Only one candidate in Sark by-election for two seats

Chief Pleas speaker and returning officer Paul Armorgie said he was deeply disappointed to have had only one candidate stand.

‘This is a major concern for both myself and the Policy & Finance Committee,’ he said.

‘We are soon to start a new campaign to encourage islanders to sign on to the electoral role, so people can vote and stand for election.’

He added that Sark currently only had 344 eligible voters, a small pool for candidates to come from.

‘You have to have lived on Sark for over two years and be over 16 to be added to the electoral role,’ he said.

‘But it is not automatic, and we really need people to come forward and sign up.’

The two vacancies had come up after Conseiller Fern Turner resigned and Conseiller Rosemary Couldridge was removed from post after failing to attend three consecutive meetings.

The new conseiller, Carol Davidson Cragoe, is an academic who specialises in architectural history.

She frequently teaches courses at Birkbeck College in London and is the author of numerous books and papers on architectural history.

Mr Armorgie said he had high hopes that she would be a good addition to Chief Pleas.

The vacant seat from this by-election will be held over until Sark’s next General Election.

This will be held on 11 December, and Mr Armorgie said that unlike the UK ‘they were not beating around the bush’ when it came to announcing the date.