In brief: Political movement Value Jersey has missed a Companies House filing deadline for its UK-registered entity, Affordable Jersey Ltd, blaming a clerical error. Chair Lee Madden says the overdue confirmation statement has now been filed, and that the UK company will be wound down once a Jersey bank account is established. The episode raises fresh questions about the movement’s administrative arrangements, more than seven months after it first promised to close its UK registration.
A Clerical Error, or a Slow Burn?
Value Jersey, the political movement that backed several successful candidates in Jersey’s most recent elections, found itself in an awkward spot this week when Companies House listed the confirmation statement for its UK company, Affordable Jersey Ltd, as overdue. The deadline, the Jersey Evening Post reports, was 16 October.
Lee Madden, chair of Value Jersey, told the JEP that the missed submission was a “clerical error” which had been addressed, and that the statement had been filed and would show as complete once the Companies House website refreshed. Under UK government guidance, failing to file a confirmation statement can result in a fine of up to £5,000 and the company being struck off.
A confirmation statement is an annual requirement to confirm that a company’s registered information is correct, and is separate from its accounts, which are not due until June next year. Affordable Jersey Ltd was incorporated on 15 September 2025 and has a registered office in London’s Gough Square.
Seven Months and Still Waiting
What makes the clerical error explanation a little harder to swallow is the timeline. Back in March, a Value Jersey spokesperson told the JEP that the UK registration would be closed once the movement’s Jersey company and bank account had been set up. That was more than seven months ago. Affordable Jersey Ltd, the JEP notes, remains active.
Madden confirmed this week that Value Jersey Ltd has now been registered locally, and that the movement is “in the process of completing the set-up of our local bank account, following which all the UK business elements will be closed.”
The original decision to register in the UK was explained in March with a candour that will resonate with anyone who has tried to do business in Jersey. A spokesperson said: “As many find out the hard way, setting up a company and a bank account in Jersey can be a long, painful, and expensive process. So, whilst we are in the process of setting up a Jersey bank account, we knew we could set up a UK account quickly and simply to get started.” Fair enough, perhaps, but “getting started” has now stretched across the better part of a year.
Messina, Madden and the Movement’s Wider Questions
The filing slip comes against a backdrop of broader scrutiny of Value Jersey’s structure and connections. Earlier this year, the JEP revealed that the movement had sought support from The Messina Group, a consultancy founded by Barack Obama’s former deputy chief of staff, who played a key role in his 2012 re-election campaign.
Election expense returns from six successful candidates record support from Value Jersey or The Messina Group. According to the JEP, Value Jersey invoices in the returns of Deputies Samantha Gleave, Robert Parker and Gerald Voisin each list £745.83 for “campaign support” supplied by The Messina Group. Senator Serena Kersten’s return lists £1,491.66 for the same service as part of a Value Jersey support package. Deputy Phil Romeril declared £2,068 for a Value Jersey support package, while Deputy Gabriel Raimondo listed £790.
Questions also arose because the movement was not initially a Jersey-registered company or charity, but was registered with the Jersey Office of the Information Commissioner as Affordable Jersey Ltd. The sole name on the Companies House record is Christopher Cully, described as a former Metropolitan Police officer and managing director of private security business Dilitas. Value Jersey explained in March that Cully, described as “an old family friend of Phil’s,” was asked to serve as UK-based director because the movement’s founders are Jersey residents. The spokesperson added that beyond his fiduciary duties, Cully “has no involvement in the policy development, strategy or campaigning work of Value Jersey.”
Value Jersey launched in October last year, describing itself as “not a party” but “a political movement,” and said it was “not endorsing candidates” while relying on its “personal networks” and “the donations of ordinary Islanders.” Deputy Romeril has since been elected to the States Assembly representing St John, St Lawrence and Trinity.
Source: Jersey Evening Post
