Key priorities

Here are some of the key areas of focus for the coming political term.

HOUSING

Guernsey's housing crisis isn't just that there aren't enough homes for the people that live here: in fact, it's a much more complex set of interrelated problems. These are driven by the huge increase in Guernsey's population, fuelling housing demand, coinciding with Brexit, Covid and the economic fallout of 2022, where costs and availability of materials, labour and finance suddenly became much more challenging, hampering supply. More detail can be found in the Guernsey Housing Plan and the Problem Identification Report, but here's a summary of some of the main issues, and what we've done, are doing or should in my view do about them...

PROBLEMS

Affordability

Despite a real-terms decrease since 2020, house prices are still around 14 times average earnings (down from more than 16 times average earnings a couple of years ago) which is well above the level considered sustainably affordable.
Rents, by contrast, have seen a sharp real-terms increase over the last few years: average rents are now around 58% of average earnings, which is far higher than is considered sustainably affordable (spending up to 35% of income on rent is considered affordable). Affordability is even more of a problem for people on lower incomes, who often have to spend the vast majority of their earnings on rent.

Availability

There aren't enough Affordable Homes (e.g. social rental, partial ownership, keyworker housing, extra care housing etc): there are around 250 eligible households on the waiting list for social rental housing, for example - and typically they will be paying very high rent in the private rental sector until a social rental property becomes available.
In the general market, there aren't enough homes of the types and sizes that most people need - especially one- and two-bedroom homes, and homes that people can downsize into and manage easily as they get older.
This affects efficiency: many homes are under-occupied with their owners keen to move somewhere smaller, whilst other households live in over-crowded conditions because they can't find anywhere bigger to move into. We also have a high rate of vacant homes that aren't available to the general market, usually because they're second homes or holiday lets.
There is so much more demand than supply in the rental sector that many people are having to pay more than they can comfortably afford in rent for a home that isn't necessarily good quality or doesn't necessarily suit their needs.
In the Open Market, whether for sale or rent, there isn't currently enough choice to fully support professionals and entrepreneurs looking to relocate to Guernsey or for long-standing Open Market residents to downsize into.

Quality

The quality of housing, especially rented accommodation, has historically been very variable, with many great quality homes but also some unsafe properties.
Energy efficiency is also likely to be highly variable, which costs householders money paying bills for energy that is wasted and contributes to poorer health and higher carbon emissions.

Security of Tenure

Neither landlords nor tenants currently have sufficient legal protections with respect to issues such as deposits, repossession of the property, notice periods, children and pets, antisocial behaviour, non-payment of rent or huge rent increases.

"All people living in Guernsey will have access to a range of good quality housing that is affordable, secure, energy efficient and adequate for their needs."

This is the Guernsey Housing Plan's overarching aim.

SOLUTIONS

Facilitate more housebuilding by working with landowners and developers to overcome the specific barriers site-by-site (this work is well underway and is having results - several big sites will soon come forward for planning permission as a consequence, yielding hundreds of new homes in the next few years);
Establish a delivery-focused Housing Commission (my proposal to establish one earlier this year was narrowly defeated in favour of establishing an additional political committee instead), or at the very least a dedicated Housing Champion who can facilitate work between government and industry;
Commit to the Affordable Housing Delivery Programme (from a standing start at the beginning of this political term, we now have about 450 affordable homes in the delivery pipeline, so our work with the Guernsey Housing Association is starting to pay off), which will provide more housing to more people to ease demand on the general market;
Support the use of MMC - modern methods of construction (this work is also well progressed, including site-specific analysis of which types of MMC, for example 2D, 3D, volumetric, 3D printing etc, are best suited to particular housing development sites);
Address homelessness, root and branch (we're already working with different charities to support them to prevent homeless at source and/or help people facing homelessness in practical ways, for example Action for Children (who have training flats for care leavers), Caring for Ex-Offenders (who help prisoners settle back into the community following their release), Safer (who support victims of domestic abuse, including through emergency accommodation), Caritas (who we're working with re: their pods and temporary housing plans) and At Home in Guernsey (who we're working on a homelessness strategy for the island);
Implement the recommendations of the Downsizing Review (which we've already carried out and consulted on) to support people who want to move to a smaller home.
Once supply of housing has stabilised at a higher level, introduce carefully thought-through support for first-time buyers that doesn't inflate the overall market.
Reform the current system of rent subsidies for key workers, which inflates the rental market for everyone else - including local key workers (we have developed some proposals to tackle this problem which is currently out for consultation with relevant committees).
Implement the new Open Market Inscriptions Policy (legislation for which has been approved by the States and is now awaiting Royal Assent);
Remove the tax barriers for people buying to let, to stem the loss of rental accommodation into the private owner occupier market, which is what is happening now. (My proposal to remove the 2% document duty uplift for buy-to-lets in the last budget debate was strongly supported by the housing industry, but frustratingly not by the Assembly, so it wasn't approved and the document duty uplift remains in place);
Introduce an escalation tax on needlessly vacant property (P&R's previous proposal was not workable so was effectively withdrawn from the States, but I think it is worth another attempt to get it right, learning from the work that Jersey and the Isle of Man have done in this respect).
Introduce minimum housing standards for rental accommodation (legislation for which we have already approved - now just waiting for Royal Assent);
Develop stronger legal protections for landlords and tenants (we've already carried out a public consultation, so there is a strong foundation for this work to be progressed early in the next political term) and introduce an independent ombudsman or tribunal system for housing disputes.
Support energy efficiency improvements to help householders and landlords live more affordably and comfortably.

