Jeremy Mercer

Manifesto

Family

I have three wonderful children with my partner Larisa, Fabiana 11, Sebastian 10, and Genevieve 4, who lead happy and busy lives both in and out of school.

I also have two stepchildren though they are much older. Ketrin is in Latvia, whereas Jurijs is a great chef at a very popular local restaurant.

We have a smallholding which we are building up, growing vegetables and rearing some livestock to provide fresh food and also help show our children where our meals come from.

Surname: Mercer

First Name: Jeremy

Telephone: 07781 418461

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: Jeremy Mercer

LinkedIn: Jeremy Mercer

Background

I’m Jez Mercer.

I hail from Rotherham in England, though have long connections with the Channel Isles having first been introduced to the wonderful island of Sark, in 1969. My family and I immediately fell in love with that beautiful place and we went back year after year until 1979 when my Mum & Dad moved there while I was still a child.

Although my family moved back to England where I started as an apprentice with British Steel, I kept visiting Sark and spending time in Guernsey and my love for the islands only grew.

As a qualified accountant in the mid 90s I had the opportunity to move over here and after a brief period in the finance industry I was lucky enough to land a role at Marine & General Engineering where I stayed for just over 12 years.

From there I remained in Guernsey working at other organisations in the office equipment sector, mining sector and a short period in compliance.

Latterly I spent just over 11 years at CPC Group a high end construction company operating in prime central London which allowed me to become involved in construction contract drafting and contract negotiation for multi million pound projects and effectively operating as in-house construction counsel, as well as dealing with finance partners and providing stakeholder reporting along with the project accounts and budget comparisons. So I am well versed in Property and construction.

Currently I work in property management as a client accountant which has allowed me to remain in the property sector. In my spare time I am Treasurer for St Martin Scout Group and assist with local Church activities for child and youth groups.

Key Points

• Housing: Release States land for emergency housing and provide locals the opportunity to buy and build their own homes. End discrimination in the housing market and prioritize locals for rental properties.

• Education & Training: Provide a broad, skills-based education and practical lessons in schools. Offer bursaries and apprenticeships to support career paths that benefit Guernsey.

• Economic Growth & Taxation: Promote economic growth, support families, and explore tax measures that benefit the local population. No GST.

• Cost of Living: Address high prices for basic needs and incentivize the use of sustainable energy solutions.

• Environment & Energy: Utilize solar panels on States property roofs and explore tidal power as a major energy asset.

• Immigration & Population: Focus on the local population, encourage those who have left to return, and ensure locals have priority for rental properties and key worker positions.

• Transport: Explore options for resilient and affordable travel to and from Guernsey.

• Government Over-reach: Rationalize middle management roles, prioritize local staff, and introduce referenda for important issues.

Why Stand as Deputy?

One of the main drivers is my family, and what sort of Guernsey will they inherit once they are older. I have become increasingly concerned with the last few Governments about how out of touch they have become, to the extent that they have even seemingly ignored the will of the people on several issues. This approach, is ruining Guernsey as the idealogues that have become entrenched in politics have driven us down a path toward becoming a small version of UK which is not what Guernsey is about.

As more and more red tape and legal process is visited on the local population the spirit of Guernsey being sucked out of the local population, or those that are left. The ever expanding Government is at the expense of front-line services and our very freedoms that were acknowledged in spectacular style on the 80th Liberation Day celebrations, which everyone agreed celebrated the true spirit of Guernsey.

As the local population dwindles and locals can’t see a future where they can have a rewarding career, a happy family life with a home, security and enjoy all that Guernsey has to offer, and would rather leave the island (or in some cases are given no option with the lack of support from CS) I felt I had to at least try to do something to address these problems and assist in remodelling Guernsey as a place locals can recognise of old and see a home and a future for them and their families once more without feeling like outsiders in their own communities.

Housing

States land and that banked by GHA to be released to provide emergency housing and a provision for the homeless, followed by a programme of land release to provide locals opportunity to buy a plot and build their own property within the scope of a scheme.

No speculators.

No building on greenbelt nor vineries that are in good repair. Full complete survey of all residential and commercial property to establish what is empty and why. Large commercial buildings that remain empty should be considered for residential accommodation like in UK at reasonable rental. Ensure that locals are provided rental properties as a first option ahead of anyone else. Ensure local communities and village areas are not over developed and all have access to allotments for growing and green space for healthy outdoor activity.

Bring back the previous local/open market system where local market was only available for locals and those on licences had to buy/rent at a high TRP or similar, and no speculation by those outside the island.

Education & Training

Education should be broad and geared toward providing a solid foundation without the need to push the political ideologies of the moment and provide a skills-based education with the addition of knowledge learning, such that people do not feel the need to home school or pay the fees for private colleges.

• Provide the excellence that was previously delivered in the state sector at the former Grammar School.
• Provide more practical lessons in school and explore the benefits of school meals and nutritionally beneficial offerings in school premises.
• Provide bursary routes for students for those career paths that will lead to the jobs that Guernsey needs, and this would provide for all university fees and living expenses paid so long as the students returned to Guernsey and worked in the sector or company for which they had trained, for a minimum period say 5 or 10 years.
• Provide apprenticeship routes in all employment sectors from the known trades, to floor fitters and farmers and baristas.

All those young people in Guernsey who want to aspire and achieve should be supported and provided opportunity within the scope of the two proposals above, to advance their desired career path.

Economic Growth & Taxation

Introduce measures to promote growth in the economy after years of stagnation and indecision (eg accommodation incentives, incentives for creating 250 jobs or more etc) and be open and welcoming and accommodating to new business. Identify business sectors which would benefit our economy and focus on how to bring those businesses to Guernsey (eg E businesses, more captives, more asset management & compliance offerings).

• No GST
• Zero 15 to be explored
• Top rate of 25% tax to be explored (for earners over say £125k)
• SIA band to be expanded at the upper level
• Luxury good duty to be explored
• TRP increases for homes worth over £5m (working farms – ie those worked on directly by the owners and not those owned and operated by a farm manager - to be exempt)

Those locals working hard buying their own home, who would like larger families to be provided much more extensive support.

Cost of Living

Energy pricing and what can be done to alleviate the high prices – see below.

Food security and local farming production to be aligned such that this is less of an issue in the event of world issues and/or prolonged storms or transport issues & locally produced should cost less.

Develop incentives for people to grow their own food, eg: subsidies for greenhouses that are used for this purpose/provision of allotments etc.

Environment & Energy

Solar panels on all states property roofs

Tidal power is our biggest energy asset and this should be fully explored with a view to leasing out areas of sea bed such that technology can be installed at the expense of providers who pay us and provide us with free energy.

Vote Jez Mercer for Change, Common Sense, and to save the beating heart of Guernsey.