Parishioners scrutinise St Helier Central candidates - Jersey Evening Post
by Daisy Morel · Jersey Evening PostPosted inNews
Parishioners scrutinise St Helier Central candidates
by Daisy Morel 20 May 202620 May 2026
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THE hustings roadshow rolled on with voters lining up to question the eight St Helier Central Deputy candidates.
Held in the PE hall of Rouge Bouillon School, any notion of childlike bickering was cast aside in favour of a more jovial and respectful affair.
Four seats are on offer, with Reform Jersey hoping to secure a clean sweep, as they did in the district in 2018 and 2022.
To do so, they will face stiff competition from three political newcomers and a previous election hopeful.
The alphabetical order for the opening speeches gave Reform Jersey to chance to set their stall from the off with the opening three salvos all falling their way.
Deputy Carina Alves pointed to her experience as both an educator and her eight years as a States Member, during which time she has served as an Assistant Chief Minister, among other roles. She described herself as “approachable” and able to “deliver long-term solutions”.
Her party colleague Lee Carpenter – a first-time election hopeful – spoke out against the “sky-high rents” which leads to a high percentage of students leaving for university and not returning to the Island, before pushing for voters to elect the slate of Reform Jersey candidates.
“With more of us elected, we can achieve much more”, he said to a series of approving nods from the Reform Jersey section of the room.
Next up, Deputy Catherine Curtis, looked to address the issue of speeding by advocating for more cameras in town, before praising the Residential Tenancy Law, which recently came into force.
She added: “If you want young people to stay on the Island, be careful how you use your vote”, she added.
Claire de Than took the microphone next and emphasised that her priorities are community, quality of life and support. She explained that we must “understand what the pressures are for people living here at any stage of life or business”.
Ms de Than, who has an extensive legal background, told the crowd that she would focus on the community.
The fourth and final Reform Jersey candidate, Social Security Minister Lyndsay Feltham said she was “standing on a record of delivery”, moving to reassure the audience that she “will not make promises” that she cannot keep, and will continue to be “honest, determined, and focused on progress”.
She listed her achievements since being elected for the first time in 2022, adding: “I have delivered practical improvements that put more money into people’s pockets and make support easier to access.”
Cameron Monro was up next and, after a nervy start, found his rhythm as he said the biggest problem facing Jersey is the cost of living. He argued that the best fix to address this is to “bring over cheaper retailers”, who he claimed want to set up in Jersey but “are scared of the planning processes”.
Mental health was the core focus for John Ttokkallos, who previously stood in 2014, which provided a change of pace from the cost-of-living crisis, which had dominated the early stages.
He spoke strongly in favour of the value of sport in assisting mental and physical health and his desire to increase funding for facilities. He also advocated for improved parking and accessibility in the district.
And finally, Robin Ward pointed to his knowledge, long history and love for the district stating that he knows the area, its people and had operated a town business for 60 years.
Robin said: “I’m a parishioner, a businessman, a neighbour, and above all, one of you.”
After each being given a few minutes to address the crowd, the microphone was then handed over to the floor for question time, with perhaps the most controversial topic focusing on the proposed building of a new “super school” at Gas Place over extending the Millennium Town Park.
The question displayed the split between Reform Jersey and the rest, with Mr Ttokkallos and Mr Ward agreeing that a new school would lead to more traffic congestion, with Mr Ward arguing the impact on the roads would be “absolutely horrendous”
Mr de Than stressed that St Helier green spaces are crucial and said that extending the park should be explored, Mr Monro cited the “contradiction” of a declining birth rate against the supposed need for a new school, in the process “destroying some of our precious, rare, irreplaceable green space”.
The Reform Jersey quartet though came out fighting, speaking passionately in favour of the Gas Place school scheme, which has been led by their party colleague Education Minister Rob Ward – who is standing for St Helier Constable.
Deputy Alves said the scheme would replace three facilities – Springfield, St Luke’s and La Passerelle which are “no longer fit for purpose”, while Deputy Feltham added that “every child in St Helier should be able to walk to school” as she spoke positively about the plans. Mr Carpenter emphasised that the proposal is about providing a better facility for children, not a capacity issue, while Deputy Curtis said: “Anyone who thinks these schools are adequate needs to visit them and speak to head teachers. The school is wonderful but the building is inadequate – I feel very strongly about this.”
Islanders will head to the polls on Saturday 7 June.
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