Select a region
August is a quieter month for politics in Guernsey. States members do not assemble in their usual monthly fashion in the Royal Court, a fact which has led some to question how their time is spent during this period.
Express contacted all deputies asking for their insight on the various workstreams and responsibilities that require their attention throughout the summer month.
In total, 14 deputies responded in time for this publication.
All of them indicated that ‘the work doesn’t stop’ in August, and some suggested that Assembly meetings only represent a fraction of the workstreams and commitments necessary to fulfil the role of a ‘People’s Deputy’.
Pictured: Deputy Lyndon Trott will be representing the island overseas next week.
Deputy Lyndon Trott was the first to respond. He said there is never a typical day as deputy since “one never knows what the role will require”, but he accepted – as many others did - that August is “generally a quieter time” for local politicians.
“In my case, I shall be working overseas on States’ parliamentary business all next week - which requires travel over the weekend - in my capacity as the Independent Trustee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association trust funds,” he added.
Deputy Adrian Gabriel agreed that “there is no typical day being a Deputy, as there are many demands” on a politician’s time.
“The Assembly being in recess doesn’t mean that other works aren’t continuing, though.
"[Environment & Infrastructure] have continued to meet in committee regularly during August, and of course constituency work doesn’t stop either, in fact it probably increases as I’m more able to get out and about meeting people,” said Deputy Gabriel.
“There is also the chance to continue with continuous professional development, through the online portal the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association provides.”
Pictured: Deputy Heidi Soulsby is the Vice-President of the Policy & Resources Committee.
Deputy Heidi Soulsby immediately pointed out that “things don’t stop when the States doesn’t meet as an Assembly”.
“In terms of time, States’ meetings are a relatively small part of the workload, at least for those with committee responsibilities.
“Certainly, [Policy & Resources] has been meeting weekly and there has been some considerable reading needed ahead of those meetings. This is a time when the budget is put together,” said Deputy Soulsby.
She added that a budget consultation with Employment & Social Security occurred this week, and further meetings with other committees are set to take place “over the next few weeks”.
Indeed, the only way I'll get any free days would be to throw my phone in the sea and leave the Island. That said, I knew what I signed up for. https://t.co/1Tpv7QM2dT
Pictured: Deputies responded to a claim on twitter where a local commentator suggested, perhaps tongue-in-cheek, that deputies are all on holiday in August.
Just as Deputies Steve Falla and Neil Inder highlighted on Twitter last week, Deputy Soulsby claimed that constituency work constitutes a permanent feature of a politician’s work: “There is a need to support members of the public with their issues throughout the year and matters do crop up that need decisions on a regular basis, as well as media enquiries.
“Things do slow down in terms of presentations and other meetings as there will be a number of members and officers taking time off during the school holidays, quite rightly too, but nothing stops.”
Deputies Yvonne Burford, Andy Cameron, Aidan Matthews, and Andrea Dudley-Owen echoed that point, recognising that many deputies and civil servants take the opportunity for holidays with their families during the school holidays.
Nevertheless, Deputy Burford said work commitments “continue throughout the summer, although perhaps at a reduced intensity”.
“At a personal level, I have continued to have twice-weekly Scrutiny meetings as President, working in particular on the Agilysis Review and other forthcoming workstreams. I have also taken the opportunity to prepare in advance for the two States meetings in September.”
Pictured: Deputy Yvonne Burford is working on the review into the States IT partner, Agilisys.
But as with everybody, there is always time for leisure in-between work commitments.
Deputy Cameron said he was away visiting family and “hiking in the cold and wet Scottish Highlands” last week but has spent this week attending to his email inbox.
“Some of the topics include Les Ozouets campus, bird flu in Alderney, Fermain sea wall repair, taxi driver shortages, slippery surfaces around the bathing pools, and Chouet quarry,” he said.
Deputy Cameron added that he likes to take a daily swim, and on Wednesday completed a 2km swim around Havelet bay at lunchtime.
He is currently attempting to assemble a politician’s team to enter the 24-hour Sea Donkey charity swim at the Bathing Pools. Their slot is at 16:00 on Saturday, and you can donate by clicking HERE.
He added that he hoped to spend his evening on Wednesday at the West Show, “being approached by members of the public to discuss local current affairs and listening to some live music in the beer tent”.
Deputy Sue Aldwell said she has taken her first two-week break in 21 months this August but claimed it has not prevented her answering urgent emails and reading committee papers.
“August this year has been a break - last year [ESC] worked straight through August, this year has been time to recharge a little,” she said.
Pictured: Deputy Andy Cameron swam around Havelet during his lunch break on Wednesday.
Deputy Falla explained the lack of defined contractual hours and holiday provision for deputies, highlighting the difficulties this creates both for the individual and government business.
“Some of us, through a combination of commitment and choice, treat our elected role as a full-time job. In my case I spend, on average, around 30 hours a week on politics,” he said.
“As well as the job not having set hours, it also doesn’t have any holiday entitlement which is not sustainable if we are to get the best out of people.