HEALTH

Nothing is more fundamental to our quality of life than our health, and the States has an important role to play in that which goes well beyond the provision and commissioning of health services - though that is of course a big part of it.

Dr Nicola Brink MBE, our excellent director of public health, summarised her evidence-based view of the situation (which accords with my own long-held opinion, as set out in my 2016 and 2020 manifestos) when introducing her latest report, Investing in Tomorrow:

"We cannot continue to focus on acute care at the expense of prevention. We need to shift the focus where prevention of disease and ill-health is given equal consideration to the management of acute conditions. If we don't our health and care services will become overwhelmed in the next 20 years. Impossibly difficult choices will need to be made - for example healthcare services may need to be rationed.

"We also have to change the narrative from ill-health being a burden to good health being an economic enabler. Quite simply, a healthy population is a productive population. We need to have a longer-term vision and not just focus on short-term 'fixes'. If we don't, we will face a crisis within the next 20 years. The hospital that we are building now will not cope."

So much of our population's health is determined by wider factors which influence the choices people can make. While it's essential to maintain good primary and secondary care (GPs and hospital/specialist services), deputies in the next Assembly must look well beyond the four-year political horizon and focus now on the things that will improve quality of life in the near term and better manage the pressures on our health system longer term by reducing chronic preventable disease. This is especially important because on average we're all living longer, but not necessarily in good health. The States has a vital role in terms of making healthy lifestyles easier, through initiatives that encourage and enable:

healthy eating - especially for families with young children and people struggling with the cost of living
active lifestyles - for example infrastructure that makes non-motorised transport safer and more convenient
smoking and vaping reduction - with a particular focus on young people, progressing the positive recent work
healthier relationships with alcohol - across all age groups, with extra support for pregnant mums
healthier relationships with others - reducing the prevalence of domestic and sexual violence
good mental health - such as improving access not just to specialist services but also social connections and our natural environment
returning to work after illness - supporting people through our flexible, proactive approach that is starting to pay dividends already
longer independent living - through sustainable care and housing that people can manage comfortably as they get older
dementia-friendly environments - for example through greater awareness and better planning
affordable access to GPs - building on the real steps forward in making children's GP and Emergency Department visits more affordable
and many more...

There is a lot of great work taking place already, especially through Public Health and the Health Improvement Commission (with whom I have been quite involved), and the Supporting Occupational Health & Wellbeing programme (an initiative that, as Vice-President of ESS I am very proud of): the evidence suggests that this preventative approach is both effective and very cost-effective, so it is something I am keen to expand - not least because it will also improve people's quality of life in the short term too.

While I'm a strong supporter of investing in preventative measures, it's also obviously important to invest in acute healthcare services too. The hospital modernisation programme and the electronic patient records programme are both key enablers, and the increasing focus on mental health is also something to continue to encourage and support.

Long-term care is another huge priority, especially as the number of people aged over 85 is set to increase by 128% over the next three decades. As Vice-President of ESS, I was one of those that worked with the care home sector on proposals (which were supported by the States earlier this year) to increase their funding to help stabilise the sector and increase the care bed capacity that we need, but this is an area - along with care provided in people's own homes - that will need ongoing support to meet the needs of our community.

education

As the parent of four children in state education (my oldest, Tom, is in Y11 at Les Beaucamps, planning to move to the Sixth Form Centre in September; Zara is in Y8 at Les Beaucamps; Theo is in Y6 at St. Martin's Primary, moving to Les Beaucamps in September; and my youngest Xavi is in Y1 at St. Martin's Primary), and as an active member of the school community and a long-standing member of a parish-elected school committee, I am deeply interested and invested in Guernsey's education system.

