Parish Assembly Jersey
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Parish Assembly
A Parish Assembly in JerseyJersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
is the decision-making body of local government, comprising ratepayers
Rates (tax)
Rates are a type of property tax system in the United Kingdom, and in places with systems deriving from the British one, the proceeds of which are used to fund local government...
(including mandataires) and electors of the parish
Parishes of Jersey
The Channel Island of Jersey is divided into twelve administrative districts or parishes. All have access to the sea and are named after the saints to whom their ancient parish churches are dedicated.:* Saint Helier...
.
The Parish Assembly:
- sets the annual domestic rate according to the budget proposed by the ConnétableConnétableConnétables in Jersey and Guernsey are the elected heads of the Parishes. They are often called 'constables' in English. The constables are entitled each to carry a silver-tipped baton of office.- Jersey :...
; - elects members of the municipality, including the Roads Committee, Roads Inspectors, Vingteniers, Constable's OfficersHonorary PoliceThere is an Honorary Police force in each of the 12 parishes of Jersey. Members of the Honorary Police are elected by the voters of the parish in which they serve, and are unpaid....
; - recommends liquor licences to the licensing bench;
- adopts road names;
- authorises the Procureurs du Bien PublicProcureur du Bien PublicA Procureur du Bien Public is the legal and financial representative of a parish in Jersey. Procureurs are elected for a term of three years....
to enter into contracts in the name of the parish; - may discuss other matters as proposed by the ConnétableConnétableConnétables in Jersey and Guernsey are the elected heads of the Parishes. They are often called 'constables' in English. The constables are entitled each to carry a silver-tipped baton of office.- Jersey :...
, or at the written request of a number of members of the Assembly
Municipal structure
Each parishParishes of Jersey
The Channel Island of Jersey is divided into twelve administrative districts or parishes. All have access to the sea and are named after the saints to whom their ancient parish churches are dedicated.:* Saint Helier...
is headed by a Constable
Connétable
Connétables in Jersey and Guernsey are the elected heads of the Parishes. They are often called 'constables' in English. The constables are entitled each to carry a silver-tipped baton of office.- Jersey :...
(French
Jersey Legal French
Jersey Legal French, also known as Jersey French, is the official dialect of French used administratively in Jersey. Since the anglicisation of the island, it survives as a written language for some laws, contracts, and other documents. Jersey's parliament, the States of Jersey, is part of the...
: Connétable; Jèrriais
Jèrriais
Jèrriais is the form of the Norman language spoken in Jersey, in the Channel Islands, off the coast of France. It has been in decline over the past century as English has increasingly become the language of education, commerce and administration...
: Connêtabl'ye) who is elected for a three year period by the residents of the Parish.
The Constable is assisted in all matters by a Parish Municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
which consists of two Procureurs du Bien Public
Procureur du Bien Public
A Procureur du Bien Public is the legal and financial representative of a parish in Jersey. Procureurs are elected for a term of three years....
.
Vingtaines
The Parish is further divided into VingtaineVingtaine
A vingtaine is a political subdivision of Jersey. They are subdivisions of the various parishes of Jersey, and one, La Vingtaine de la Ville , in Saint Helier is further divided into two cantons.St...
s (or in Saint Ouen
Saint Ouen, Jersey
-Cueillettes:Unlike the other parishes of Jersey, the subdivisions of this parish are not named vingtaines, but cueillettes . Vingteniers are still elected, however, in the cueillettes.*La Petite Cueillette*La Grande Cueillette...
cueillettes). Each vingtaine is represented by two Vingteniers, two Roads Inspector
Roads Inspector
A Roads Inspector is a statutory office in Jersey responsible for the maintenance of public highways.The Parish Assembly elects two Roads Inspectors for each Vingtaine [or Cueillette in St Ouen] for a three-year term of office in accordance with the Loi sur la Voirie...
s and three Constable's Officers. All are elected and sworn officers of the Royal Court.
Roads Committee
A Roads CommitteeRoads Committee
In Jersey, the Roads Committee is the highway authority for Parish roads in each Parish. In accordance with the Loi sur la Voirie it superintends the repair and maintenance of by-roads in the Parish, establishes boundary stones, issues Choses Publiques licenses, examines planning applications...
of five elected principals is also available to offer advice on a range of issues; chiefly related to the roads. Centeniers are the highest ranking police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
officers in Jersey and are elected.
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
, the Roads Committee (French: Comité des Chemins) is the highway authority for Parish roads in each Parish
Parishes of Jersey
The Channel Island of Jersey is divided into twelve administrative districts or parishes. All have access to the sea and are named after the saints to whom their ancient parish churches are dedicated.:* Saint Helier...
. In accordance with the Loi (1914) sur la Voirie it superintends the repair and maintenance of by-roads in the Parish, establishes boundary stones, issues Choses Publiques licenses, examines planning applications that fall within its responsibilities, supervises refuse collection, adjudicates fines during the Visite du Branchage, and proposes new road names, as may be necessary, for approval by the Parish Assembly. The Connétable
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...
presides over the Roads Committee which also includes the Rector and three Principals of the Parish [five Principals for St Helier] elected for a term of three years by the Parish Assembly.
Instructions are passed to Roads Inspector
Roads Inspector
A Roads Inspector is a statutory office in Jersey responsible for the maintenance of public highways.The Parish Assembly elects two Roads Inspectors for each Vingtaine [or Cueillette in St Ouen] for a three-year term of office in accordance with the Loi sur la Voirie...
s whose duty it is to ensure that the repairs are carried out.
