concept of 0-10 is flawed. It was rushed through by a
government that is running scared of the OECD which is basically a body
of large countries which tries to impose their directives on other
jurisdictions and is terrified of offending the Finance Industry. We
need Finance and we do need to protect it but there are far better ways
of creating a level playing field where taxation is concerned than
allowing foreign owned companies to pay nothing! How does this make any
kind of financial sense? Jersey owned Jersey companies will be inflicted
with the Deemed Distributed Law next year. They are not getting a tax
break! We should make these foreign owned companies pay another type of
fee to recoup the £600 exempt tax we have lost. If we did this, there
would be no need for any further measures. However, I also have other
suggestions that could be used to generate revenue more fairly.
Social Security & Income Tax
Currently Social Security is set at 6% up to £40,700 and you pay nothing
on any further earnings. That means that if you earn £80K you are paying
3% and even less if you earn more. We are told that we will not be able
to support an ageing population by 2035, if this is the case, which I
debate after studying much broader population statistics, a simple
solution would be to raise the Social Security ceiling or remove it
completely, thus those who can least afford extra contributions avoid
any extra cost.
We could also simply use the funds we have more effectively. On August 7
2006 Kevin Keen, the President of the Chamber of Commerce was reported
in the JEP as stating that our pension fund was in deficit by billions
of pounds yet Senator Routier found a significant “pot of money” and
decided to use it to fund free prescriptions just before this election.
Were we asked if we would prefer this money to be used to top up our
pensions? Would it not have been commonsense to provide for our future?
Although each Social Security fund is dedicated to a certain purpose,
surely if the people agree, it should not be impossible to legislate to
change this.
Fort Regent
The fort cost the taxpayer many thousands of pounds to develop and make
into a decent leisure centre in the 70s. Much of that money has been
wasted through mismanagement and lack of investment so that it now has
little to offer families other than sports facilities and the odd show.
The fort was once a great place for families and young people and I
believe it can be again. We need to get private enterprise to fund
facilities that people will use – particularly young people to provide a
safe and enjoyable environment in which they can socialise. In the past
private investors were discouraged by the bureaucracy and cost of
setting up something new at the Fort. If we just charged private
enterprise enough to cover their share of the Fort’s overheads much of
the Fort could be revamped and we would once again make it the vibrant
place it used to be without the taxpayer having to foot the bill.
There is very little for young families to do when the weather is bad
and something like this is desperately needed. Some suggestions which
have been made include internet gaming facilities – many young people
have competitions between teams from their individual homes but would
like somewhere to do this collectively so that they also get to
socialise – this would not be expensive to set up. Other suggestions
include bringing back quasar, the roller disco, the funfair and a
permanent ice skating rink – a games arcade to replace Funland would
also be welcome and perhaps a climbing wall or obstacle course for older
children.We need to be open to suggestions, ask the local people what
they want and find out what new things are available. The fort could
become the social meeting place it once was but only if we allow
investment by private enterprise and keep charges to a minimum.
I would fight for this tooth and nail.
Highlands College
The new charges for university courses at Highlands College are going to
prevent students from gaining a university degree. We should support
free University courses at Highlands as much as we can. For those who
decide to study in the UK grants are available but many of our students
still require additional loans and when you see the plight of UK
students who are still struggling to pay these off many years after
leaving university, this is something many Island students do not want
to have to face. University fees have gone up it is true but if the
Island is not prepared to invest in its own youth, then what hope is
there for the future? Why should this generation of taxpayers’ children
and all future generations be penalised and not have the opportunity of
gaining a degree, especially when there is so much competition for
employment.
Control immigration & enforce job promotion from within the Island
The 5 year rule was supposed to limit immigrants to certain types of
employment for the first five years of residency in Jersey, giving local
people an edge when it came to getting a good job. This has not been
enforced and we are now having to compete with people who have come
straight off the boat. Our school-leavers struggle to find employment in
an Island where there was never this problem previously. We need to
enforce this rule once again. The legislation is already in place and we
simply need to enforce it. Many of the immigrants to the Island would
not come here if they were limited to certain types of work for 5 years,
this is already a start to controlling immigration.
Where “J cats” are concerned, this was supposed to ensure that where no
local person was capable of doing the job, a J cat could be brought in
for a set number of years and during that time he/she was supposed to
train their successor and then return home. On the whole, whilst there
has been some training undertaken, this has usually not been sufficient
to enable local people to qualify for these positions and the J cat
licences have simply been extended. This means that local people are
often not able to reach the top in their professions. A policy of
“promoting from outside” has been the result, both in the Finance
Industry and even worse, within the public sector. I want to see this
stopped and we should begin by making it far more difficult to obtain J
cat licences and charging a hefty fee for any that are granted. The
equivalent of the recruitment fee would be a good starting point and
funds gained in this way could be earmarked for paying the Highlands
College university fees. We are told a financial degree will soon be
available at Highlands – this would be an excellent way to fund it.
