I am again putting myself forward for election as Deputy of Saint Mary, Saint Ouen and Saint Peter because I believe I have the skills and experience to be an effective States Member representing the interests of the parishioners of these three western parishes. If elected, I would devote myself to working as effectively as I am able to for the people I represent.

My professional background

My training as an accountant at the UK National Audit Office (2007-2010) gave me an in-depth knowledge of the management of public money in the UK. In 2011 I joined Moore Stephens in London and worked internationally for five years, in various roles from Audit Senior to Senior Manager, on audit and consultancy engagements, including the audit of procurement processes, mainly on behalf of the European Union and United Nations. I managed and led culturally diverse teams working in both English and French and in a variety of countries including several EU Member States, Haiti, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Ethiopia and Jordan.

In 2018, I returned to Jersey to take up a post as Finance Operations Manager for Ports of Jersey at Jersey Airport and left that role in October 2021 to increase my hours in my Open University teaching work.

A Reform Jersey candidate

I know that many people remain wary of political parties in Jersey. When I first decided to stand in the 2022 election, I intended to stand as an independent. I then became convinced that with the system of Ministerial Government the island needs parties. I joined Reform Jersey and selected as their candidate in the 2022 election after which I become party chair. I am now standing again for election as a Reform Jersey candidate.

At its best party politics is not partisan. Over the last two years, Reform Jersey has shown that we are capable of working effectively with independents in a coalition government in which our members have held Ministerial Roles in Social Security, Education and Housing. Others of our members have undertaken a variety of Scrutiny work, including as panel chairs. As a party we have worked, among other things, to bring down the cost of GP appointments, increase the funding for childcare for 2-3 year olds and establish the ‘First-Step’ scheme to help first-time buyers.

If elected, I would work with other States Members from across the political spectrum for the common good. I would be particularly keen to contribute in areas where I have relevant expertise and skills, which I envisage might include some of all of:

• sitting on the Public Accounts Committee;
• working towards the improvement of government procurement processes, including those for large capital projects, in order to achieve better value for money; and
• finding ways for government to work more effectively with charities, to avoid recurring uncertainty over funding, while ensuring prudent financial management, value for money in public spending and robust regulation of the charity sector.

Our district – Saint Mary, Saint Ouen and Saint Peter

If elected, I will be equally committed to representing the parishioners of all three parishes in the district. I look forward to talking to as many of you as possible over the coming weeks. Please do contact me if you would like to speak to me – or come to one of my drop-in sessions. I would be delighted to hear from you.