Barbara Ward

Deputy for St Clement · Independent

Member of Legislation Advisory Board

Barbara Ward was first elected as Deputy for St Clement in June 2022. She served as a member of the Health and Social Security Scrutiny Panel and the States Employment Board from 2022 to 2024, before becoming Assistant Minister for Health and Social Services from 2024 to 2026. She currently serves as a member of the Legislation Advisory Board, a position she has held since 2023, and was re-elected as Deputy for St Clement in 2026.

For her current term, Ward campaigned on continuity in health policy and the protection of islanders' financial security. Her principal pledges included remaining part of the Health Ministerial team to provide stability, and working to ensure the new hospital is built, properly staffed and made operational, including participation in the Health Partnership Board. She also committed to advocating for tax incentives to encourage older people back into the workforce, resolving the double taxation of Social Security payments, introducing a Carers Allowance, and opposing any diversion of the States Grant away from the Social Security Scheme to cover government overspends.

Ward's professional background spans 45 years in nursing. She served for 25 years as a Royal College of Nursing union negotiator, held a 30-year role as a pensions representative, and was a member of the States Employment Forum for a decade.

Sources

Official States Assembly register · statesassembly.je
Election manifesto · vote.je
Facebook · facebook.com
St Clement Deputy eyes return to digital role · Jersey Evening Post
Jersey deputy's concerns over assisted dying consent waiver · BBC

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States participation

Votes expected

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Coverage

Media mentions

Every Jersey media article naming this member, month by month. Accented bars mark coverage spikes — hover or focus any month to see the stories behind it.

What drove the spikes

January 20243 mentions
- Deputy Chief Minister Breached Behaviour Code — Channel 103
- Deputy chief minister to 'keep mouth shut' following complaint — BBC
Deputy Chief Minister Morel was found to have behaved unacceptably toward her in February 2023.
January 20262 mentions
- Jersey deputy's concerns over assisted dying consent waiver — BBC
- Assistant Health Minister seeks change to Assisted Dying ... — Channel 103
Raised concerns that an assisted dying consent waiver could breach ethics and the law.

Attendance

Turnout in the States Assembly — 2026–2030 Assembly

The States Assembly records a reason against every non-vote, so being ill, off-island, on parental leave or barred by a declared interest can be told apart from simply not turning up. Absences with an accepted reason are removed from both sides of the rate rather than held against the member.

4 votes in 2026–2030 Assembly so far — fewer than the 10 needed before this scorecard will publish a participation rate. The record to date:

Voted or abstained4

Manifesto

Promises, and how they voted — 2026–2030 Assembly

Grouped by policy area. Each promise carries the recorded States Assembly votes that test it, and whether this member voted to deliver — open any vote for the motion and the reasoning. A vote counts against a promise only where it plainly contradicts it; where a member voted against one particular measure but the breach is arguable, the vote is shown and set aside rather than counted. Promises no recorded vote has borne on yet are marked as untested rather than scored.

