Oct. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Jersey residents voted to stay in the same time zone as the U.K. after the island's financial services industry opposed a plan to switch to Central European Time.

Jersey, a dependency of the British crown, is 14 miles (23 kilometers) from the coast of France, a location cited by campaigners who wanted to move their clocks one hour ahead of U.K. time. They argued it would improve the quality of life by providing more light in the evenings, encouraging residents to spend time outside.

The proposal was ``resoundingly defeated'' in yesterday's balloting, Cathy Keir, spokeswoman for the island's chief minister, said today in a telephone interview. Results posted on the States of Jersey Web Site showed that 72.4 percent of voters had opposed the switch.

Jersey's finance industry, which is the island's biggest employer, opposed the change because it would make business with the U.K. and the U.S. more difficult, according to a survey by Jersey Finance Limited, which showed 70 percent of its members were against the move.

About 13,000 of the island's population of 88,000 are employed in financial services. Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands, has 51 banks and more than 30,000 registered companies.

To contact the reporter on this story: Thomas Penny in London at tpenny@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: October 16, 2008 08:41 EDT