Chief Pleas

The Chief Pleas is the parliament and legislature of the island of Sark, part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. It is a non-partisan assembly of 20 members. The current speaker of the Chief Pleas is Paul Armorgie, who was elected in 2023.

History

The Chief Pleas was founded sometime prior to 1597. At the time, the legislature was not elected, consisting of the hereditary Seigneur, the Seneschal (then appointed by the Seigneur) and the forty tenement owners of the island. The Chief Pleas met infrequently to hear the pleas of its members, hence its name. In 1922, the parliament was expanded to include 12 Deputies, who why elected by popular vote. Only non-tenants could stand as candidates. In 1957, 12 Peoples' Deputies were introduced after residents appealed to the Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey.

Notably, Sark was the last jurisdiction on Earth to abolish its feudal regime. In 2006, the Chief Pleas voted 25 to 15 to reform the legislature. The reforms would see its membership reduced from 52 to 28, with 14 landowners and 14 residents being elected. The legislation came into effect in 2008 when it was endorsed by the Privy Council. Sark held its first democratic election to the Chief Pleas on the 10 December 2008.

The Chief Pleas was reformed further in 2010, when the role of Seneschal was split. Beforehand, the Seneschal was both the president of the Chief Pleas as well as the chief judge. The change was decided after concerns that the mixed role did not comply with human rights law. The reform came into effect in 2013.

Structure

The Chief Pleas has 20 members, 18 directly elected Conseillers, the Speaker (elected by the Conseillers) and the Seigneur. Both the Speaker and the Seigneur are non-voting members. Conseillers

Conseillers are elected for a term of four years. Elections take place every 2 years, with half of the total seats being contested. The most recent election took place in 2024, with the next due sometime before January 2027.

Below is a list of the current serving Conseillers:

ConseillersTerm endsHelen Plummer2027John Guille2027Jolie Rose2027Carol Cragoe2027Nick Moloney2027Karl Rang2027Patrick Dewe2027John Perrée2027Michael Lanyon2027Mike Locke2029Natalie Tighe2029Chris Bateson2029David Curtis2029Edric Baker MBE2029Vacant (formerly Mary Nicholle)2029James Martin2029Frank Makepeace2029Sam Keyte2029

Ex officio members Member Office Christopher Beaumont Seigneur Paul Armorgie Speaker of Chief Pleas Leadership Presidents of Chief Pleas (2013–2017) Officeholder Title Term begin Term end Reference Reginald Guille President of Chief Pleas 27 February 2013 5 October 2016 Arthur Rolfe President of Chief Pleas 5 October 2016 27 February 2017 Speakers of Chief Pleas (2017–present) Officeholder Title Term begin Term end Reference Arthur Rolfe Speaker of Chief Pleas 27 February 2017 27 February 2020 Reginald Guille Speaker of Chief Pleas 27 February 2020 27 February 2023 Paul Armorgie Speaker of Chief Pleas 27 February 2023 Present Committees

The Chief Pleas operates a number of committees on various areas of administration of the island. These committees are made up of Conseillers, with some having additional non-Chief Pleas members.

The committees are listed below:

Agriculture, Environment & Sea Fisheries Development Control Douzaine Education Harbours, Shipping & Pilotage Medical & Emergency Services Policy & Finance Scrutiny Management Tourism (incl. Public Health)

Chief Pleas

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