Voted to deliverVoted againstAbsent or abstained

Health & Social Care

5 promises · 1 kept

1recorded vote

1 Pour

No recorded votedirectional
Will seek to remain part of the Health Ministerial team to provide stability and continuity over the next term.
“maintaining a Health Ministerial team to provide stability and continuity now and for the next 4 years – the job is far from finished and wishes to remain part of the Health team through these vital changes”
Health And CareGovernance And Constitution
No recorded vote bears on this promise yet, and no delivery verdict has been generated.
Related votes (shown for context; too partial or indirect to count towards the score)
- 14 Jul 2026·P.62/2026 — Take no action on the draft States of Jersey (Ministerial Offices) Amendment Order 202- (P.62-2026) — Contre14-31
  The motion to take no action on the Ministerial Offices Amendment Order could affect ministerial team structures, tangentially touching the promise to remain part of the Health Ministerial team, but the connection to the specific commitment is indirect.
No recorded votedirectional
Will work to ensure the new hospital is built, properly staffed and operational, and participate in the Health Partnership Board.
“ensuring our new hospital is built; staffed well; up and running and be part of the new and exciting Health Partnership Board.”
Health And CareInfrastructure And Transport
No recorded vote bears on this promise yet, and no delivery verdict has been generated.
No recorded votedirectional
Will seek to address the double taxation issue on Social Security payments affecting islanders.
“address the 'double taxation aspect on Social Security payments, which affects all islanders”
Social Security And BenefitsTax And Gst
No recorded vote bears on this promise yet, and no delivery verdict has been generated.
No recorded votedirectional
Will campaign for the introduction of a Carers Allowance.
“We also need the introduction of a Carers Allowance.”
Social Security And BenefitsHealth And Care
No recorded vote bears on this promise yet, and no delivery verdict has been generated.
Keptdirectional
Will oppose the government diverting States Grant money away from the Social Security Scheme to cover overspends.
“Stop the government withholding States Grant money, which should go into our Social Security Scheme only to pay for the governments 'overspends'. Our Social Security scheme is the bedrock 'contributory insurance' scheme for all islanders and must be fully protected.”
Social Security And BenefitsPublic Finances
1 recorded vote tests this promise
1 Pour
- 08 Sept 2026✓P.63/2026 — Reinstate the States Grant to the Social Security Fund (P.63-2026) — Pour, voted to deliver6-41
  Voting Pour delivers this
  The motion directly proposes reinstating the States Grant to the Social Security Fund, which is the precise mechanism Promise 5 commits to defending against government diversion.

Economy, Tax & Cost of Living

1 promise · 0 kept

No recorded States Assembly vote bears on this area yet.

No recorded votedirectional
Will advocate for tax incentives to encourage older persons to return to the workforce.
“We need Tax incentives for older persons returning back into the work force”
Tax And GstCost Of Living
No recorded vote bears on this promise yet, and no delivery verdict has been generated.

Manifesto · Closed term

Promises, and how they voted — 2022–2026 Assembly

Deputy for St Clement · Independent. This term has closed — shown here as this member's earlier record, not the live one. A vote counts against a promise only where it plainly contradicts it; an arguable breach is shown and set aside rather than counted.

