Chief Minister of Guernsey
The Chief Minister of Guernsey chaired the Policy Council, which consists of the heads of each of the ten departments of the States of Guernsey. Guernsey operates a system of consensus, committees-based government. The Policy Council is explicitly not a cabinet and has relatively little executive authority compared to a cabinet; instead, its main function is policy co-ordination. The Chief Minister also spoke for the island externally in political matters.
| Chief Minister of Guernsey | |
|---|---|
| Member of |
|
| Appointer | States of Guernsey |
| Term length | Four years |
| Precursor | Bailiff of Guernsey |
| Formation | 1 May 2004 |
| First holder | Laurie Morgan |
| Final holder | Jonathan Le Tocq |
| Abolished | 4 May 2016 |
| Deputy | Deputy Chief Minister |
This post was created following the Machinery of Government review which came into effect on 1 May 2004. The rules for selection of the Chief Minister were amended in 2012 immediately prior to the election of a new Chief Minister; prior to this change candidates for the post needed to have served four or more of the last eight years as a deputy to qualify for the role. Deputy Harwood would have been unable to stand for the role of Chief Minister under the previous rules.
The position and title Chief Minister was abolished from 1 May 2016, along with the ministerial government system. It has been replaced by a senior committee Policy and Resources Committee.