We need to instigate a “points” system similar to Australia and Canada
so that we limit immigration to the skills we really need, not creating
competition for our existing labour force where we already have enough
to fill the need. At present local people with mortgages and families
are competing with immigrants “straight off the boat” who have no such
commitments and are willing to work for not much more than the minimum
wage. Skilled local workers who have proven their commitment to the
Island are finding it hard to find employment and qualified tradesmen
are being priced out of the market. This can only lead to social unrest
and even more call for income support. We need to address the problem of
uncontrolled immigration with all its demands on the Island’s
infrastructure as a matter of urgency. The Island simply cannot continue
to absorb everyone that wishes to come here indefinitely. Our current
government has endorsed unrestricted immigration because it wishes to
expand the financial industry beyond reason and simply does not care
what longterm damage this causes. I want to see immigration controlled
and carefully monitored.
Promote & encourage Jersey owned & small businesses
No to importing bull semen
Isn’t it ironic that after decades of neglect, just before the elections
we learn that Economics has finally decided to do something for small
Jersey industries, including agriculture? This is too little too late
and most of our beautiful farms are now lost to the industry, with the
importation of semen the final nail in the coffin of keeping our Island
breed unique. Historically, my family were small dairy farmers and like
many others they have been forced to give up farming and now the small
herds are gone and large herds have taken over, thus reducing the
genetic pool. Our cows are seldom seen in the fields any more. This is a
sad time for Jersey.
I want to see all small businesses encouraged and assisted financially,
perhaps by way of low interest start up loans and not just when an
election is looming! States Departments require so much paperwork to be
undertaken that the time and cost involved is crippling small
businesses, not to mention the amount of Social Security that has to be
paid and loss of income tax allowances. They are expected to compete
with foreign owned companies who do not have to pay any taxes in Jersey
– how can this be equitable? People complain about the cost of buying
locally and they are quite right, it often is more expensive to do so
but consider for a moment the extortionate rents retailers are paying in
Jersey, the high cost of living – retailers and small businesses have to
pay the same bills as everyone else and if they have to import or export
goods, pay harbour fees which are often higher than those of the London
docks. How can they compete with e-mail businesses who simply rent a
warehouse and often employ casual or unskilled staff? We should look at
ways to make running businesses in Jersey less expensive and then we can
demand that prices come down.
Deemed Distributed Law
Jersey owned Jersey companies will be penalised next year by the
introduction of this law which basically means that all profits made by
their companies will be viewed as income to the shareholders for tax
purposes, even if they do not receive a penny from the company. If you
are self-employed, your Social Security payments will go up dramatically
and there will be little purpose in having a Jersey company at all apart
from the limited liability aspect which can be covered through insurance
anyway. The shareholders of these companies are already making plans to
transfer their shares to friends and relatives outside of the Island
where they will not be taxed if they receive no payments. This is yet
another ill-considered law that has been rushed through in the 0-10
panic and yet again penalises local businesses. The fact is that our
government has little interest in anything other than Finance and is
unconcerned at the difficulties being caused to Jersey owned businesses.
These are simply viewed as yet another avenue to be exploited in the
frantic search for funds to fill the “black hole”.
Affordable housing
When the “reclamation site” was promoted to local people, the concept
was sold to us as the way to resolve the Island’s housing problems once
and for all. We were to have developments for first time buyers, a
school, small shops for those living there and green zones for the
children to play on. Instead we have an ugly eyesore of piecemeal
development which has not provided us with what we most need and will
soon no doubt have a “Financial District which is the dream of our
Council of Ministers. I believe the waterfront should be used for
affordable housing for local people and not greedy investors. We need to
legislate to stop people buying new properties as an investment and keep
them for local people, possibly by only allowing properties to go to
people who are going to live in them, prevent their resale for a certain
time and ensure they remain in the “first time buyer” pool. We should be
promoting “homes for life” rather than “starter” homes if we ever hope
to solve the housing crisis.
Safeguard our beautiful countryside
If we build more housing for local people on the waterfront then there
will be that much less demand for rezoning green sites. We should fight
to preserve each and every green field since as soon as an area begins
being developed it seems to be Planning policy to link these
developments together and it will not be long before even more green
land is lost to development. I want to preserve our countryside for my
children and their children. We have to make a stand now and refuse to
lose any more of our precious fields.
