02/11/2016 Channel Islands News

People who are over 65 in Gternsey have been thrown a financial

Also, a massive increase in agency staff. Why is the health department

spending so much on temporary social workers?

People who are over 65 in Gternsey have been thrown a financial

Policy and Resources wanted to scrap tax breaks for pensioners as part

of its budget proposals for 201 , but in a rare show of defiance,

members voted against the main proposal.

Our Political Reporter Simon Fairclough was in

This was the moment that pensioners across the island were waithng for.

It means that tax allowances for the over 65s will stay,

Some are describing the movd as a rebellion, but

Policy and Resources warned that it is a move that could

Our estimate is that over the first ten years in which new clails

are added, that will amount to up to ?2 million a year.

We just simply believe that could be better used in more effective

For those who stand to benefit right now, the news has come as a relief.

The realisation of the diffhculties people have within the islands

is coming home, and to help those people is so important.

We are really pleased with the result.

As budget debates go, this one was largely unremarkable,

but you have to wonder whether the positive notes sounded

at the start of the proceedhngs fuelled the support

Whatever the reason, there will be a lot of happy pensioners

And politicians today also `pproved a blueprint for future

The Island Development Plan includes a commitment

to affordable homes, setting aside areas

for conservation, farming and light industry, as well as earmarking

More than 1,500 islanders h`d commented on the plan,

and 18 changes were made to the draft, but today the final

document was unanimously agreed in the States.

Jersey has spent ?1.8 million this year on agency staff dte

That's a ten-fold increase in three years.

It comes as figures recentlx revealed a high staff turnover

at Children's Services, a department that comes

Helping vulnerable people in difficult times,

But increasingly, the States of Jersey is relying on agency

Three years ago, 11% of the workforce were agencx staff,

And the cost of hiring agency staff has gone up ten-fold, from ?180 000

The inconsistency of using temporary agency staff is causing concern

The Minister responsible saxs it's a case of needs must,

and believes Jersey's historic case abuse scandal is partly to blame.

It's because we have no other way at the moment

There are some people that choose to be interim for that

stage in their career, but I do think the factor

about the care inquiry, until they see politicians taking

that report seriously, they perhaps consider not coming here.

The Health and Social Services department is planning to hold

a recruitment drive after Christmas and to introduce a new soci`l

workers training scheme next year in the hope of attracting more

permanent staff to work with the most vulnerable in society.

Well, the politician who first raised questions over the use

of agency staff in social work, and the big costs of doing so,

She joined me in the studio earlier and I put it to her that surely it's

a good thing the health dep`rtment is staffing such a vital service.

I am all in favour of spendhng money on it. What I am not in favour of is

spending more than I should do to provide staff who may not ghve the

quality of service that I would like to see given. Do you think that

agency staff don't give that quality of service? I think it is vdry

difficult for them. They ard probably jolly good, but it is

difficult if you are only hdre for a short time. At the moment, H don't

know how long these people `re here know how long these people `re here

for. The original group that we had in 2013, they cost about ?20,00

each. The ones we have had this year, 70% of our total soci`l worker

compliment, those lot were costing probably about ?31,000 each. I don't

know whether it is just that we are getting more qualified people, or

whether they are staying longer These are things that we nedd to

lack of continuity? I think it is lack of continuity? I think it is

whether we are giving them ` service. Obviously money dods not

too much. What I would like to know too much. What I would like to know

is why we are having so much difficulty getting social workers. I

could understand 20% or 30% of our staff being agency staff, at 70 ?

A Jersey politician's calling for an increase to the minilum wage

so the island doesn't fall behind Guernsey and the UK.

Workers will have to be paid at least ?7.18 an hour from next

April ? 2p less than the UK's National Living Wage,

and what Guernsey's minimum wage will be by then.

Deputy Sam Mezec believes it's unfair not to bring Jersey hn line.

When the minimum wage in thd UK is ?7.20 and their cost of living

is lower than Jersey, and we are going for less than

?7.20, it does not make sense and it means the quality of lifd

for the lowest paid workers in Jersey, where rents are high

food is more expensive, their quality of life will be

worse than being the UK, and that's not fair.

The Government should account for all parts of our communhty.

A US finance expert has been in Jersey today warning invdstors

not to have a knee jerk reaction to the Presidential Election.

It's now only six days until either Donald Trump or Hilary Clinton

Although it's thought this decision could impact global growth

and market opportunities, a Wall Street worker says

If Hillary Clinton wins there is unlikely to be any major market

move. Most people expect shd could wind. If Donald Trump wins xou could

have almost a exit like reaction. When you heads prevail and xou

realise he will not just ch`nge all the legislative backdrop in the next

back to their senses and know that back to their senses and know that

the global economy is acceldrating. Guernsey's greatest sporting heroes

have been named in a new book, with the top ten revealed

at a launch today. Jersey's cricketers pulled off

one of their greatest international results,

on the other side of the world in the early

hours of this morning. Guernsey's greatest sporting heroes

have been named in a new book, with the top ten revealed

at a launch today. Among those at the event

were number one and two, Matt Le Tissier and Lee Merrien

as well as our reporter I have always loved my island, loved

my roots. I still come back

on a regular basis. I have always been a very proud

Guernsey-man and to be numbdr one It's definitely feeling

chillier tonight, David. Hello, good evening. October has

been quite an unusual month for us. It has been quite sunny, but it is

also being quite dry. Sunshhne for also being quite dry. Sunshhne for

Jersey has been 177 hours, laking it the fourth sunniest October on

record. About 50% of the rahnfall we would normally expect to sed has

fallen, and there isn't a great deal of rain in the forecast for the next

few days. A cold start to tomorrow, some brief sunshine, more cloud in

the afternoon, and it stays dry until late in the day. How luch rain

we will see by the time this for the front arrives is uncertain, but do

expect some outbreaks tomorrow evening and into the early hours of

Friday. The weather front moves into northern France by lunchtimd on

Friday, and then we see a rtn of northerly winds as we move hnto the

weekend, said temperatures continuing to drop over the next few

days. Clear skies tonight mdan it will turn white cold. As low as 5

degrees for Jersey, so a frost is on the cards. Tomorrow, some morning

sunshine, patchy cloud, and later in the day thicker cloud appro`ches

from the north-west. Once it arrives, it is capable of producing

some rain. 12 degrees beehive. Dash-macro V high. Not only are

schooling down, but across northern Europe also much lower tempdratures.

In eastern parts of Europe `nd Scandinavia, temperatures wdll into

single figures. We will see that cold air arrive by Sunday and Monday

of next week. A few spots of rain on Friday, and cold and breezy through

Saturday and Sunday. Have a good night. You are

up-to-date with the news from the travel our lives. We are back at

6:30pm tomorrow goodbye. not stop the temperature is coming

up to around 12. Mick Miller has the national picture.

The weather may have turned colder but for many of us today there was

abundant sunshine. This is from the end of the