St Peter Port parish election only contested one in island

Diane Mitchell and Jenny Tasker, who each polled more than 3,000 votes in Guernsey’s first island-wide election in 2020, will contest the vacant junior constable’s seat in the island’s most populous parish.

Both are currently on the douzaine and the successful candidate will serve as constable for three years, beginning on 1 January.

Mrs Tasker is a former La Mare de Carteret Secondary School headteacher and has previously been a constable and a States deputy.

Mrs Mitchell was previously a director of education in Bournemouth.

‘I’m thrilled to have a contested election again in the parish,’ said senior constable Zoe Lihou, whose own term carries through to the end of next year.

‘It gives people a chance to exercise their democratic right to vote.’

The election is scheduled to be held this evening during the parish meeting at Les Cotils, which begins at 7.30pm.

However, if seven or more people present vote to defer the election, as has happened frequently in the past, then the election has to be conducted within two weeks and is likely to be held on Wednesday 16 November.

‘We’re obviously keen to encourage as many people to vote as possible,’ Mrs Lihou said. ‘So we’re planning to look into holding future elections on a Saturday.’

She also hopes to further consolidate the opening hours of the constable’s office in order to enable better use of the parish’s limited staff time.

‘We’re in a transition phase from the old guard,’ she said.

There are also eight candidates pursuing seven seats on the douzaine.

Those finishing in the top five places will be entitled to serve for four years, whoever finishes sixth can serve for two years, and the candidate finishing seventh will have a 12-month term of office. None of the other parishes have a contested election either for douzenier or constable, though all have sufficient candidates to fill their vacancies, with the exception of St Saviour’s, which will be one douzenier short.

Various school committee positions will also be filled, with the Vale’s seat on the La Mare de Carteret High School Committee being contested between former deputy Mary Lowe and Deirdre Dudley-Owen, the sister of the current Education, Sport & Culture president.

St Peter Port will also have a contested school committee election for a seat on the Amherst and Vauvert committee.

The parish meetings are getting under way at either 7pm or 7.30pm this evening, depending on the parish.

n Exact details can be checked at http://gazette.guernseypress.com

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