100%

Kept rate

97%

States participation

Promises tracked

97%

of the 892 votes they were expected to cast in 2022–2026 Assembly

Voted or abstained869
Not present for vote23

Voted to deliverVoted againstAbsent or abstained

Health & Social Care

5 promises · 3 kept

16recorded votes

6 Pour · 10 Contre

No recorded votedirectional
Will push for an independent inspection of Jersey's Health Service by the UK Care Quality Commission.
“The Health Service needs an independent inspection by the UK Care Quality Commission.”
Health And CareGovernance And Constitution
1 recorded vote tests this promise
1 Contre
- 14 Jun 2023·P.19/2023 — Health and Community Services Interim Board as amended — Contre, voted against, not counted as a breach28-16
  Voting Pour delivers this
  Establishing a Health and Community Services Interim Board relates to independent oversight of Jersey's Health Service, which is in the same vein as pushing for independent inspection.
  Considered and set aside: this motion does not bear on the promise. The promise concerns independent inspection by the UK Care Quality Commission, while the motion concerns the establishment or amendment of a Health and Community Services Interim Board — a different governance mechanism with no clear connection to the CQC inspection commitment.
Related votes (shown for context; too partial or indirect to count towards the score)
- 13 Dec 2022·P.109/2022 — Our Hospital Project: Reporting — Contre15-32
  Reporting on the Our Hospital Project concerns accountability and transparency of Jersey's health service, indirectly touching on the push for independent inspection.
  Considered and set aside: this motion does not bear on the promise. The promise concerns an independent inspection of Jersey's Health Service by the UK Care Quality Commission, whereas the motion is about reporting arrangements for the Our Hospital Project — a different subject that does not bear on whether such an inspection should take place.
Keptdirectional
Will support refurbishing the existing General Hospital as the acute and emergency facility.
“Refurbish the existing General Hospital site as the Acute and Emergency facility providing space, extended facilities to improve the patient's experience and working conditions for staff.”
Health And CarePlanning And Development
2 recorded votes test this promise
2 Contre
- 17 Jul 2024✓P.43/2024 — New Healthcare Facilities Programme Paragraph (b) — Contre, voted to deliver15-29
  Voting Contre delivers this
  The New Healthcare Facilities Programme vote bears on the future of the General Hospital as the acute facility, since the programme's direction affects which site serves acute and emergency functions.
- 17 Jul 2024✓P.43/2024 — New Healthcare Facilities Programme paragraph (a) — Contre, voted to deliver13-30
  Voting Contre delivers this
  The New Healthcare Facilities Programme paragraph (a) vote concerns the hospital development plan which determines the role of the existing General Hospital.
Related votes (shown for context; too partial or indirect to count towards the score)
- 14 Dec 2022·P.97/2022(Amd)(20) — Proposed Government Plan 2023-2026 (P.97/2022): twentieth amendment Hospital funding — Pour33-12
  Hospital funding in the Government Plan touches on investment decisions affecting the future of acute hospital facilities.
No recorded voteaspirational
Will work to raise awareness of mental health issues among young people at parish level.
“I want to focus life at parish level, partly by raising awareness among the young on Mental Health issues.”
Health And CareChildren And FamiliesParish And Local Government
No recorded vote - delivery verdictUnverifiablemedium confidence
Deputy Ward's 2022 manifesto (vote.je) included a commitment to raise awareness of mental health among young people at parish level in St Clement. Across the 2022–2026 term she served on the Health and Social Security Scrutiny Panel and then as Assistant Health Minister from January 2024, with her publicly recorded work focused on island-wide healthcare policy, the new hospital project, and general parish engagement such as coffee mornings and surgeries. No independent Jersey source — including the Jersey Evening Post, Bailiwick Express, gov.je or statesassembly.je — reported any parish-level youth mental health awareness event, programme or initiative specifically organised or led by Ward in St Clement during this term. Her own 2026 re-election materials listed several achievements but made no reference to this specific commitment, leaving it impossible to verify whether any parish-level activity took place.
Keptdirectional
Will advocate for developing Overdale as a non-acute facility including oncology, rehabilitation and outpatient services.
“My view is to have a two-site hospital, plus a first-class community care service by: Developing Overdale as the non-acute facility, incorporating step-down and Oncology beds, rehabilitation on Samares Ward, out-patients, non-acute treatments and a community staff base etc.”
Health And CarePlanning And Development
2 recorded votes test this promise
2 Contre
- 17 Jul 2024✓P.43/2024 — New Healthcare Facilities Programme Paragraph (b) — Contre, voted to deliver15-29
  Voting Contre delivers this
  The New Healthcare Facilities Programme paragraph (b) vote bears directly on the hospital development programme which would determine whether Overdale is developed as promised; voting against a programme inconsistent with the promise advances it.
- 17 Jul 2024✓P.43/2024 — New Healthcare Facilities Programme paragraph (a) — Contre, voted to deliver13-30
  Voting Contre delivers this
  The New Healthcare Facilities Programme paragraph (a) vote directly concerns hospital site decisions, bearing on whether Overdale is developed as a non-acute facility as promised.
Keptdirectional
Will support increased investment in community care services.
“Invest and build on the work delivered by a first-class community care service.”
Health And Care
11 recorded votes test this promise
6 Pour · 5 Contre
