Second committee resignation in 24 hours

A second States deputy has resigned from a senior Guernsey committee in the space of 24 hours.

Deputy Garry Collins has stepped away from Employment and Social Security. 

In a brief statement he said:

“This morning at 9am, I resigned from the Committee for Employment and Social Security by informing the Bailiff in writing.

“I shall be making a statement in the Chamber on the 15th July.

”I will not be making any further public comment until that time.

“I will continue in my role until a replacement is found, but the next few weeks I am focusing on the Tax Debate.“

It follows the resignation of Deputy Haley Camp from  Economic Development.

She quit with a scathing criticism of the leadership of Sasha Kazantseva-Miller.

The ED president has refuted the claims and says the committee is focused on delivering prosperity.  

Committee colleague Deputy Lee Van Katwyck posted on social media:

”I can categorically state that I have the utmost confidence in all of my committee colleagues. They are only ever concerned with two juxtaposed tensions – how to save money and how to grow the economy.”

Reacting to departure of Deputy Collins, ESS President Tina Bury said:

“Deputy Collins' resignation from the Committee today has caught me by surprise, as he did not inform me of his decision or his reasoning before the notice was published by the Greffier.

“As such I am disappointed not to have had the opportunity to discuss his concerns with him and ideally resolve them around the Committee table.

“Committee politics is never easy, but I believe that working things through and finding consensus is in the best interests of the community we serve.

"Nonetheless I wish Deputy Collins the best with whatever he turns his attention to next and will turn my attention to filling his space at the Committee table with another capable member." 

It is the fourth committee resignation this year, following Deputy Dorrity who also quit ESS, and Deputy Gavin St Pier stepping away from - and failing to get re-elected to P&R.  

This latest unrest comes just days after the first anniversary of the current Assembly.