From Early Years to Higher Education and everything in between and alongside, I want students in Guernsey to have the best educational opportunities we can give them, boosting their chances of the best outcomes. There are many fantastic things about our education system that already do this, including some great facilities and inspirational teachers, but there are also some systemic issues that particularly need support and careful thought.

Although we have many very good primary schools, the sector faces structural problems: student intake numbers are falling sharply, there are huge discrepancies in average class sizes, inequitable funding and LSA allocations and a pronounced student distribution/school capacity mismatch, to name just a few of these systemic issues. We urgently need a review of the primary sector - an important piece of work that was scheduled to start in 2020, but (to my immense frustration) deprioritised and postponed. I led repeated calls for the Primary Review to be reprioritised, so if I am re-elected I will be relentless to that end.

The secondary and post-16 sector has struggled badly since the so-called Pause & Review Requete, which introduced instability and uncertainty that persists to this day. The good news is that The Guernsey Institute is finally underway, despite the lengthy delay caused by the requete. Secondary and post-16 education, however, is a concerning picture: large and growing class sizes, significant teacher turnover, shrinking curriculum choice and rising costs are some of the problems materialising now that I predicted from the outset, as it was clear these problems would be endemic to the model. The standalone sixth form is a highly experimental model that has no known precedent at this scale, and now the costs for the proposed new facility have soared, it looks increasingly unviable. We should not be experimenting in this way with the island's students. Our decisions should be grounded in evidence and proper analysis, which is why I will continue to push for the long promised but never delivered review that will enable us to make informed decisions on how to best support our secondary and post-16 students and teachers in an educationally and economically sustainable way.

Early Years education and care is fundamentally important, because so many building blocks not just for a good education but also for life more generally are established in this formative time of childhood. There is some great work going on in this respect already, but I do think that greater government investment in this sector will pay generous dividends and is therefore worth exploring.

Similarly, a lot of improvements have been introduced with respect to additional learning needs (ALN) since the nasen Review - including some much more joined up work between the Committees for Education, Sport & Culture, Employment & Social Security and Health & Social Care. The focus has been on better information sharing and more streamlined and effective services, which is beginning to have some positive effects. It is important that this work is supported in the next political term.

While education is about so much more than simply meeting our economy's needs, it is vitally important that we give people of all ages the skills they need to thrive in today's world and contribute to Guernsey's success. Skilled trades, apprenticeships and digital education are more important now than ever - including for people who have been out of the education system for years but want to upskill or retrain so that they can adjust their career path with the changing times.

Public finances

Fiscal balance - where a government's income can meet its expenditure - is fundamentally important to the island and our economy. Most people accept that Guernsey's finances are currently imbalanced, although there is some disagreement over the exact extent of any systemic deficit.

This issue will be a pressing priority for the States from the outset of the coming political term. There is an agreed strategy in place which is the introduction of a 'GST-plus' package - GST at an anticipated 5% with significant reforms of income tax thresholds and other measures to offset the most negative impacts on low- and middle-income islanders. I did not support those proposals (nor any previous iterations of GST) because of various concerns around those impacts, so if it remains the agreed policy and I am in the next Assembly, I will do my best to ensure that any negative effects - especially on those who are already struggling - are mitigated as far as they possibly can be. I will consider any alternative proposals carefully and objectively, with particular regard to their fairness, sufficiency, workability and potential impacts on individuals and businesses - especially given the global economic uncertainty.

On the other side of the coin, it is important to make government processes and expenditure as efficient and effective as possible. The Revenue Service has been struggling for some time to collect all the taxes that are owing, and the States' IT system has had high profile problems as well. Both of these issues need focused efforts to address - and at least in terms of the IT transformation I'm confident that is already on a very positive track. Part of the digital transformation will be something I have called for throughout this political term: an e-commerce function that will enable States departments to charge for public services that should not be free (because they lead to private or commercial gain at public expense) but currently are because it's too inefficient to invoice people manually. Ultimately, the aim is to make it much easier and simpler for people to interact with government digitally if they want to, while keeping other options available for those that might struggle with technology.

Guernsey's worsening dependency ratio (essentially the proportion of people who work to the people who are retired) is putting very serious pressure on our public finances. Without intervention, it means that not only will our tax income over the coming decades will continue to fall, but also that costs rise because, wonderful though it is that we're on average all living longer, as a society we are becoming more expensive to support thanks to the increasing demand for pensions, healthcare and long-term care, which between them make up the vast majority of public expenditure. Meanwhile, we risk hollowing out our community as birth rates continue to fall and young local people leave because they don't feel they can afford to live here.

