Robert Parker, St Saviour
For forty years I've run businesses on this Island. Jersey now needs a credible economic strategy built on action — not endless consultancy reports that deliver false hope to the people working on the ground.
Jersey is in a cost-of-living crisis. Alongside tearing down the barriers to cheaper competition, I want to lift the threshold before personal allowances are phased out. Savings in government will pay for it.
We cannot spend our way out of a cost-of-living crisis. Unaffordable policies will not make life here more affordable. I will fight those who want to keep spending more — wasting taxpayer money.
The only sustainable way to make Jersey affordable is to get the Island earning again. From backing small business to diversifying the sectors that thrive here — the next government's focus must be the local economy.
"The Island needs a credible strategy built on action, not endless consultancy reports that deliver false hope and frustrate those of us working on the ground. We must collaborate to grow a more balanced economy, lower personal taxes, and reduce the cost of living."
Practical action rooted in the realities facing businesses, workers and families — not consultancy reports that create false hope and frustrate the people doing the work.
An economy less exposed to shocks and better able to support long-term prosperity. Jersey must adapt to economic change rather than resist it.
Restore value for money in Jersey. Too many Islanders are being left behind and too many families are struggling. The focus must be practical steps to make Jersey more affordable.
Work toward lower personal taxes on middle Jersey when it is responsible to do so — as part of a wider plan to grow the economy, control spending and improve value for money.
Test every government decision against its real-world impact on the businesses that provide jobs, services and opportunities across Jersey.
Hospitality and tourism remain a major contribution to Jersey's reputation, economy and community — but they are under serious strain. Review States decisions that undermine competitiveness.
Bring financial oversight, operational scrutiny and practical business experience to the States Assembly. Better decisions, stronger accountability, clearer understanding of policy impact.
Use forty years of experience in business, finance, hospitality and public service to help the Island face its economic challenges honestly and practically.
After school I studied accountancy and articled with Coopers and Lybrand in Bristol, becoming Chairman of the Bristol and District Chartered Accountants Student Society. I joined Gulf + Western's internal audit team, working across the US, Australia and Europe, before moving to Paramount Pictures International — auditing productions including Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Winds of War in Italy. It gave me a thorough grounding in financial oversight and operational scrutiny.
I returned to Jersey to work in the family business and at 28 became Managing Director of the Hotel de France. We installed the first IBM 36 in the Channel Islands — one of the first five in Europe — and undertook a major redevelopment of the library wing, representing 50% of our 300-plus room capacity. The hotel became the most successful conference venue in the Channel Islands and one of the leading venues in the UK, making a genuine contribution to Jersey's reputation and economy.
When the early-2000s financial crisis reduced conference demand, we adapted. We redeveloped the Lido into today's Medical Centre, launched Healthhaus, and reduced the hotel's footprint. That period reinforced a critical lesson: responding to economic change, rather than resisting it, is essential in both business and government.
Throughout my career I have served Jersey in wider roles — Senior Vice President and Treasurer of the Jersey Hotel and Guest House Association, first Chairman of the industry-run Jersey Conference Bureau, and member of the Tourism Board, Airport Advisory Board and Public Accounts Committee. These roles gave me direct insight into how policy decisions affect the industries and businesses that underpin our economy.
I am an early supporter of Value Jersey because I am genuinely concerned about the direction the Island is taking. If we don't address our core economic challenges, we face real uncertainty — made worse by government strategies that too often fail to engage with the practical realities facing businesses and families here.
I am a strong supporter of small businesses and acutely aware of the pressures on our hospitality industry. We need to restore value for money to Jersey and review States decisions that are inadvertently undermining the competitiveness of our industries.
That is why I am standing.
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