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Ben Shenton is the son of the politician and former Senator Dick Shenton.
He was born in Saint Helier in 1960, the third of four children and educated at De La Salle College.
He lives in Grouville, Jersey, with his wife Debbie and his two daughters, Tori (19) and Lucy (18).
Before being elected to the States he worked in the investment management business with various employers for 33 years, in both Jersey and London.
He is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment(CISI) and President of the local branch of the CISI.
He is also a member of the Institute of Directors and Vice President of The Channel Islands Co-operative Society.
He is Chief Operating Officer of TEAM Asset Management (www.teamassetmanagement.com) - a bespoke investment manager.
Ben Shenton entered the States of Jersey at the first attempt.
He was elected as a Senator in the 2005 elections, coming second after Senator Stuart Syvret, with 14,025 votes.[1]
On the 19th September, 2007 he defeated the Chief Minister's nominated candidate to become Minister for Health & Social Services. He appointed Senator Jim Perchard as Assistant Minister with special responsibility for social services.
As Health & Social Services Minister he represented Jersey at the British-Irish Council Summit held in Dublin on 14 February 2008.
In 2009 he was elected Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and President of the Chairman's Committee - a Committee consisting of all the Chairmen of the various scrutiny panels and PAC. He resigned from the post of President of Chairman's Committee in 2011 on a matter of principle upon which he was later vindicated.
He decided not to stand for re-election and his term of office ended 14th November, 2011. He has said that he hopes to return to the political arena in the future.
His core philosophy is hard work, family, and education.
Senator Shenton has acted on a number of Scrutiny sub panels as well as bringing forward his own propositions.
Senator Shenton was responsible for lodging a proposition to grant a winter fuel allowance to old age pensioners in Jersey and successfully having the proposition passed by the States of Jersey.
He has also fought - and won - numerous battles concerning issues ranging from the management structure of the Jersey Treasury to the siting of local phone masts, and adherence to planning proceedures. Recent Public Accounts Committee documents include a detailed analysis of the States of Jersey Report & Accounts, the shared-equity scheme, States management of foreign exchange risk, States Spending Review, and a review of Jersey Heritage Trust.
Other notable causes were; Grant Aided Schools – Reg’s Skips Compensation – Minister Health & Social Services – Chairman Public Accounts Committee – Winter Fuel Allowance – Freeze on States Members Pay – Accountability on Euro Hedging Debacle – President Chairman’s Committee – Member Legislation Advisory Panel – Scrutiny Sub Panel reviewing Mobile Phone Masts – Reversal of Ministerial Decisions – Anti St Aubin’s Reclamation Campaign – Limit on Election Expenses – Electoral Commission – Review of Internal Structure of Government – New Accident & Emergency Department – Extra Funding for Carers – Scrutiny Sub Panel Telecoms Privatisation – Review of Jersey Heritage Trust – Questioning murder claims at height of HDLG Investigation – Cap on University Costs – Increased Benefit Fraud Prevention at Social Security – Prisoner Repatriation Agreements – Review of Performance of WEB – Controls on States Grants – Single Election Day – Hundreds of Personal Constituent Cases – PECRS Committee of Management – Pension Fund Reviews –Examination of Role of Treasurer – Introduction of Police Authority – Review of Homebuy – Extra Funding for Drug & Alcohol Service - Review of Social Services – Better Management of Taxpayer Funds – Fought GST on Food
During the 2008 police investigation into child abuse on the island, Shenton wrote an email which undermined the police chief in charge, Lenny Harper, stating "My wife keeps referring to Lenny Harper as Lenny Henry - I don't think she's far wrong."
The e-mail questioned whether the 'remains of a child' had actually been found in February 2008 as claimed - a claim that erupted in worldwide media attention. It was subsequently reported in the Mail on Sunday - 24 May 2008 - that "Jersey's police chief said a ‘skull fragment’ found at a former children’s home was human – though tests had revealed weeks earlier that it was wood or coconut shell." [2]