All three attempts to either reduce, or increase deputy numbers in the States Assembly have been defeated.

An attempt by Deputy Mark Helyar to reduce deputy numbers by 10 has failed.

Instead, a successful amendment by Deputy Peter Roffey means there will be a thorough review of the size of the assembly, including Alderney representatives.

This will be carried out by the States Assembly and Constitution Committee.

Deputy Helyar's requete attempted to shrink the size of the Assembly by 10 ahead of the June 2025 election.

He says it is supported publicly but failed to gain enough support among his peers.

"The basis of this is to cut costs because it will, and that one can't be argued.

To save time, it will, that can't be argued against, because we do spend a lot of time making speeches we don't need to - and too long.

And I think, if nothing else, that take away from this debate, it must be that what we have at the moment does not work properly."

Deputy John Gollop's attempt to raise the number to 45 failed by 33 votes to 3.

Deputy Neil Inder then put forward an amendment to cut the number by five -  which lost narrowly.

As this article is published, eight amendments have been laid.

Deputy Al Brouard called the incoming amendments a 'pantomime'.

"My fear, as we go into this pantomime, is that if this fails then we are going to then have an option (to remove) four people, then when that fails three, and so on."

On the second full day of debate on the requete, former politician Mary Lowe took to social media to express her concern, over the States priorities.

No there shouldn’t be a requete on number of States members +several amendments when a debate should be on priorities such as housing & economy instead of navel gazing?
Unbelievable this debate before the Requete from Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller on dedicated Housing Committee https://t.co/ZUsoLtb5Sa

— Mary Lowe (@MaryLowe501) December 12, 2024

Guernsey's States have agreed to establish a Government Reform Advisory Committee.

From the beginning of the next political term, this group would bring proposals to improve the effectiveness of the States - and determine the number of deputies.

Deputy John Le Tocq's proposal passed by 21 votes to 13.

Deputy Peter Ferbrache says the government isn't working:

"This island deserves better government than we are giving it, than it was given previously by the previous assembly and then the previous assembly.

We can't make any decisions, at all, our hands are tied, in the relation to the way we govern this island."