Having been elected to sit on the Legislative Council at the last General Election, which brought about change to a Ministerial form of Government, I have spent my first term of office focused on delivering the commitments that I made when I stood for this crucially important role in 2021.
In this respect I have worked with colleagues, the National Trust and the community, to ensure that the remains of the Liberated Africans were reinterred and that appropriate memorialisation is developed alongside of this, including an interpretation centre in Rupert’s Valley, a body of work that I commit to continuing to support if I am re-elected.
I also pushed for the island to be re-opened following the extensive vaccination programme that was undertaken in the wake of COVID-19, whilst ensuring that adequate safeguards were put in place as we experienced community spread. Having re-opened, I subsequently lobbied the FCDO for project funding in support of the island’s Tourism Recovery Plan, which has been provided as £500K ring-fenced for Tourism over the past 3 consecutive years.
As a Councillor, I took on responsibility for St Paul’s District Area, where I have held regular monthly drop-in surgeries and quarterly constituency meetings, whilst having participated in a wide range of community activities. In this role, I have dealt with well over a hundred individual requests for support or assistance on a wide range of community and personal issues, such as roads, mirrors, sewerage, flooding, pensions, benefits, utilities, and medical referrals, to name but a few. I have also continued to stress the importance of youth engagement; I supported the re-establishment of the St Helena Youth Parliament, and have been actively involved with the island’s primary schools. If re-elected, I will endeavour to ensure the planned re-organisation of primary education happens in as smooth a manner as possible, for the benefit of our youth, and in particular those with special needs.
I took on Chairmanship of the Select Committee that has oversight of the St Helena Government portfolios relating to Health and Social Care, Education, Skills and Employment, and Environment, Natural Resources, and Planning. This Select Committee has published 3 reports, relating to Farming, Fishing, and also Health and Social Care. I have also been an active member of the White Ribbon Campaign to end violence against women and girls, and have pushed for legislation to be strengthened in this area. Outside of my official duties, I have continued to undertake a number of roles within the community, such as my Vice Chairmanship of the SHAPE Board of Directors.
As an Elected Member, I have raised numerous questions and issues in the House; I have pushed for legislative and policy changes, in line with commitments made when I stood for election in 2021, and I also pushed for the Independent Fishing Audit and the Governance Review.
I believe we have moved forward since 2021, despite the external pressures we have faced, such as global oil prices; for example, we have already seen a return to pre-COVID visitor numbers and the introduction of unlimited broadband packages. However, St Helena is on a journey, which started over a decade ago; a journey that has been bumpy, but one that we need to complete.
This is why I am campaigning with the message “No Going Backwards, Keep Moving Forwards”, as I genuinely believe that great strides are being made under the new Ministerial form of Government, and we therefore need to keep pushing forward with this. If re-elected, I will continue to push for physical progress, particularly in respect of developing the island’s human capital through improved health and education, and further supporting the development of a private sector led economy, particularly in the areas of farming and fishing.
Robert Midwinter – Candidate for Re-Election 2025