GUERNSEY’S new chief minister will today nominate a Policy Council to the States that is expected to involve a balance of old and new members. Deputy Laurie Morgan, who spent much of the weekend on the telephone, said that he had not lined up his candidates in advance of his success in Saturday’s chief minister election.

But he had ideas for a senior group.

‘I haven’t brokered any deals,’ he said. ‘But I’d like to have a balanced Policy Council.

‘There are some people who have been doing a good job and there’s a good argument for them carrying on with those jobs.

‘But we also need some new faces in government.

‘By that, I don’t necessarily mean people new to the States, but people who have been re-elected who have had senior positions before. I will try to achieve a balance.’

Deputy Morgan said that introducing younger senior politicians would be important.

There had been criticism of the average age on the former Advisory and Finance Committee.

‘I didn’t help in that respect,’ added the 73-year-old.

Deputy Morgan admitted he did not expect that all his nominations would receive the support of the House.

‘I would like to feel that some of my recommendations come out reasonably unscathed but I’m not naive enough to think that I will come in with 10 names and leave with those 10 being elected. I’m happy to work with who the States chooses.’

The two unsuccessful candidates in the chief minister election, Bernard Flouquet and Mike Torode, have indicated an interest in being deputy chief minister and Home Department minister respectively.

A contest is certain at Education, where sitting president Martin Ozanne will face competition from Education Council member Jonathan Le Tocq; and at the Culture and Leisure Department, where Peter Sirett and Mike O’Hara are candidates.

Deputy Le Tocq looked forward to a well-balanced Policy Council.

‘I’d like to see people of various shades of the political spectrum involved.

‘We need to see them represented.’

Deputy Morgan’s proposer in Saturday’s election, Deputy Peter Roffey, wants to return to Health and there are a number of anticipated candidates for the Environment Department, but no clear front-runner.

* Election of the members of the 10 new departments takes place in the States tomorrow.