- 14 Dec 2022·P.97/2022(Amd)(16) — Proposed Government Plan 2023-2026 (P.97/2022): sixteenth amendment Multi-morbidity GP consultations — Contre, voted against, not counted as a breach14-32
  Voting Pour delivers this
  The motion to fund multi-morbidity GP consultations would increase investment in community care services by improving access to primary care.
  Considered and set aside: voting this way is not clearly a breach of the promise. The promise is a general directional commitment to invest in community care, while this motion concerns a specific amendment about GP consultation funding for multi-morbidity patients, which is one particular mechanism that may or may not be the best route to honouring that general commitment.
- 14 Dec 2022·P.97/2022(Amd)(18) — Proposed Government Plan 2023-2026 (P.97/2022): eighteenth amendment Free GP visits for children and young people — Contre, voted against, not counted as a breach24-22
  Voting Pour delivers this
  Free GP visits for children and young people directly increases investment in community health care services.
  Considered and set aside: voting this way is not clearly a breach of the promise. The promise to invest in community care services is a general directional commitment, and free GP visits for children is one specific optional mechanism that could be considered related but is not the same as "community care services," making it impossible to say without inference that voting against this particular amendment contradicts the broader promise.
- 14 Dec 2022✓P.97/2022(Amd)(20) — Proposed Government Plan 2023-2026 (P.97/2022): twentieth amendment Hospital funding — Pour, voted to deliver33-12
  Voting Pour delivers this
  Adopting hospital funding amendment in the Government Plan directly bears on investment in health services including community care.
- 12 Dec 2023✓P.72/2023 Amd.(31) — Proposed Government Plan 2024-2027 (P.72/2023): thirty-first amendment. Vaccination Service. — Pour, voted to deliver49-0
  Voting Pour delivers this
  The vaccination service amendment increases investment in community health services.
- 12 Dec 2023✓P.72/2023 Amd.(6) — Proposed Government Plan 2024-2027 (P.72/2023): sixth amendment. (P.72/2023 Amd.(6)). Medical Hosiery and wound dressing funding. — Pour, voted to deliver49-0
  Voting Pour delivers this
  Funding medical hosiery and wound dressings is a direct investment in community health care services.
- 30 Apr 2024✓P.20/2024 — In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) Funding — Pour, voted to deliver44-1
  Voting Pour delivers this
  IVF funding represents increased investment in community health care services.
- 11 Jun 2024✓P.28/2024 — Youth Service Statutory Provision as amended — Pour, voted to deliver43-0
  Voting Pour delivers this
  Statutory provision for Youth Service relates to community services investment.
- 28 Nov 2024·P.51/2024 Amd.(6) — Proposed Budget (Government Plan) 2025-2028: sixth amendment. New Healthcare Facilities Programme expenditure — Contre, voted against, not counted as a breach17-28
  Voting Pour delivers this
  The New Healthcare Facilities Programme expenditure amendment directly bears on investment in health and community services.
  Considered and set aside: voting this way is not clearly a breach of the promise. The promise supports increased investment in community care services generally, but this specific motion concerns the New Healthcare Facilities Programme expenditure, which is a capital infrastructure project rather than community care services directly, and voting against one budget amendment does not clearly contradict a general directional commitment to community care investment.
- 10 Dec 2025·P.70/2025 Amd.(28)(re-issue). — Proposed Budget (Government Plan) 2026-2029 (P.70/2025): twenty-eighth amendment. Funding for respite care, Part (2) — Contre, voted against, not counted as a breach8-32
  Voting Pour delivers this
  Part 2 of this amendment similarly redirects funding into palliative and respite care, directly bearing on Promise 8's commitment to increased investment in community care services.
  Considered and set aside: voting this way is not clearly a breach of the promise. While the promise supports investment in community care, voting against this specific amendment could reflect disagreement with the mechanism (redirecting assisted dying funding) rather than opposition to community care investment itself, making it impossible to conclude without further inference that the vote plainly contradicts the promise.
- 12 Dec 2022✓P.72/2023 Amd.(15) — Proposed Government Plan 2024-2027 (P.72/2023): fifteenth amendment. Income Support (special payments) for carers of children with life-threatening, life-limiting illnesses, or complex healthcare needs. — Pour, voted to deliver49-0
  Voting Pour delivers this
  Income Support special payments for carers of children with life-threatening illnesses increases investment in community care services.
- 10 Dec 2025·P.70/2025 Amd.(28)(re-issue). — Proposed Budget (Government Plan) 2026-2029 (P.70/2025): twenty-eighth amendment. Funding for respite care, Part (1) — Contre, voted against, not counted as a breach9-31
  Voting Pour delivers this
  Part 1 of this amendment seeks to redirect funds into palliative and respite care, which is a form of community care services that Promise 8 commits to increasing investment in.
  Considered and set aside: voting this way is not clearly a breach of the promise. While the promise supports investment in community care, voting against this specific amendment to redirect assisted dying funding into palliative and respite care could reflect disagreement with the mechanism or the reallocation source rather than opposition to community care investment itself, meaning a breach cannot be established without additional inference about motive.
Related votes (shown for context; too partial or indirect to count towards the score)
- 12 Mar 2026·P.27/2026 — Assess Affordability of Qualifying State Pensioners receiving Home Carer's Allowance (P.27-2026) — Pour8-31
  Assessing affordability for qualifying state pensioners receiving Home Carer's Allowance touches community care investment priorities.