In St. Helier, the larger Roads Committee also undertakes additional non-statutory responsibilities with regard to parks and other matters, and acts, in the absence of a municipal council, as an advisory body to the Connétable. By convention, the two Procureur du Bien Public
Procureur du Bien Public
A Procureur du Bien Public is the legal and financial representative of a parish in Jersey. Procureurs are elected for a term of three years....
of St. Helier attend meetings of the Roads Committee, but cannot vote.
Roads Inspectors
The Parish AssemblyParish Assembly
Parish Assembly may refer to:* Parish Assembly , the assembly of local government in Jersey* Freguesia, a secondary local administrative unit in Portugal...
elects two Roads Inspectors for each Vingtaine
Vingtaine
A vingtaine is a political subdivision of Jersey. They are subdivisions of the various parishes of Jersey, and one, La Vingtaine de la Ville , in Saint Helier is further divided into two cantons.St...
[or Cueillette in St Ouen] for a three-year term of office in accordance with the Loi (1914) sur la Voirie. Roads Inspectors are responsible for the repair of by-roads of the Parish and have to ensure the instructions of the Roads Committee
Roads Committee
In Jersey, the Roads Committee is the highway authority for Parish roads in each Parish. In accordance with the Loi sur la Voirie it superintends the repair and maintenance of by-roads in the Parish, establishes boundary stones, issues Choses Publiques licenses, examines planning applications...
are carried out.
In the Parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of St Helier, the Roads Inspectors also undertake additional non-statutory responsibilities with regard to the policing of infractions of the Road Traffic Act (Jersey) and other areas of the law within the parochial remit such as dog licensing and fly posting. They also serve as conduits of information to the Honorary Police
Honorary Police
There is an Honorary Police force in each of the 12 parishes of Jersey. Members of the Honorary Police are elected by the voters of the parish in which they serve, and are unpaid....
.
They chief role is the annual Visite du Branchage
Visite du Branchage
A Visite du Branchage is an inspection of roads in Jersey and Guernsey to ensure property owners have complied with the laws against vegetation encroaching on the highway.-Jersey:...
and the triennial Visite Royale.
Supplementary bodies are also elected to serve specific needs; in the largest parish St Helier these include; the Accounts Committee
Accounts Committee
The Accounts Committee of each Parish in Jersey is responsible for ensuring that appropriate accounting methodologies are employed in the preparation of the annual Constable's accounts in order that the Parish Assembly can rely on the information provided in order to set the Parish Rate....
, the Welfare Board, and the Youth Council
Youth council
Youth councils are a form of youth voice engaged in community decision-making. Youth councils exist on local, state, provincial, regional, national, and international levels among governments, NGOs, schools, and other entities.-About:...
.
Matters of import are brought before a gathering of the municipality and members of the public for consideration and vote.
Honorary PoliceHonorary PoliceThere is an Honorary Police force in each of the 12 parishes of Jersey. Members of the Honorary Police are elected by the voters of the parish in which they serve, and are unpaid....
Officers
There is an Honorary Police (FrenchJersey Legal French
Jersey Legal French, also known as Jersey French, is the official dialect of French used administratively in Jersey. Since the anglicisation of the island, it survives as a written language for some laws, contracts, and other documents. Jersey's parliament, the States of Jersey, is part of the...
: Police Honorifique) force in each parish
Parishes of Jersey
The Channel Island of Jersey is divided into twelve administrative districts or parishes. All have access to the sea and are named after the saints to whom their ancient parish churches are dedicated.:* Saint Helier...
in Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
.
Honorary Police officers have, for centuries, been elected by parishioners to assist the Connétable
Connétable
Connétables in Jersey and Guernsey are the elected heads of the Parishes. They are often called 'constables' in English. The constables are entitled each to carry a silver-tipped baton of office.- Jersey :...
of the Parish to maintain law and order. Officers are elected as Centeniers, Vingteniers or Constable's Officers each with various duties and responsibilities.
The Honorary Police provided the only law enforcement prior to the appointment of paid Police officers for the Parish of Saint Helier
Saint Helier
Saint Helier is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel. St. Helier has a population of about 28,000, roughly 31.2% of the total population of Jersey, and is the capital of the Island . The urban area of the parish of St...
in 1853 and later to serve the whole Island. The Honorary Police still provide an essential and very valuable service to the Parish and community.
Each Parish Assembly elects a number of Centeniers, Vingteniers and Constable's Officers who act in the name of the Connétable of the Parish in maintaining law and order. These officers are elected for a period of three years and take an oath in the Royal Court.
All Honorary Police officers must live in the Parish at the time of their first election or, in the case of St Helier, be a ratepayer or mandataire of that Parish. If an officer moves out of the Parish during her/his term of office, s/he may continue her/his term of office with the approval of Her Majesty's Attorney General and the Connétable of the Parish and may stand for re-election provided there is no break in service.
A person may be nominated for election as a member of the Honorary Police if, on the day of nomination, s/he is at least 20 years of age and less than 70 years of age.
Honorary Police officers are on duty for one week at a time, usually every 3 or 4 weeks depending upon the roster within the Parish, and are on call 24 hours a day during that period. Honorary Police officers are elected to serve the Parish but in certain circumstances may assist or operate outside the Parish.
Anyone standing for election as a member of the Honorary Police will have to undergo a criminal record check.
Ecclesiastical Assembly
In order to maintain the historic ties to the Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
a Rectorate comprising the Connétable and Procureurs, and the Rector and Churchwardens oversees the operation of the largest church within the Parochial boundary. Decisions regarding the operation of the Church are made by an Ecclesiastical Assembly which is composed of the same persons as the Parish Assembly.