“Of course, government can’t grind to a halt for a month, but it would be good if committee agendas could be minimised during August and, where at all possible, things carried over into September. The difficulty there is that policy letters need to be prepared, considered and signed off to meet deadlines for them to be slotted into the agenda for States meetings over the next few months.”
He added that he found moments between meetings for several appearances at the Guernsey Street Festival, which he labelled a “refreshing change of scene”, and that he plans for some days away from his desk at the end of August.
Pictured: Deputy Aidan Matthews has spent a large part of his week investigating St. Andrew's fly problem, and looking into the Children Law.
Deputy Matthews said he received my email whilst in a committee meeting outside of the normal working schedule.
“HSC usually meets on Tuesdays but had arranged an extra briefing on the subject of the nuisance flies problem affecting a region of St. Andrews,” he said.
“The work covers a wide spectrum, from some seemingly relatively inconsequential issues, through to very serious issues. In addition to the fly issue, today I am looking into a some quite harrowing issues relating to the Children Law and current practice around child protection orders, amongst other things.”
He added that the impression that deputies “are putting their feet up during August” is a misconception: “Whilst we have a break from the public meetings, you are never fully ‘off duty’, and there’s always several pressing concerns to occupy your thoughts."
Pictured: Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen fears the role of a deputy is often misunderstood.
The most extensive responses came from Deputies Dudley-Owen, Lester Queripel, and Carl Meerveld who were keen to stress the differences of their roles to the standard ‘9-5’ job, echoing much of what Deputy Falla said.
Deputy Meerveld argued the lack of defined holidays can induce a strain on family time: “I know that I have struggled with this myself and have only had one holiday outside the Bailiwick, plus ten days camping Alderney, during the eight years I have served."
“Personally, I find that the slowdown in States activities allows me time to dedicate to developing ideas or proposals outside of my committee work which I believe could potentially benefit our community.”
Some of those ideas include investigating windfarms in Guernsey’s territorial waters with Deputy David de Lisle and others, and exploring alternatives to the proposed demolition of Les Genats Estate.
“One thing I can assure all members of the electorate is that all deputies work harder than most people realise and not one of them takes their responsibilities lightly,” concluded Deputy Meerveld.
Deputy Dudley-Owen said that her committee, Education, Sport & Culture, worked through the summer last year to deliver the secondary education policy letter. They even discussed holding an additional States meeting in August to debate the proposals.
“For me, working flexibly is very helpful. Many people take annual leave in the summer holidays, so a lot more time is spent catching up and reviewing and preparing work for September,” she said.
This week, Deputy Dudley-Owen has been on-duty in anticipation of post-16 exam results which were announced yesterday morning.
“I consider myself very lucky to do this job, a job that I love. It is very busy, the workload is heavy and often very technical, so thankfully for the sake of our well being and performance we do have a lighter month during August,” she added.
“I hope this is helpful to any readers who may not fully understand the role and working schedule of island Deputies.”
Pictured: Deputy Queripel is often replying to emails late into the evening each day.
Deputy Queripel said four consecutive days off work in August is the “best” he’s ever managed since becoming a deputy 10-years ago.
After listening to the morning radio, he spends two hours on the phone and then jumps into one-to-one constituency work before any committee meetings or discussions with colleagues.
“The list is endless. You name it and a deputy will have been asked to work on it,” he said.
He mirrored other responses in saying 20-30 emails a day are expected to filter through: “I keep going until my head goes down, my eyes start to close, and I can do no more: very often that’s around 11pm, or even later."
I received Deputy Queripel’s extensive reply at five minutes past one in the morning.
“A Deputy needs to be a counsellor, a psychologist, a psychotherapist, a psychiatrist, a healer, and an expert in everything, all in one go, but of course that is simply not possible," he said.
“However, we can sometimes have a beneficial influence in the lives of our fellow islanders, which is what we all strive to do.”
Pictured: Deputy Victoria Oliver has been working on a communications campaign to help explain the Island Development Plan to islanders.
Deputy Victoria Oliver said her month has been filled with Development & Planning Authority meetings and emails: “I have had roughly 15 other meeting all relating to planning. Each needs looking into. This can involve advising people on a number of issues and sometimes involves following it up with the appropriate officers. I have also had meeting with Chamber to see how we can work closer together.”
She added that planning has been underway to “improve the awareness and understanding of the Island Development Plan and the wider planning process” before the end of the year.
Deputy Gavin St Pier claimed his August has been very similar to other months since he is not a member of any States committees.
“August does not much impact the pattern of my States' work,” he said. “My task list today is typical. I have several issues raised with me by members of the public, normally by email or direct message through one of the social media platforms.
“Often it is simply a matter of making a connection with the right member of the public service to deal with a matter, although often follow-up meetings will be appropriate.
“A particular focus are more families coming forward with concerns about either their children's paediatric care or how they have been treated if they complain or seek a second opinion.
"I am also giving some time and thought to formal parliamentary questions to a number of Committees - both written and oral. Thinking ahead to the resumption of States' meetings and knowing what business is coming up, I am also thinking about any amendments I may lay and the matters on which I am likely to speak."
Deputy Tina Bury said she was unable to respond in full to my questions since she was in meetings “most of the day."
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.