Biggest decisions for the next States of Guernsey

Lyndon Trott OBE says the States needs to keep a suitable amount in its war chest

New deputies will be decided, familiar faces will return and some will see their hopes of being elected slip away.

Now the voters have decided who will make up the States of Guernsey, it will soon be the turn of the newly-elected deputies to make crucial choices for the island.

There will be hundreds of decisions made by the next assembly; from education, social care and transport to housing immigration and finance.

The BBC has been asking islanders what they think the big issues are likely to be.

Finance

The financial situation of the island will always be a priority for islanders and the States recently reported a £44m annual deficit in core services.

Bob Murray, an outgoing deputy and former member of the Committee for Policy and Resources (P&R), said it was critical to understand the importance of being realistic when it comes to the island's finances.

He said: "The new P&R will find that our financial situation is as critical as we have claimed.

"They will find themselves in exactly the same position of having to convince a new assembly to grasp the need for immediate action, and to disappoint many that their hoped-for manifesto promises are simply not deliverable."

Peter Roffey wants to see the tax and social security package retained

One of the biggest talking points of this term has been tax and, more specifically, Goods and Service Tax (GST).

In November, plans for introducing a goods and services tax were set to be worked up as an income tax rise was rejected by the States.

Fast forward to election results day and GST+, the amendment proposed by Deputy Peter Roffey, is still a big talking point.

Housing

Housing was brought up multiple times in the last term.

It has included the suspension of GP11, the planning policy that requires a portion of housing developments to be affordable or social housing.

Other issues discussed have been islanders struggling to pay rent and the removal of medium term employment permits.

These are issues that workers who have relocated to Guernsey hope are addressed by the next States.

Social worker Emily Piki said: "There's not enough to accommodate everyone, all the people that are coming, because there's no doubt that there's many foreigners coming in from other places but it really is hard to find accommodation.

Young voter Chloe Presland told the BBC Guernsey Election Roadshow that the next States need to work hard to keep young islanders here, as house prices were giving them no choice but to leave.

Education

Outside the polling station at Beau Sejour the buzz word was education.

Many voters felt the future for the island's children would be the making or breaking of the next assembly.

Voter Andy Wade said education and how the States would pay for for all the decisions were the most important issues.

He said: "I just want to see them makes some decisions, they've been talking about it for years and years, meanwhile kids education has been suffering, just do something."

Social care

Social care has also been constantly raised as a challenge for the next assembly.

Retiring deputy Peter Roffey wants new deputies to think about how best to fund the rapidly increasing amount of social care needed.

Specifically, how much of that cost will fall on the care recipient themselves and how much on the whole community through the Long Term Care Insurance Fund.

It is not just social care that will be a challenge for the next assembly, questions have also been raised by voters about how those who may find themselves without a home will be cared for.

The other issues

There are more than four main decisions that will need to be made by the next states and the view of voters and outgoing deputies reflects that.

Other topics that have been raised include transport, utility costs and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Outgoing deputy Andy Taylor believes AI will be the future for the island.

However he said it was important to understand how it would work and how it could be used safely.

Roffey also raised the issue of what capital projects the states needed to prioritise.

He said: "Between grants for vitally needed social housing provision, the hospital modernisation, a new dairy, Alderney Airport and so on there is not going to be enough cash to fund everything which could be deemed to be essential".