‘No election means there is no scrutiny’
AN URGENT review of Alderney’s election process has been called for by one of its States members.
This was after the election was cancelled due to a lack of candidates for the five seats in the island’s States.
The four candidates were elected unopposed, with one seat still vacant.
Alex Snowdon, one of the island’s representatives in the States of Guernsey, said that it was a sad day for Alderney’s democracy.
‘Without an election there is no scrutiny, no manifestos and no hustings,’ he said.
‘These are needed for good governance, and so that the electorate can hold the government to account. We need an urgent review into why we failed to attract candidates.
‘Over half our government is unelected. The average age is over 65 and there is only one woman. At the moment we are not very representative.
‘How we get the younger generation involved is the key. We need to think about rearranging the timetable so that working people could be involved, perhaps holding meetings more at the weekends or evenings.’
Mr Snowdon suggested that elections should go ahead, even if seats are uncontested, introducing a minimum vote threshold of 250 or 300 votes.
‘Then at least there would be an election and candidates would be seen to earn the island’s trust,’ he said.
The States of Alderney’s 10 members are elected for four-year terms, with half of the members having to stand for election every two years so the entire parliament is changed over a period of four years.
Sitting members Bill Abel and Steve Roberts were re-elected and will be joined by newcomers Nigel Vooght and Bruce Woodhead.
Both new members also expressed their disappointment at the lack of candidates, and suggested that one of the only ways to attract younger candidates of working age would be to pay a member of the States of Alderney a similar amount to deputies in Guernsey.
Deputies can earn between approximately £40,000 to £71,000, depending on whether they are members of committees.
Alderney representatives are paid between £13,000 to £22,000.
Mr Vooght said that he had ummed and aahed about standing as he has only been resident in Alderney for three years.
‘I put my hat into the ring as I really wanted there to be an election. We need to find a way of getting more people to stand. It is not like Guernsey where you get paid. It is incredibly difficult for working people to stand as the job is so time consuming.’
Mr Woodhead also said one of his primary motivations for standing was to try and ensure there was an election.
‘I wasn’t going to stand as I’m in my 80th year. I put myself forward due to the lack of candidates. There should be younger blood.
‘I have strong ideas of what I hope to achieve, and one of those things is to make sure that next time we have a proper election.’
Mr Abel highlighted the difficulty of being a States member and having another job.
‘The pay is minimal and means that members need to work or have private means. Having retired, people don’t want to take on a States role as it requires time and calendar commitments.’
A by-election to fill the vacant seat will be held shortly.
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