This Is Guernsey

By Philip Falle

UK Lord Chancellor Jack Straw has told Sark it must elect a democratic legislature with no reserved seats for land owning tenants. The disclosure was made by Sark Seigneur Michael Beaumont, who told a hushed assembly yesterday that he met Mr Straw and Justice Ministry Minister of State Michael Wills earlier this month.

Mr Beaumont’s statement led directly to Chief Pleas finally approving the rejection of an earlier decision to have a mixed house with 12 of the 28 seats reserved for tenants and voting to amend the draft Reform Law at a special sitting next month.

The Seigneur said that Mr Straw made it clear that he was not minded to recommend Royal Assent for the transitional ‘mixed house’ proposal included in the draft legislation because it did not represent the will of the Sark people and was not fully democratic.

‘He made clear in his view that a transition dependent on a further referendum was not acceptable, given the view expressed by the people of Sark, who had supported Option A (with no reserved seats for tenants) in September,’ said Mr Beaumont.

The Seigneur added that that Mr Straw indicated during the meeting that if a change was made then he would be prepared to recommend the legislation for Royal Assent and he said that if all the stops were pulled out and Chief Pleas approved the change, then the legislation could be in place in time for a fully democratic election at the end of this year. Mr Straw also said that although he had serious concerns about references in the law to the functions of the Seigneur and the Seneschal, these matters could be debated at a later date.

In a letter to Seneschal Reg Guille, the Lord Chancellor paid tribute to those in Sark - in and out of Chief Pleas - who had already worked ’so long and so hard’ to formulate the successive proposals for reform.

Mr Straw said that he did not underestimate the difficulties encountered and the pressures the island continues to face and said also that in relation to the draft Property Law, he was content for it to receive Royal Assent and expected to place it before the Privy Council at its next available meeting.

As a result of the meeting, Mr Wills, the Minister of State with responsibility for the Crown Dependencies, will visit Sark early next month and members of the island’s Constitution Committee have also been invited to meet the Lord Chancellor before the February debate.

A wide-ranging debate followed Mr Beaumont’s announcement and although there were no direct calls for Chief Pleas to stick to its guns on reserved seats for tenants, an impasse was reached - on a tied vote - on the precise wording of instructions to the Constitution Committee about what could be included in the amended draft law.

In the event, and after a number of adjournments and a suggestion that the assembly thrash out the matter in camera, members eventually agreed by 20 votes to 12 to instruct the committee to present to Chief Pleas a Reform Law amendment to incorporate Option A.

That historic decision, taken after years of discussion and debate, is expected to pave the way for an end to 443 years - since Queen Elizabeth’s original charter in 1565 - of an automatic place in the legislature for landowners.