To address this problem, in 2022 the States agreed a strategic objective to grow the population quite significantly and at quite a pace. I did not support this policy because I was concerned about the pressure it would put on the island - on our infrastructure, particularly housing, on our public services and on our green spaces and other important resources.

As I argued then, and am still committed to now, we should focus far more seriously on increasing productivity. This is the tide that floats all boats, strengthening our economy in a way that doesn't put so much pressure on infrastructure and public services. Essentially, higher productivity helps us make better use of the people that we already have in the island, and helps them to better fulfil their potential as well. Ultimately, higher productivity is the key to a better quality of life for everyone in the island.

Evidence suggests that one of the most effective things we could do to boost productivity is to improve access to affordable childcare, expand the States' free pre-school provision and explore better parental leave entitlements. As PwC's latest Channel Islands Women in Work Index explains, "from the age of 25 years onwards we see women exiting the workforce in Guernsey. The number of these non-employed women increases with age and exceeds the number of non-employed men. Men are more likely to become self-employed as they age, whereas women are more likely to become economically inactive." Improving female workforce participation and employment rates to match that of more productive jurisdictions could boost Guernsey's GDP by around £200m per annum, and these kinds of policies have been shown to more than pay for themselves through increased tax revenue.

Innovation can be one of Guernsey's key strengths. Our agility and autonomy has worked to our economic advantage in areas such as sustainable finance, where Guernsey has achieved a number of world firsts and earned a great global reputation in the sector. Looking forward, we need to maintain our readiness to harness the benefits of the rapid developments in artificial intelligence and other technological advances for Guernsey, whilst guarding against their potential harms. This can be facilitated through government support and a deft and forward-looking regulatory framework.

Economic and environmental sustainability are often closely aligned, because sustainability is ultimately about the sensible long-term use of resources. Good government means taking long-term impacts into account, and making decisions informed by social, environmental and economic considerations in the round, to keeping in mind potential effects not just on current generations but future generations of Guernsey people as well.

people

One of the things that makes Guernsey special is our people, and our strong sense of community. The IoD's recent report into Guernsey's social capital found that we have exceptionally high levels of trust, co-operation and collective solidarity, and a deep sense of connection and belonging. However, it also highlights growing social divides along generational and socioeconomic lines, rising inequality, social isolation, polarisation and declining trust in local institutions, exacerbated by negative narratives driven through social media. These are challenges that we need to address.

Government has a key role to play in this. I'm proud of the progress we have made in this political term on social inclusion, for example the introduction of legislation to prevent discrimination, affordable access for children to GPs and dentists, increases in carers' allowance and the removal of the cruel policy that badly affected some low-income families with three or more young children. However, there is still plenty more progress that I'm keen to drive forward.

One of the most important, practical things that the States can do is involve relevant people from the community in policy development. This is something I'm very keen on, partly because it's only right to involve those who may be impacted by a particular policy to understand their perspective, but mostly because it makes for better policy and stronger buy-in. The Energy Policy, Electricity Strategy, Prevention of Discrimination Legislation, Guernsey Housing Plan, Open Market Inscriptions Policy and Pathway to Net Zero are just some of the major policies that I was involved in developing with very significant input from relevant people in the community.

The views of young people are particularly important in shaping decisions that affect the island's future. I have always been proactive in engaging with schools and youth-centred organisations to explain what we're doing in government and listen to what they have to say. Our third sector is one of Guernsey's core strengths: we have so many dedicated people providing services that the States couldn't do as effectively, so it's critical that we maintain strong links with these organisations and support them to thrive. It's been an honour to have been involved with many great charities in my roles on both ESS and E&I, as well as personally, and I am committed to continuing that work with the third sector as set out in the Association of Guernsey Charities' Manifesto 2025.

I'm proud to be from Guernsey, and I've been fortunate enough in my younger years to have lived, worked and studied in other parts of the world as well, and to have been welcomed into other people's communities. Guernsey benefits from our own young people making the most of opportunities that aren't available to them here and then coming back to the island with that experience and expertise - so we have to make sure that it is easy and attractive for them to move back. It's also essential that we welcome people from beyond our shores that benefit our economy and community, from the people who care for our sick and elderly in our hospital or care homes to the entrepreneurs that create employment and put Guernsey on the map, we will always need some people from elsewhere to complement our home-grown talent, so it's important that we make them feel welcome too.

The Guernsey Community Foundation's Quality of Life Report 2025 sets out that, while people in Guernsey have a lot to be (and are) thankful for, life is very much tougher for those who are poor. If I am re-elected to the States, I will make the case for a strategy to address poverty, as the report makes clear that poverty is the root cause and chief exacerbating factor for so much of the hardship experienced in our island.

environment

A healthy environment is fundamentally important to our economy and our quality of life. Environmental issues were what first engaged me in politics, and they remain a key priority to this day.

