I am standing for election as deputy of St Helier No. 2 district as a Reform Jersey candidate.
I am second generation Jersey born to Portuguese parents. I was educated in Jersey and attended university in Wales where I specialised in Mathematics with ICT and secondary school qualified teacher status. From a young age I have worked with children and young people. At the age of 18, I was employed as a teaching assistant at Le Rocquier school and a sessional youth worker for the youth service. I subsequently left to go to university when I was 22 and returned 3 years later as a maths teacher at Le Rocquier School. Prior to this I did occasional work as an interpreter and a shop assistant. Due to my love of animals, I have also founded Find Gypsy and Jersey Dog Owners forums.
I feel that for too long the States of Jersey has not been representative of the population of Jersey. Over the past twenty years I have seen Jersey change significantly from the Jersey I knew and loved when I was growing up and have felt powerless in the face of “progress”.
Housing
District 2 holds a special place in my heart as it was where I first moved to when I left my family home at the age of 19 and later, where my husband and I rented our first property together. This property was located in David Place and needless to say, it was damp and mouldy as many town properties were back then. Unfortunately, as far as housing goes, things are not much better now. Too much property is substandard and rents are scandalously high. We must bring high rent levels down to genuinely affordable levels. If elected, I would propose a 2-year freeze on social rents to enable research into bringing rents under control.
Health
The recent attention given to mental health is long overdue. As a secondary teacher I have seen the devastating impact that our increasingly pressurised education system can have on young people in my charge. The youth service provides a vital gateway to accessing help, and I will fight to protect and improve funding in this area.
Ensuring our new hospital can recruit and retain specialist staff is essential. If this means offering attractive incentives to encourage the best specialists to come to our island, then we should consider doing so.
Green Energy
We have done well in reducing carbon use, but both the States and JEC have failed to develop genuine renewable energy sources. Reform Jersey will work with JEC on energy saving initiatives such as Energy 2035, electric vehicles and ground- based solar panel arrays for electricity generation.
I have chosen to stand with Reform Jersey as I believe that only as part of a team can we achieve real results and ensure that the voice of the people is heard. Reform Jersey has made great strides already and I would like to be part of even greater achievements.