New St Brelade Constable seeks Scrutiny or Assistant Minister role - Jersey Evening Post
by Elen Johnston · Jersey Evening PostPosted inNews
New St Brelade Constable seeks Scrutiny or Assistant Minister role
by Elen Johnston 12 June 202611 June 2026
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THE returning Constable of St Brelade is eyeing up an assistant ministerial or Scrutiny role – but promises that his “priority will be the parish”.
Steve Pallett said that he was “delighted by the number of people who put their faith in me” after defeating incumbent Mike Jackson with 2,093 votes to 1,339.
Mr Pallett served as St Brelade Constable between 2011 and 2018, before giving up the seat to successfully stand for Senator in 2018, finishing fifth in the Islandwide poll. He lost his seat four years later, when standing in the St Brelade Deputy election after Senators were temporarily removed.
Mr Pallett and Mr Jackson had faced each other before for Constable in 2011, when Mr Pallett won by 1,999 votes to 1,665.
There will be a little time to celebrate before work begins in earnest. The new Constable-elect said he is due to meet supporters for a “quiet drink” at St Brelade Football Club on Friday evening.
“I can’t say I’ll be letting my hair down as I haven’t quite got the hair for that,” he joked.
Now, as he comes to terms with the scale of the job ahead, he says his immediate priorities remain firmly rooted in the promises he made to parishioners during the campaign.
Although he campaigned on bringing a different approach to the role, Mr Pallett said he had already been in contact with Mr Jackson and was keen to ensure a smooth handover.
“He emailed me the day afterwards to congratulate me. I thought it was a very kind thing to do,” he said.
Among his first areas of focus will be what he describes as responsible financial management.
“I’ve also talked a lot about parish property and how we maintain them – that’s something I need to sit down and have a real good look at,” he added.
One of his manifesto commitments was the creation of a Property Management Committee – made up of the Constable, a Procureur and independent property experts – to strengthen oversight of parish assets.
While parish matters will take priority, Mr Pallett – who had previously served as an assistant minister with responsibility for sport – said he also wanted to contribute to Islandwide politics through the States Assembly.
“I have to play a role in the States Assembly, and I’ve been talking to people behind the scenes of Scrutiny panels about what could be right for me,” he said.
Other priorities outlined in his manifesto included ensuring Jersey’s finance industry remains competitive, reviewing the rates system and reintroducing an updated Inspiring an Active Jersey strategy.
Speaking ahead of the Chief Minister nominations deadline, he would not comment specifically on his preference for Chief Minister, but described poll-topping Senator-elect Helen Miles as “very energetic” and someone with “all the qualities”, while he said he had a “huge amount of respect” for incumbent Senator-elect Lyndon Farnham.
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