BBC News Published Jersey's parliament has voted against declaring a housing crisis in the island. Former housing minister Senator Sam Mezec demanded better laws to protect tenants and called for the cost of social housing to be lowered. Assistant treasury minister Lindsay Ash described the word 'crisis' as "emotive and misleading". Chief Minister John Le Fondre was among the members who voted against the proposition at the States Assembly. States members sitting at Wednesday's meeting were asked to decide if a housing affordability crisis existed in the island. The proposition sought to improve security for tenants, including the introduction of open-ended tenancies.