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So, there you have it, Lyndon Trott has assembled his somewhat new and improved Policy and Resources Committee.
For his second stab at the top job Deputy Lyndon Trott has pulled together three of his four picks for the new Committee.
He originally pitched for Deputies Heidi Soulsby, Bob Murray, Jonathan Le Tocq and Sasha Kazantseva-Miller, but the floor of the assembly voted in Deputy John Gollop instead of Deputy Kazantseva-Miller.
So, who are they?
Deputy Trott’s assumed new VP is none other than Deputy Heidi Soulsby, somebody Deputy Trott has referred to many times as a ‘friend’.
It’s a return to P&R for Deputy Soulsby, who originally left the top Committee this political term under Deputy Peter Ferbrache due to her opposition to the former Committee’s tax proposals.
She helped lead the Fairer Alternative, a failed attempt to replace the former P&R’s GST plans. She has consistently raised concerns with ‘runaway’ public spending and said in her online blog:
“This States is the most spendthrift of the three I’ve served in when it comes to spending. Without fail, it chooses the most expensive model for everything.”
It was always an expectation that Deputy Trott would want to pull in committee members from ‘across the aisle’ and has arguably been successful in cultivating a relatively diverse political group.
Deputy Murray spent little more than a day out of P&R before being voted back in, with Deputy Trott arguing that he is “renowned for hard work and determination”.
Deputy Murray is also expected to pick up where he left off leading the Government Work Plan and digital transformation work, something he said he has made a “reasonable contribution to”. He has called for pragmatism and “healing”.
The GWP has since been pulled and will be revisited under the new Committee.
A States newcomer and self-described man of the people, his manifesto reads: “I have lived through Guernsey’s various prime activities of Horticulture, Tourism, and Finance. At the height of double-digit inflation in the ‘seventies, working 3 jobs to try to build a house - I know how tough things can get when the economy falters.”
Deputy Le Tocq also joins Deputy Murray in rising from the ashes of the old P&R. While several members of the original Committee came under intense criticism during the MONC debate, Deputy Le Tocq came away relatively unscathed.
Much has been made of his commitment to external relations and the work he continues to do in developing relationships with Guernsey’s closest neighbours.
He has been a deputy for more than a decade, with this being his fifth term in the Assembly.
He has served on Education, and as; President of Overseas Aid, Chair of the Public Sector Remuneration Committee, Deputy Minister of Treasury & Resources, Home Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, Chief Minister and last term as the first appointed Minster for External Affairs on the Policy and Resources Committee.
He continues to be Guernsey’s lead on external relations.
Well, at least I don’t need to throw away my @Govgg business cards. That’s a saving I guess… pic.twitter.com/DSfMlxZcjR
— Jonathan Le Tocq ???????? (@letocq) December 15, 2023
Does this guy need any introduction? The Father of the House himself has secured a spot on the top Committee after being nominated by Deputy Peter Ferbrache.
A career politician, Deputy Gollop can be seen at literally any event taking place in Guernsey and has sat on more than fifteen State committees and authorities since 1997.
He is an avid disability champion and during his speech this week said, as a person with autism, he has a unique understanding of people across the system of government and the community itself.
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