Our natural environment is what makes Guernsey so special: we know that is cherished by locals and admired by visitors, and it's what grounds our feeling of identity. Nature plays a critical role in our health and well-being, too. We know that access to natural environments has a whole range of physical and mental health benefits, including reduced stress, improved mood, enhanced cognitive function and lower risk of chronic diseases. Our green spaces, beaches and sea provide opportunities for activity, social connection and relaxation. Meanwhile, our natural environment plays a hugely important role in providing what are known as 'ecosystem services' - things like air and water filtration, soil stabilisation and climate regulation that would cost eyewatering sums if we had to recreate them artificially.

Biodiversity loss is one of the most worrying threats of our era, as its ripple effects negatively impact our health, food security, climate and economy. I'm pleased to have played a key role in establishing the Nature Commission, an organisation focused on enhancing Guernsey's natural environment and maximising the impact of our wonderful third sector organisations that are so central to the delivery of our Strategy for Nature. They have some exciting plans for the years ahead, and I'm very keen that the States continues to support these efforts.

While we have made good progress during this political term by modernising our animal welfare legislation, Guernsey is one of the few places that does not have a wildlife law. This should be a priority for the next E&I committee, as without it we cannot adequately protect Guernsey's natural environment. Other key priorities include the Marine Spatial Plan, which should lead to Marine Protected Areas (which contribute to sustainable fisheries), and completion of the extension to Guernsey of the Convention for Biological Diversity - both pieces of work that my E&I Committee has progressed this term (and indeed we are hoping that the extension of the CBD is now imminent). We've made some critical steps towards greater economic and environmental sustainability for our dairy farms, but we need to continue working with farmers to support their transition towards more regenerative practices. The next review of the Island Development Plan will also be critical in protecting nature and supporting sustainability more generally.

In terms of energy and climate change, we've made great strides during this political term with the Electricity Strategy and Pathway to Net Zero both being strongly endorsed by the Assembly, so the focus in the coming term needs to be on progressing those plans. In terms of clean energy, that includes the expansion of use of low-carbon fuels, improved on-island energy infrastructure, expanded interconnection capacity and the deployment of micro-generation and grid-scale locally generated renewables, including marine renewable energy technology. Encouragingly, all the modelling that has been done (by independent experts) shows that decarbonisation is far more affordable than the status quo.

A hugely important part of both the Energy Policy and Electricity Strategy is demand reduction. Support for energy efficiency measures that reduce the need to use energy in the first place are cost-effective for the island, because much of the cost of providing energy to the island is geared around peak demand, meaning measures that lower demand bring disproportionate cost savings.

This approach pays dividends for householders and businesses too. Our Pathway to Net Zero focuses on two key areas for emissions (and therefore cost) reductions in the coming political term: buildings and transport. Energy efficiency is at the heart of both, but both have a wide range of other benefits too.

More energy efficient homes will not only be more affordable to run, but they'll also be healthier and more comfortable to live in, reducing the negative health impacts that people who live in poor quality housing are more likely to suffer. One of the priorities for the coming political term is the introduction of Energy Performance Certificates, which help householders and commercial landlords take practical, affordable steps to save money while reducing emissions.

With transport, it's all about choice: we need to continue to make it easier, safer and more convenient for people to move about the island in whatever ways suit for any particular journey, including by foot and bike, public transport and shared mobility. We've seen a massive increase in people commuting by bike and on foot, with car traffic falling, as evidenced by the Better Journeys Project, while our School Streets initiative has helped St. Martin's Primary School achieve what's thought to be the highest rate of sustainable travel to any school in the British Isles! In the coming political term, we need to keep up momentum in making roads (especially around schools) safer, progressing the recommendations in the joint report on improving road safety enforcement that E&I carried out with the Committee for Home Affairs.

I have long championed a more joined up approach to planning and transport, and this is something that came to fruition during this most recent political term. Under the old approach, cumulative traffic and transport impacts of multiple developments in any given area couldn't adequately be taken into account, but during this political term all of the relevant people from within the States and the community has contributed to a much more proactive and holistic approach. Through my leading roles at E&I and ESS (of which I'm Vice-President), we have carried out and supported master planning for both development and transport, particularly in the north of the island where the most new development is expected to come forward in the next few years. This is absolutely essential work to prioritise to ensure that people already living in that area as well as future residents can have better transport options and access to green spaces, as well as a range of other amenities that will make a positive difference to people's lives.

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