- Parish Torteval
- Experience New Candidate
Personal Statement
I have always been passionate about our beautiful island and fascinated by its history. I grew up in St. Martins and have lived in the parishes of Forest, St. Pierre du Bois & Torteval. I have been married for 25 years and have 2 grown up children. My working life has mostly been involved in accounts or banking and always heavily involved in the community.
- Economy – Necessities over Niceties
- Education – 3 Schools & 6th Form
- HSC - Nurses & Care Assistants
- Environment – Caretakers for the generations to come.
Manifesto
I have served as Constable in Torteval for nearly 5 years, being responsible for the day to day administration, working with and learning how States Departments operate. This allowed me to put a case forward in 2017 for night buses, 23 hour parking at Portelet and La Lague in 2019 - also dealing with parishioners’ concerns in many areas on a daily basis.
Overseeing budgets and looking at maintenance costs around the parish, enabling the parish Owners Rate to be lowered from .72p in 2017 to .275p in 2020.
I have attended Island Constables meetings on a regular basis, which has given me an insight into the difficulties each parish faces across the Island.
Understanding cost efficiency at Parish level, the principle can be transferred into Government as I feel the economy is going to be the most pressing concern over the next term, leading us to weigh up what are necessities and niceties.
We are in a competitive global environment and must be proactive in enticing new business to Guernsey. We need to look at our regulatory system. When the Isle of Man can welcome a new business in 2 months, going through a rigorous regulating process, it seems unacceptable that Guernsey can take 4 times longer and 5 times the cost, possibly taking up to 6 months for a bank account.
We need to generate income; for example, revenue from an internet purchases tax could support health and education spending and encourage ‘buying local’.
Viewed from the sea our town is one of the most beautiful in Europe. Moving cruise ship arrivals back to the White Rock, would take passengers along the Pollet, increasing footfall through our High Street once again.
We should start encouraging tourists for mid-week breaks, when flights are cheaper, rather than traveling on a weekend.
With a shortage of hotels and capital investment desperately needed. In the short term we should be looking for more Air B&B (Homestead stays) as was done post war, when visitors wanted to come to Guernsey and many households took in a visitor or two. We should be encouraging more glamping sites; it is extremely popular and could be set up quickly if fast tracked.
Accommodation will be needed in July 2021 to welcome the Island Games teams. We need to think outside the box.
Education – Back in December 2019, I stood with St. Andrews, St. Martins and the Forest Constables against the 1 school 2 site model, with the full backing of our Douzaines, which was unprecedented. Having served on La Mare de Carteret School Committee for 3 years, I understand how important it is to take the view of ALL stakeholders. I support 3 Senior schools, plus a 6th Form.
Health – We clapped for our healthcare workers on a Thursday for many weeks. We should now be showing our appreciation for nurses and care assistants in monetary terms. We need to ‘home grow’ our own nurses, giving a decent starting rate and a decent equitable salary on completion to retain them, rather than paying millions on agency staff. According to UCAS, applications for nursing degrees are up 63% to over 58,000 in the UK since the start of the COVID19 virus – this can only be positive news- which we need to encourage.
Our wonderful care staff are crucial to our Island and key to the Supported Living and Ageing Well Strategy which we will need to invest in.
Environment – We are the caretakers for the future generations and extremely fortunate to live on this Island which needs to be cherished. There was a time when we were famous for growing our wonderful tomatoes and flowers. However, our only legacy remaining is our dairy farming. We must take the time to listen to our farmers, who understand what needs to be put in place to safeguard this industry for the future.
With such a reliance on electricity on the Island, we need to be looking at new technologies for tidal power, one area where we have an abundance of potential.
Community and Third sector
The third sector will continue to be even more important in the future. Having taken up the challenge myself over the years, from raising the funds to equip Amherst First Junior playground equipment, refurbishing The Croft (a respite service for people with a learning disability) and sensory room, along with refurbishing The Adult Disability Day Service and funding the set-up of Drop Inns, which allows people with a learning disability to socialise across the Island and be part of our community - to helping at Torteval Scarecrow Festival, West Show & Parish Celebrations. Community spirit has always been very much in my heart.
My pledge to the voters of Guernsey is that I will give the same dedication to the island that I have given to my Parish as their Constable and all the charities I have supported.
Proposer - Andrew Sauvarin – Torteval Dean –
“I will be voting for Sue as she is the most tenacious person I know and will not give up until it is sorted.”
Seconder - David Cherry – Cherry Godfrey –
“I will be voting for Sue because I believe she is a hard worker, conscientious and will do her best for Guernsey.”
Becky Link – Torteval Constable – “I will be voting for Sue as she is passionate about Guernsey, about the people and what is best for Guernsey. No hidden agenda – a people’s Deputy.”
Please do not hesitate to contact me for any further information.