Alderney election: three new faces set to sit in States
The States of Alderney will welcome three new members following the results of the island's election.
Islanders went to the polls yesterday (16 November) to choose five States members out of the ten who govern Alderney in total.
Edward Hill, Iain MacFarlane, Alex Snowdon, Stuart Clark and Kevin Gentle will all now serve as States members until 31 December 2028.
They will begin their terms on 1 January 2025.
Boyd Kelly and Lin Maurice were the incumbent members who lost their seats while current States member Ian Carter did not stand.
Edward Hill received the highest number of votes with 569.
The election turnout was 63%.
The full results were as follows.
Haydn Bateman: 279 votes
Stuart Clark: 498 votes
Kevin Gentle: 331 votes
Rosemary Hanbury: 315 votes
Edward Hill: 569 votes
Boyd Kelly: 266 votes
Iain MacFarlane: 538 votes
Lin Maurice: 198 votes
Alex Snowdon: 520 votes
Alderney does not have political parties so all those standing were independent candidates.
Edward Hill also spoke to ITV News and said he was "deeply humbled" to be elected as a fourth generation islander.
Mr Hill said: "I'm looking at solutions, not problems. It's a very challenging time. I'm not going to lie to anybody. But I'm a person who likes to try to put in practical solutions, try to get things going."
One of the other successful candidates, Iain MacFarlane, spoke to ITV News about his hopes for what he could do in the next four years for Alderney.
Mr MacFarlane said: "Well I think there are lots of things wrong with Alderney and working collaboratively with newly-elected and already seated States members, hopefully we can resolve all the issues we've all been talking about for the last two or three weeks.
"The problems with the airport, the problems with housing, the problems with young families moving away. Hopefully we can work together and make some positive changes."
Incoming States member Stuart Clark spoke about his how he hopes his military background will propel his political career.
He said: "I think there are a lot of parallels. The qualities that make someone a good officer in the military are very similar, I think, to what makes someone a good politician.
"I hope to bring integrity and hard work and moral courage to my role as a politician.
"I'm very honoured that Alderney has chosen me to represent them. I never thought I'd be an Alderney politician until I was retired and in my sixties but I decided that Alderney is at a pretty crucial point right now. There's a lot that's not working. It's going to be hard work. I feel like I'm stepping in front of a firing squad, slightly, but I'm going to put my all into trying to make this island I love a better place."
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...