Diversification
When the innovative concept of a vodka factory was presented to Planning
it was turned down as it was not suitable for the site chosen. This
would have been a brilliant idea for La Collette and with the
landscaping planned, it would have really been an asset to the area. It
would also have been an excellent tourist attraction and with the
technicians and skilled workers required, would have provided an
opportunity for our young graduates to gain employment back in the
Island doing jobs they normally have to stay in the UK to do. Brilliant
ideas like these should be encouraged with low interest start-up loans
and assistance in finding suitable sites rather than being knocked on
the head. This is exactly the kind of diversification that the Island
needs and I would certainly give such enterprises any support I could.
More efficient public transport
We should try US style small school buses with supervisors as well as
drivers. Children would be signed onto the buses and taken into the
school playground. They would be collected from the playground and only
released into the care of pre-designated people. If there was no-one to
collect them at the drop off point they would be taken to a supervised
place until they could be collected. This would get a lot of traffic off
the roads and perhaps retired people or those only wishing to work a few
hours would like to be supervisors. There would be a yellow card system
to enforce good behaviour and after “three strikes” (being awarded a
third yellow card) a child would be banned from using the bus for a
certain period of time.
To get to several of our schools, students have to firstly take a bus to
Liberation Station and a second bus to the school, invariably arriving
late. These small buses would make direct trips from collection points.
This would be particularly good for schools on Wellington Road and in
the Mont Millais area – all serious traffic congestion points, as well
as the primary schools. Parents would of course have to pay reasonable
bus fares but would be saving precious fuel, wear and tear on their
vehicles and the roads as well as reducing their stress levels and
carbon footprint. Jersey has always had a strong community spirit and
perhaps retired people or those only wishing to work a few hours each
day would be happy to act as supervisors on these buses.
The Incinerator
If we have to have an incinerator, La Collette must be the worst
possible site for it. It is going to be a monstrosity of a building
which will be visible both from the sea and on land. La Collette is
adjacent to the most built up area in the Island and the emissions will
affect thousands of people. Ideally it should be built as far away from
dwellings and on the highest point in the Island possible. I am opposed
to the principle of an incinerator but unfortunately despite extensive
research have been unable to find a viable alternative. The technology
will be there in maybe 10 years time but we are in desperate need to do
something about our current incinerator now and in fact it is long past
its sell by date. I continue to investigate every suggestion that comes
up with an open mind and will continue to do so. We do need to closely
examine the cost and if the Island decides to proceed with a new
incinerator, the contractor must be legally obligated to stick to a
budget.
Safeguard free childcare
If we had assisted childcare from birth to 3 years old (free for 3-4
years olds but means tested for the under 3s) many parents would go back
to work as it would be worthwhile. They would be happy to have a better
income and the Island would benefit from having to pay less income
relief whilst having more people paying Social Security and Income Tax.
Free childcare would pay for itself essentially. Through implementing
this system, until recession hit France they had an 80% working rate
amongst women of child bearing age - pretty impressive!
Building extra units onto primary schools for 3-4 year olds is not the
answer as private nursery schools do not make a profit in looking after
babies and toddlers due to the higher child / carer ratio and if we take
all the 3-4 year olds away from them, they will go out of business,
which has already been the case with some private nursery schools. Also,
the taxpayer has to foot the bill for the construction and maintenance
of these new units, plus funding the entire staff salary package. It
makes far more commercial sense to simply subsidise the private nursery
schools for the under 3s and pay them for the 3-4 year olds.
Make States Members & civil servants accountable for their decisions
When employees in the private sector are found to have misled or
blatantly lied to their employers they are sacked. When they are totally
incompetent, they are sacked. When they do not cooperate they are
sacked. How come we cannot divest ourselves of States members and civil
servants who continue to make disastrous decisions and knowingly mislead
the public? I would like to see this situation addressed, firstly in the
contracts of civil servants and secondly by States members having an
annual review. They should have to show that they have acted in
accordance with their mandates at election. If they aren’t voting in
accordance with their mandates they should have to resign.
Transparency of Government
The electorate should be told what's going on and why and which States
Member voted for what. Many decisions are made “in camera” by our
ministers and this leads to mistrust and suspicion. We are not privy to
the details we need in order to fully understand matters that are going
to affect our lives. There is rarely a good reason why we cannot be
fully informed and this breeds a feeling of frustration and
dissatisfaction within us. Our government is spending our money, dealing
with property that belongs to us and making decisions that have far
reaching implications in our lives and those of our children. Why
shouldn’t we know how our money is being spent, why certain tenders were
accepted and others rejected, what is being planned right from the
outset? We have a wealth of experience and wisdom in this Island yet it
is seldom drawn upon. I want to see more consultation with local people,
not just experts and people who have no idea what it means to struggle
to live in this Island.
I cannot promise that I can achieve any of the things I would like to
but I can guarantee you that I will always vote in favour of the
taxpayers and youth of this Island. If you honour me with your vote I
will serve you honestly and to the best of my ability.