Economy, Tax & Cost of Living

2 promises · 1 kept

5recorded votes

3 Pour · 2 Contre

Keptdirectional
Will support increased investment in arts, culture and heritage.
“More investment in Arts, Culture and Heritage.”
Economy And Business
3 recorded votes test this promise
3 Pour
- 24 Oct 2024✓P.69/2024 — Funding for Culture, Arts and Heritage; Paragraph (a) only — Pour, voted to deliver22-15
  Voting Pour delivers this
  The motion on Funding for Culture, Arts and Heritage paragraph (a) directly advances the promise to support increased investment in arts, culture and heritage.
- 09 Dec 2025✓P.70/2025 Amd.(23). — Proposed Budget (Government Plan) 2026-2029 (P.70/2025): twenty-third amendment. Increased Police funding — Pour, voted to deliver36-5
  Voting Pour delivers this
  The Twenty-Third Amendment to the Government Plan 2026-2029 may relate to arts, culture and heritage funding; the title alone does not confirm content but it is listed adjacent to related amendments.
- 11 Dec 2025✓P.70/2025 Amd.(33)(re-issue). — Proposed Budget (Government Plan) 2026-2029 (P.70/2025): thirty-third amendment. Arts, Culture and Heritage funding, as amended — Pour, voted to deliver44-0
  Voting Pour delivers this
  This amendment directly concerns arts, culture and heritage funding, which is exactly what Promise 3 commits to increasing investment in.
No recorded votedirectional
Will seek to reverse double taxation on Social Security pensions.
“Tax and Financial Management – reverse the double taxation on Social Security pensions.”
Tax And GstSocial Security And Benefits
2 recorded votes test this promise
2 Contre
- 14 Dec 2023·P.72/2023 Amd.(3) — Proposed Government Plan 2024-2027 P72 Amendment 3 - Removal of earnings cap — Contre, voted against, not counted as a breach12-33
  Voting Pour delivers this
  Removal of earnings cap on Social Security directly relates to the social security pension contribution structure and the double taxation promise.
  Considered and set aside: voting this way is not clearly a breach of the promise. The promise concerns reversing double taxation on Social Security pensions, while the motion dealt with removal of an earnings cap on Social Security contributions — a related but distinct mechanism, and voting against one specific amendment does not straightforwardly contradict a general commitment to address double taxation.
- 15 Dec 2022·P.97/2022(Amd)(23) — Proposed Government Plan 2023-2026 (P.97/2022): twenty-third amendment Removing the Upper Earnings caps — Contre, voted against, not counted as a breach16-28
  Voting Pour delivers this
  Removing the upper earnings caps on Social Security contributions is directly related to reforming social security contribution structures, bearing on the double taxation issue for Social Security pensions.
  Considered and set aside: this motion does not bear on the promise. The promise concerns reversing double taxation on Social Security pensions, whereas this motion was about removing upper earnings caps — a related but distinct Social Security policy mechanism that does not directly address the double-taxation issue the member pledged to reverse.
Related votes (shown for context; too partial or indirect to count towards the score)
- 07 Feb 2023·P.110/2022 — Draft Social Security (Amendment of Law No. 17) (Jersey) Regulations 202- (P.110-2022) Principles — Contre27-16
  Draft Social Security Amendment of Law Regulations bears on the social security framework within which double taxation on pensions operates.
  Considered and set aside: voting this way is not clearly a breach of the promise. Without knowing the specific content of Amendment No. 17 to the Social Security Law, it cannot be established that this motion directly addressed double taxation on Social Security pensions rather than some other aspect of Social Security law, so the link between the vote and the promise requires an inference that may not be warranted.
- 11 Dec 2025·P.70/2025 Amd.(11). — Proposed Budget (Government Plan) 2026-2029 (P.70/2025): eleventh amendment. Overpayments of Social Security Contributions, as amended — Pour43-0
  This amendment on overpayments of Social Security contributions touches the mechanics of the SS contributions system, which is adjacent to but not directly the same as reversing double taxation on SS pensions.
- 12 Dec 2023·P.72/2023 — Proposed Government Plan 2024-2027 (P.72/2023): amendment. Social Security grant funding — Pour26-21
  The States grant to the Social Security Fund affects the fund's financial health, which is indirectly connected to the double-taxation issue on SS pensions, but does not directly address it.
- 08 Dec 2025·P.70/2025 Amd.(4)(re-issue) — Proposed Budget (Government Plan) 2026-2029 (P.70/2025): fourth amendment. Grants to States Funds — Abstained15-25
  Halving the reduction in the States grant to the Social Security Fund touches the sustainability of SS finances, which is broadly related to pension taxation concerns, but is not a direct test of reversing double taxation.

