About the parish and activities
Welcome to our website
St Peter Port parish is the largest parish in Guernsey. St Peter Port is the largest administration outside of the States of Guernsey, looking after a legacy of more than a 1,000 years as the capital of the Bailiwick of Guernsey which also includes the nearby islands of Alderney, Sark, Herm, Jethou, Brecqhou and Lihou. There are 10 parishes on island, believed to have been established in the 11th Century as religious areas, each parish having its own church.
What do we Do?
Each parish is administered today by an elected council known as a Douzaine.
In St Peter Port there are 20 members of the Douzaine, two of whom are Constables, they are the administrators of the parish. Constables convene and preside over Douzaine monthly meetings. They are required to prepare budgets (remède) for the approval of the Rate payers and present the remède to the Royal Court for the approval of the Bailiff. The role of the Constable is an ancient role and has been in existence since 1481. Constables are also required to attend the Court of Chief Pleas, the first Monday in October each year, to give their reports on the safety of the quarries in their parishes in the presence of the Bailiff.
The Constables are the executors of the parochial administration and are elected for a term of between one and three years. The longest serving Constable is known as the Senior Constable and his or her colleague the Junior. The Constables are responsible for the collection and disbursement of local taxes, along with the maintenance of parish assets. They are required to keep the Douzaine updated with regular reports, keep the records of the parish, including the accounts. St Peter Port is supported by a small team of staff.
Douzeniers are elected for a four year term by parishioners at a parish meeting in November of each year. The senior Douzenier is known as Dean (Doyen).
To stand for election the candidate must reside in the Parish.
Parish business
Amongst the many varied duties of the parish team are the following responsibilities:
• an obligation to ensure roadside hedges are trimmed
• to supervise douits (watercourses and streams)
• to administer parish cemeteries
• to maintain wayside pumps(pompes) and troughs (abrevuers)
• collecting parish rates
• refuse collection and support for recycling
• the issue of dog licences and to collect dog tax
• to manage parish boat moorings
• parish officials also advise the States of Guernsey on matters pertaining to licensed drinking, entertainment and betting establishments
Opening Hours
Monday to Friday 10.00am to 2.00pm. The main office of the parish is situated in the centre of town. The address is St Peter Port Constables' Office, Lefebvre Street, St Peter Port, GY1 2JS. Further details and a map are available here.
St Peter Port
As well as being a parish, St. Peter Port is a small town, the capital of Guernsey and the main port. The town consists of many picturesque, steep narrow streets and steps dotted with gardens, museums, restaurants, bars and shops. There are three marinas which generally feature markets, local food and home crafts during bank holidays, often with stands from our neighbours in France.
The parish of St Peter Port covers the whole of the town and in addition, a piece of land to the north that was once marshland, Fort George and village de Putron, and a stretch of cliff extending to Fermain Bay. St Peter Port harbour is sheltered from the prevailing westerly and southerly winds by Guernsey itself, whilst Herm and Sark minimise the effect of an easterly wind.
For more information of interest concerning the town and facilities, please visit the Visit Guernsey website here.
Feedback
We are always interested in your views and welcome feedback about what you think could improve the parish and how we can make this website more useful for you in future. In the coming weeks we will be adding a dedicated mailing list and feedback form to the website. In the meantime please send us an email to [email protected]