Guernsey is Governed by the States of Deliberation. It is one of the oldest Parliaments in the world, with the first
recorded sitting taking place in 1481. It is currently made up of 45 Deputies, elected for a 4 year term by the electorate
in their electoral district. There are no party politics.
The States of Guernsey sits monthly, usually on the last Wednesday of each month and each sitting lasts for about 3 days.
The Island is run by 10 Departments, each looking after a different aspect of Island life, Health, Education, etc. You can
see how it all works on the main Government web site at
www.gov.gg.
Each Department is headed by a Minister and they sit on the top bench in the House when they meet.
The Island's are known as Crown Dependencies, which means they swear their allegiance to the Queen as opposed to the
UK Government. The Islands have the right to make their own laws and each new law is approved by the Queen through the
Privy Council.
Guernsey is divided into 10 parishes and each has its own "Douzaine" which looks after such things like refuse collection,
hedge cutting and street lighting. You pay Parish rates which might vary slightly according to where you live in the Island.
The rates are based on the Rateable Value of your property and would be around £150 per year for an average sized
property.
Parish officials are also elected by their parishioners to the various rolls within the Douzaine.