Infrastructure & Environment

1 promise · 1 kept

3recorded votes

2 Pour · 1 Contre

Keptdirectional
Will support investment in wind, water and solar power to reduce Jersey's carbon footprint.
“Reduce our carbon footprint by investment in wind, water and solar power.”
Environment And ClimateInfrastructure And Transport
3 recorded votes test this promise
2 Pour · 1 Contre
- 17 Apr 2024✓P.82/2023 — Offshore Wind (P.82-2023): Amendment — Contre, voted to deliver2-41
  Voting Contre delivers this
  The amendment to the Offshore Wind proposition, if it would weaken or delay offshore wind development, voting contre would advance the promise to support wind power investment.
- 17 Apr 2024✓P.82/2023 — Offshore Wind — Pour, voted to deliver40-1
  Voting Pour delivers this
  The Offshore Wind motion directly advances investment in wind power to reduce Jersey's carbon footprint, aligning with the promise.
- 22 Apr 2025✓P.11/2025 — Evidence-based Energy Strategy (P.11-2025) as amended — Pour, voted to deliver43-0
  Voting Pour delivers this
  An evidence-based Energy Strategy would encompass wind, water and solar power investment, materially bearing on the promise to support renewable energy.
Related votes (shown for context; too partial or indirect to count towards the score)
- 01 Mar 2023·P.117/2022 — Establishment of a Climate Council - as amended — Pour45-0
  Establishing a Climate Council relates to reducing Jersey's carbon footprint, which is the broader goal underpinning the promise to support renewable energy investment.
- 16 Dec 2022·P.97/2022(Amd)(6) — Proposed Government Plan 2023-2026 (P.97/2022): sixth amendment Walking and Cycling routes — Pour44-0
  Walking and cycling routes amendment supports reducing carbon footprint, though it is a different mechanism than wind, water and solar power.
- 09 Dec 2025·P.70/2025 Amd.(32). — Proposed Budget (Government Plan) 2026-2029 (P.70/2025): thirty-second amendment. Environment Departmental Funding, Part 2 only — Pour44-1
  Restoring the Environment department's budget supports environmental work broadly including renewable energy initiatives, though it is not specifically targeted at wind, water or solar power.

Governance & Public Services

1 promise · 0 kept

No recorded States Assembly vote bears on this area yet.

No recorded voteaspirational
Will advocate for a comprehensive population management programme.
“The need for a comprehensive Population Programme.”
Population And Migration
No recorded vote - delivery verdictNot yet testedmedium confidence
No evidence was found that Deputy Barbara Ward lodged any proposition, made notable speeches, or took specific ministerial action advocating for a 'comprehensive population programme' during the 2022–2026 Assembly term. Her official roles were confined to the Health and Social Security Scrutiny Panel (July 2022–February 2024) and then as Assistant Health Minister from February 2024, with publicly reported activity focused exclusively on healthcare and hospital delivery. While Jersey's Council of Ministers maintained a statutory Common Population Policy throughout the term — publishing annual reports in 2023, 2024 and 2025 — this was a pre-existing government obligation with no attributed connection to Ward's advocacy. Her 2026 re-election materials made no reference to population policy work, focusing instead on the new hospital and health continuity.

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