Press Release - For immediate release
Party calls for more power for St Helier Town Hall
Reform Jersey leader Deputy Sam Mézec has lodged an amendment to the Council of Ministers Strategic Plan calling for reform of how the Parish administration system works in St Helier.
St Helier features as one of the four strategic priorities proposed by the Council of Ministers for this term of office. Their stated aim is to “Agree a new partnership between the States and the Parish of St. Helier to deliver services and best value for tax and ratepayers” however Deputy Mézec and other campaigns are worried that unless the democratic structure of St Helier is reformed to meet 21st century standards, that the “new deal” for St Helier could simply lead to a brief burst of building and social dumping, leaving a ramshackle structure unable to meet people's needs when future ministers' attentions have moved on.
“The current system we have in St Helier of a Roads Committee and Procureurs des Bien Public is hundreds of years old and was built as a ‘one model fits all’ system for all Parishes before St Helier became the economic powerhouse it is today” said Deputy Mézec
“It's clear to me that things have moved on and if our town is to be made a better place for people to live, visit and work, we need a local administration structure that is able to meet the needs of residents and businesses and has the power to deliver services more efficiently and with more democratic participation from the public”.
Deputy Mézec’s amendment does not specifically state what reforms should be made, but he has made reference to models proposed in the past by the Chamber of Commerce for a ‘Conseil Municipal de St Helier’ where Parishioners would elect councillors (or ‘conseillers’) in a public election who would form the necessary committees to head up more locally provided services and have the power to make byelaws.
“St Helier currently leads the way by holding our Roads Committee meetings in public and by holding regular open meetings of a ‘conseil municipal’ between the elected Parish officials and Parish Deputies, however it is clear that looking to the future our administration will need a legislative backing that will see us through the next 50 years”.
For further comment or to arrange an interview, please contact Deputy Mézec at chairman@reformjersey.je.
Please find attached the amendment and appendices.
