My meeting with the Constables

At the end of last year I attended one of the Comite des Connetables meetings. There is a long wait to get an appointment, so I had a few items stored up for the agenda.

(i) The first was to ask the Constables and their Roads Committees to suggest a network of suitable Green Lanes in their Parishes. Before Lockdown I gave each Constable an A0 map of roads highlighting the different types of roads and their designations, in the hope it might assist them to plot a network of routes suitable for pedestrians and cyclists, with appropriate speeds to offer safety. These roads could link Parish to Parish and also provide Commuter Routes (not just long-winded scenic routes) to Parish hubs and to St Helier. I am glad to see that our Constable is considering this idea and is proposing some lanes. If you would like to contribute to the proposals, please make your submission to the Parish so the Roads Committee can consider parishioners views before it is taken to a Parish Assembly. I have already discussed this with the new Infrastructure Minister;

(ii) The second item on my agenda was to ask the Constables to provide a ‘Welcome Pack’ to Parishioners new to the Parish or Island. This initiative was one of the recommendations from the Island Identity project which I chair. We suggested a pack of information be given to newcomers, which would explain how the Municipality works, introduce its clubs and associations and offer some useful practical advice. We also wanted to see some information included about the Island – Jersey’s Constitution, our voting rights, the Island’s history, etc. The Constables requested that I supply the core of the document which I have now done, and they would adapt it and add the individual Parish information to it. There is a great deal more information which can be sourced from the Island Identity website – with an animated version of our history told by our wonderful Grouville-born Story-Teller, John-Henry Falle. Check it out at www.islandidentity.je;

(iii) Another item raised was the idea of an Island-wide Refuse collection, rather than looking for a parish-by-parish solution. This is an issue which has been raised to me by Parishioners and I think it is very much worth considering;

(iv) And finally I suggested that establishing a Community Support Group in each Parish would be much appreciated by people feeling isolated or in need of assistance in their daily lives. I know how much the service is valued in Grouville and indeed St Clement where they have a very active and well established service. I offered the Constables my experience and help should they need it in establishing a group in each of their Parishes. The Grouville CSG volunteers meet every quarter, where we discuss how to best promote and support independent living. We are a friendly bunch and always happy to welcome new volunteers.

Equally if you are in need of a bit of support or would just like someone to talk to, then please contact Grouville Parish Hall on 852225 and they will put you in contact with one of the CSG Team.