Tom Rylatt

The manifesto spans housing, tax reform, governance, healthcare, education, climate and economic development, framed around a six-step fiscal plan that includes corporate tax changes, a named spending reduction target, and a new tax allowance for under-30s. The cross-cutting programme, built around a group platform described as 'the most ambitious vision and detailed manifesto ever prepared ahead of an election in Guernsey', reaches well beyond a single theme. The ambition is real, though much of it is expressed as support for shared Forward Guernsey positions rather than as individually driven commitments.

Several pledges carry specific figures: the 'Additional Earned Allowance' saves up to £20,000 in tax on the first £100,000 of taxable earnings before age 30; the 1% annual baseline spending reduction is stated to save £25 million per year by 2029; the capital programme review is assigned a three-month timeframe; the intermediate affordable housing category is tied to a 30% discount on market value; and the corporate tax step names zero/fifteen as the target rate. Other pledges, including those on rental market incentives, connectivity investment, green skills and healthcare staffing, are directional without figures or mechanisms.

The six-step fiscal plan acknowledges the need for revenue measures before imposing GST, and the corporate tax step names a specific rate change, which is an internally coherent revenue position. The 1% baseline spending reduction producing £25 million per year by 2029 is the main quantified saving, and no revenue source or saving is named to cover the cost of the 'Additional Earned Allowance' tax relief or other new spending commitments such as the 'Welcome Home' relocation package. Relying on private investment in infrastructure and an offshore wind farm to strengthen the economy is a legitimate position but neither is costed in the manifesto.

The Scorecard records Rylatt as a Member of the Committee for Employment and Social Security. The pledges relating to employment, social security, population management linked to skills gaps, the 'Welcome Home' relocation package, and the Mental Health Champion are in areas adjacent to that recorded role. The housing, planning, tax reform, capital programme, education, healthcare, climate, and governance pledges depend on other committees and a States majority of 20 of 38. Several pledges, including raising the corporate tax rate, are also described as requiring joint action with Jersey.

The manifesto contains a reasonable proportion of specific commitments with named figures and timeframes, but also includes recurring general statements: phrases such as 'fresh perspective', 'deeply personal stake', 'policy is more important than personality', and the section on rebuilding trust are largely values-oriented rather than commitment-carrying. The student engagement pledge and the governance reform section mix concrete proposals with motivational framing. The overall balance tilts toward specificity in the fiscal and housing sections but is more general in the climate, healthcare and economic sections.