Deputy joins Islanders Association ahead of Inaugural Conference

Friday 15 June 2018

Deputy Marc Leadbeater is the seventh member of the States of Guernsey to have joined the Islanders Association, ahead of its Inaugural Conference tomorrow.

Deputy Leadbeater has joined as a "new generation" deputy, and wants to help develop and promote its efforts to "fundamentally improve the functions and effectiveness of Government".

"Having followed the development of the Islanders Association since its inception; its aims, objectives and governance, I have decided that it represents a positive step forward for politics in our island," he said.

"The Association has been structured to work within Guernsey’s unique form of consensus government. I particularly appreciate that, while guided by members views, each Deputy will be able to vote with their conscience, as they do now."

Deputy Leadbeater will be joining Deputies Carl Meerveld, Peter Ferbrache, and Joe Mooney, who were the original founding three members, and Deputies John Gollop and Barry Paint and Alderney Representative Louis Jean, who have since joined.

Deputy Leadbeater is a member of the Committee for Home Affairs and the Development Planning Authority.

The Association has not come close to its funding target of £150,000, with just over £23,000 raised, but it has proceeded as planned, and will be holding its Inaugural Conference, where a number of major decisions are set to be taken, this Saturday. The members of the association that have joined since its launch will be voting on those decisions.

The conference itself starts at 08:30 and will run until 12:30 at Les Cotils, and anyone is invited to attend.

You can read about the Islanders Association's mission statement here.

"During regular conversations with founding members of the Association, I discovered that they are pursuing a similar initiative to me for diversifying our economy, although from a different direction," Deputy Leadbeater added.

"Pooling our collective research, contacts and knowledge of this industry we have a concept with far greater strength and viability than working separately. I believe that close collaborative working with like-minded people within the Association will develop a much more decisive, effective and efficient government."