It has been a privilege to serve my Parish over the last three years, both in St. Martin and the States Assembly. It has not always been easy as there are always challenges, but hard work has never put me off. Since 2011, I have been delighted to have been involved in many exciting Parish projects. Some of those projects, like the rectory refurbishment, have been completed. Others, like the new school, the village green pavilion and the new housing scheme for young families have started and will come to fruition in the coming months and years. These are all valuable projects and hugely worthwhile.
I am genuinely excited for our parish’s future, and more importantly for the community of St. Martin. The next time you’re passing our unique Public Hall, I urge you to visit the new pavilion on the village green, or cross the road and take a few minutes to study the new school. They are both fantastic projects and will add real assets to our community, they’re both due for completion in the next nine months. Post completion, we can turn our attention to the old school building and take advantage of the wonderful opportunity we’ll have to enhance the strength of our St. Martin community by creating a new centre that everyone can benefit from.
As well as the big projects, I will continue to help individual St. Martin Parishioners that may need assistance. Throughout the last three years I have encountered many people who’ve needed political support and assistance for a wide range of reasons. Planning applications, road and parking problems, healthcare matters, social and welfare issues, drains, trees, noise, floods…the list goes on, but I hope that in all cases I have achieved results by bringing common sense to bear.
The time has flown by and it seems like only yesterday that I was first elected. There is of course much more to do and I’d like to use the next term in office to continue resolving the many parish issues and projects that I’ve started.
When it comes to moving quickly, it has been a huge benefit to work alongside our Constable. There is no doubt that a Constable and Deputy working together as a combined force can be very effective. We don’t always vote the same way in the States Assembly, however when it comes to matters that are beneficial for Parishioners, we always speak with one strong voice. I’m not a member of the Municipality and would struggle to represent St. Martin with the same experience as the Constable, but we work as a team and always update each other about on-going Parish issues. The Constable and Deputy have completely different roles, and certainly the Deputy could never represent the Parish in the Assembly with the vast knowledge and authority that a competent Constable is able to do. Whether it is for the benefit of Parishioners or Islanders, my view is that Constables must remain in the States Assembly.