What have your MHKs promised you? Garff

Richard Henthorn and Vicki Hewison were elected 

Voters in Garff plumped for two new faces in the House of Keys this summer when they backed Richard Henthorn and Vicki Hewison. Arguably the closest any constituency could come to a single issue vote, the proposed offshore wind farm dominated the campaign and conversations on the doorstep. 

Mr Henthorn topped the poll and Mrs Hewison came second, but what did they promise the voters?

Housing

Mr Henthorn said a large housing programme was needed to help young people stay on the Island and connected it to expanding apprenticeships so local tradespeople could help build homes.

Mrs Hewison was more explicit. She linked housing directly to youth retention, arguing that young people should be given the opportunity to buy a home rather than rent from an investor at an unaffordable rate. She also identified housing as one of the reasons young people feel they have no future on the Island

Energy

This is the defining issue of the campaign, and both candidates oppose the current Moori Vannin wind farm proposal, though with different nuances.

Mr Henthorn made the wind farm the primary reason for standing. He wants the application halted and a full Tynwald and public debate held. He disputes the financial figures presented by Ørsted, arguing that the claimed £2–2.4 billion over the project's lifecycle is in nominal terms and would be "less than half" when depreciated. He also raised concerns about the lack of a signed power purchase agreement with the UK, unknown tax rates, and the lack of guarantees on decommissioning. "The current proposals are more than and do nothing for our green credentials, nothing for the environment at all," he said. "It's basically seabed rental. They are tenants on the seabed."

He argued that the Island should pursue its own renewables, such as tidal and wave energy, which he said could be tested off the north coast near the Point of Ayre without visible impact. He also mentioned vertical wind generation for individual homes as a complementary technology. "The way for us, I think, to approach it is to approach our own renewables on Ireland, so we control them, and they're ours, and they don't impact on our fabulous heritage, scenery, and tourism industry."

Mrs Hewison stated her opposition clearly. "Right here, right now, no, I don't support it," she said. "There are too many unknowns. There are coulds, there are shoulds, there are probablys, there are ifs. There are no hard facts." However, she left the door open to a future deal under different terms. She cited the Morgan project in UK Crown Estate waters, which reportedly generates £200 million per year in rental income, and said if the Isle of Man were offered a comparable deal, it would be "irresponsible" not to consider it. She also criticised the lack of transparency around the project, noting that even the examining body has had difficulty obtaining information from Orsted.

Government Reform

Both candidates campaigned on trust, transparency, and accountability, but their approaches differ.

Mr Henthorn was scathing about the current system. He questioned whether the Council of Ministers is the right way to do business, arguing that it marginalises elected members and creates a decision-making structure that is not fully democratic. He said he would not seek to join the Council of Ministers. "I'll be a pain because I don't automatically think that the system is working as it is," he said. "It seems to marginalise. We're all elected... and the Council of Ministers then divide themselves off into some kind of enclave of separate people to make decisions, and the other equally elected members are left to ask questions and fire from the sidelines." 

He also called for an end to secrecy in government, saying "from day one we have to stop being secret. We have to get things out in the open." He suggested a referendum on the wind farm, saying "the Island belongs to the Manx people."

Mrs Hewison focused on responsiveness and accountability. She said MHKs need to question and challenge rather than just accept what they are told. She criticised the current administration for a lack of transparency and said she hears from government employees who do not feel protected by the new whistleblowing policy. 

"I do think that possibly over the last five years, this current administration, that people have become disillusioned with the government," she said. "Why should I actually bother to vote this time? I don't believe that my representative actually bothers that I'm here."

On government structure, she called for a more joined-up approach, criticising "silo mentality" between departments and arguing that policies in one area have knock-on effects in others that are not being considered.

The Economy

Both candidates identified the economy as a priority, but their diagnoses and prescriptions differ.

Mr Henthorn framed the issue around government overspending and the need to find savings. He argued that the Island cannot afford another five years of the current approach and that the government must "cut its cloth." 

He cited specific examples of what he sees as waste, including a 50% increase in the HR budget over five years (from £4 million to £6 million), a 42% increase in staff at the Attorney General's chambers, a 14% increase in Treasury staff, and a £100,000 spend on materials for resurfacing a section of the Marine Drive, which he called 'crackers'. 

He also criticised the government's approach to capital projects, saying they 'run way over and above the projected figures' and called for a full independent financial review of Orsted's claims and said the Island should learn from mistakes made over the Liverpool landing stage. 

On growing the economy, he suggested attracting high-tech industries and developing tidal and wave energy testing facilities, while acknowledging the Island cannot support heavy industry due to transport costs.

Mrs Hewison approached the economy from a small-business perspective. 

She said she manages a budget in her retail shop and does not run over budget and she does not accept that managing a multi-million-pound government budget is fundamentally different. 

"I don't really think whether you've got a multi-million budget or a smaller budget, it makes any difference," she said. "If anything, I would say that I am more clued up to making sure that those numbers work." 

She was critical of the government's reliance on reserves and said politicians need to investigate why projects consistently go over budget. 

"Anybody can make an error once, but when it's consistently happening, there is a fundamental problem," she said. She also emphasised youth training and vocational skills as a route to economic growth, and called for government to move more quickly to grasp opportunities such as digital and tokenisation technologies.

Education

Mr Henthorn included "a good education system" in his list of things "we all want" in his manifesto, but did not elaborate on specific policies there. He did however push for more apprenticeship schemes. 

Mrs Hewison focused on vocational training and the need to prepare young people for careers. 

She praised UCM as a "great training facility" and pointed to the skills shortage list—plumbing, joinery, electrical—as evidence that more vocational training is needed. 

"Why don't we just up the ante?" she said. "Offer increased training facilities on the Island. Have something where the youth of today can go. Okay, so I do actually see I've got a career progression." She also raised concerns about whether schools are teaching the right subjects for modern needs, particularly with the rise of AI. "We have to question what's available in school. Is it sufficient for modern day needs? Are we actually teaching the right subjects to prepare people to go forward?"

Steam Packet and Connectivity

Both candidates said improving connectivity was important for the Island, particularly to support businesses and boost all sectors of the economy. 

Local Government

Mr Henthorn framed his local government experience as a springboard to national politics. He said he had taken the wind farm issue as far as he could from behind the commissioners' desk and now needed to take it to Tynwald. 

He also highlighted his role in the restoration and ongoing upkeep of the Laxey Workingmen's Institute, and his involvement in Laxey & Lonan Heritage Trust, Laxey Fair, the Snaefell Wheel restoration, and the Laxey duck race.

Mrs Hewison spoke about the importance of local representation and the need for MHKs to work with commissioners. 

She criticised the "silo mentality" in government and said she would work with any constituency and commissioners to ensure Garff is represented. She also gave a specific local government example: the campaign to keep Cummel Moor open, where she said the government had an "active policy to block any further admissions" to make the facility appear unviable. 

She also raised the issue of the Garff Regional Waste Water Treatment Scheme, criticising the logic of pumping sewage from Lower Laxey up through Old Laxey to Axnfell and back down again, and citing basic errors in the documentation.