JONES; Robert Anthony

Manifesto to follow

I am 41 years old and have lived in the Island for over 17 years. I am married to Julie and have three children all born and educated in Guernsey. I am a solicitor and have worked in the local finance and legal industry.

I left the legal world to look after my three children and support Julie in her career. I have enjoyed that period of my life very much. I now wish to use my personal and professional skills in a role where I believe I can make a difference to the lives of Islanders. At present I have no plans to return to the legal world and have the time, the ideas and energy to commit to the role of deputy.

As a Deputy you are required to get to the heart of complex issues and make complex decisions. As a solicitor I have developed skills that enable me to deal with complex issues and on occasions manage people’s expectations. In addition to those professional skills as supporting husband I have developed the art of balancing and prioritising tasks to meet the day to day demands and challenges facing many young families.

I will utilise these skills and qualities in my role as Deputy.

My full manifesto (available at www.rob4deputy.com) details my views on current issues, here is a summary:

Government Expenditure -The previous Assembly has put in place the Financial Transformation Programme a major cost cutting initiative to make the States of Guernsey as efficient as possible.

I fully support this program but all the efficiencies must be sustainable and we must ensure the vital public services are not reduced for those who are in most need.

Health -The States is going to be challenged in its future prioritisation of resources to meet the future demands on the health and social care system. To this end I support the Future 2020 Vision on Health.

Social Security – I support the review of the benefit system. We have to ensure that benefits reach those that are genuinely in need. I would support initiatives that remove disincentives to working in the tax/benefits system.

We need to increase workforce participation and reduce benefit dependency through the provision of support and training services aimed at those willing and able to work.

Education – It is imperative that we maintain highly skilled local workforce. Our Education system should enable our children to realise their potential and in turn increase both their personal and social wellbeing for the benefit of the Island.

We must move to implement the recommendations of the Mulkerrin Report.

Residents Parking – I will support initiatives to improve parking for Residents. Residents need to be able to park in their own streets for more than 24 hours.

Whether paid parking is the way forward is debatable. A form of Residents Permit seems appropriate. We will however require better “policing” of any scheme that is proposed.

Reform of Government – I am open-mind to the possibility of government reform if it leads to better leadership and accountability in the States. This may include introducing Island Wide Voting. It must be workable.

www.rob4deputy.com