Is the public any the wiser?
WE WELCOMED Nick Mann's long report on the population debate (23 December) in which he attempted to clarify many of the issues that are causing so much concern and have been the subject of fierce debate ever since our joint open letter on this vexed subject was published in the Press in October.
But this is a complex subject and by the time we reached the end of his piece on the Policy Council's proposals, we were left wondering whether the average reader would be left any the wiser.
Here are a few observations that might help our fellow islanders understand what is at stake.
As a result of the changes to the population controls, local home seekers are going to find it even harder to gain a foothold on the housing ladder and will find themselves facing increased competition from a rising influx of new arrivals.
Many residents and their families will be affected by these changes; some will wait significantly longer to gain rights to live in their own island, and some will be denied the right of return. All this will occur at a time when people coming to live in Guernsey will find their housing opportunities have been enhanced with access to lower priced housing.
In addition, their qualifying period to achieve residency status will be reduced.
We called in our open letter for islanders to be given a vote on these proposals before they became law. This could be easily accomplished by delaying a final vote in the Assembly until after the 2016 general election.
This would at least allow islanders to question candidates standing for election on the population proposals and decide accordingly.
We remain unconvinced that, even now, islanders are fully aware of what awaits them should these changes pass into law without being amended. We call again for the Policy Council to come clean on how their new regime will affect the man in the street. Any Guernsey residents who are concerned as to how these changes will affect them and their families should contact their elected representatives without delay. We urge them to act now. Doing nothing is not an option.
GRAHAM GUILLE AND GLORIA DUDLEY OWEN.
