Lee Van Katwyk

The manifesto covers six distinct policy areas: governance reform, taxation, the economy, housing, education, and provision for pensioners and youth. The governance section proposes a 50% reduction in the number of deputies and an executive style of government, which is a structurally significant ask. The tax section sets out a sequenced approach to revenue, opposing GST while naming income tax as a conditional last resort ringfenced for education and health. Taken together, these amount to a coherent if unevenly developed programme rather than a single campaign theme.

Several pledges carry specific figures: a 50% reduction in deputy numbers, housing development thresholds of £500k and £350k, and a conditional 2% income tax rise ringfenced for education and health. However, the pensioner, education, and youth sections consist largely of directional commitments without figures, dates, or named mechanisms. The call to 'act fast to define Pillar Two's expected revenue' sets a procedural step but supplies no timeline or target. The overall balance between numbered pledges and directional language sits below the mid-range.

The sequenced revenue approach, starting with Pillar 2, broadening the corporate tax base, and only raising income tax as a last resort, is internally coherent and acknowledges that Pillar 2 is a real but uncertain source. The manifesto correctly treats Pillar 2 as a revenue stream to be quantified before further commitments are made. Spending pledges on pensioner protection, teacher support, and youth tax incentives are not accompanied by named savings or revenue sources, leaving them fiscally open-ended. The governance reform proposal, cutting deputies by 50%, faces significant constitutional complexity that the manifesto does not address.

The Scorecard records Van Katwyk as a Member of the Committee for Economic Development, which gives proximity to some of the economy and tax pledges. The housing, education, pensioner, and youth commitments fall within the remit of other committees and would require both a States majority and the cooperation of those committees. The governance reform proposals, including halving the number of deputies and introducing executive government, would require constitutional change well beyond any single deputy's reach. Pledges in the same subject area as economic development are more proximate, but most of the manifesto depends on other decision-makers.

Several sections contain general statements of intent that add sentiment without specifying what action will be taken or by whom. The pensioner section includes 'We owe our way of life to those who have worked theirs for Guernsey' without linking it to a concrete mechanism. The economy section closes with 'our politicians must be the ones who strive, not the public, to revive our economy', which is a statement of principle rather than a commitment. The youth section similarly combines specific instruments with broader exhortations. These passages are present across multiple sections, though the housing and tax sections are noticeably more concrete.