16/02/2017 Channel Islands News

Big increase in those earning big pay in Guernsey's civil service.

It is just making sure all our resources are put in the correct

places for the correct price. I have no qualms about being people good

wages as long as they are value for money.

Good evening and welcome to the late news from

Also on the rise - property sales and prices in Jersey,

some by the highest increase ever recorded.

There's been a 40% increase in the number of people

working for the States of Guernsey earning more than ?70,000

Figures reveal the increase happened between 2010 and 2015.

The Government says it needs the best staff

Mike Wilkins has been looking at the figures.

The States Of Guernsey is the island's biggest employer,

with around 5,000 people on its payroll.

In 2015, its wage bill was more than ?240,000.

When we look at staff pay bands, in 2010 there were 174 people

Five years later, that figure had shot up to 261

And when we peer even higher up the pay scale,

there were five people earning between ?150,000

In 2015, that has shot up to 20 people.

The States Chief Executive says he needs to spend to save.

People talk to me about, we want a lean public sector,

high performing public sector, we don't want waste,

Actually, I need quality people to do that.

Otherwise we won't drive that performance.

We need the best that we need, but no more than we need.

This deputy is keeping a close eye on where taxpayers'

She says any increase in pay costs must represent value for money.

It is just making sure that all our resources are put

into the correct places for the correct price.

I have no qualms about paying people good

wages, but as long as they are value for money.

The Chief Executive admits the States hasn't necessarily

kept the closest of eyes on staff pay.

Clearly, I don't think there has been a really good restraint and

discipline and scrutiny on where we have been employing officers.

But what I can give assurances on is that scrutiny

This is the home to many civil servants in Guernsey and it appears

States' pay has over the years been relatively unchecked.

Those days appear to be over, especially with

the announcement yesterday of the savings of ?7.5 million.

The challenge now is to ensure

The average house price in Jersey now stands at almost

Confidence in job stability and the housing market

has driven up prices - some by the highest

But many young professionals are still struggling to buy

More than 1,400 properties were sold last year,

12% more than in 2015, making it the highest for a decade.

A 4% hike in house prices, putting the average house now at ?468,000.

But one area that's not doing so well is two-bedroom houses

Not good news for Jason who's trying to sell his to buy a new home

If we look at property prices maybe five years ago

the places we are looking at now would have been in reach.

But the property values have increased drastically

and it is making it difficult I think to find the perfect home.

And he's not the only one finding it difficult.

Estate agents want more support for first-time buyers

We have many properties in the ?150,000, ?170,000 price

range which can allow people to get onto the property ladder.

But it's the deposit, you know sometimes between ten

and 20% deposit is needed, and that's a lot of money

And with mortgage interest rates at an all-time low,

it's thought the market isn't going to slow down.

We are going to start reaching a stage where certain sectors

of the market will see a shortage of supply.

And when supply is exceeded by demand, that's when prices

And we fear, and I know this is shared by estate agents

and by professional valuers, we fear prices are going to start

going up a bit faster perhaps than we have witnessed so far.

So, although more properties are changing hands, it isn't always

the home buyers have dreamt of owning.

Police are investigating what they describe as the unexplained death

of a man in his seventies at

The force don't think there are any suspicious circumstances

but emergency services spent several hours at the harbour after being

After two days of debate, Guernsey's waste strategy has

Deputies rejected all proposed changes, including an end

to kerbside recycling, parish collections

The total bill for exporting Guernsey's waste and increasing

recycling rates is estimated to be almost ?300 million

And there will be more on this story tomorrow morning

on BBC Radio Guernsey with Isla Blatchford.

Up to 1500 people in the Channel Islands could have

been sold gas bottles that might leak.

there's a small risk propane cylinders like these may

They want anyone who's bought one since last March to get in touch

Secondary school pupils in Jersey have been getting a taste

It's all part of the charity Prison Me No Way's Crime Week

which has been running interactive workshops.

We sent our reporter Jon De La Haye back to school.

It may look like a soap drama, but it carries a real message.

These Beaulieu pupils have been learning that

actions have consequences, with prison cells, police

We have been learning about alcohol and drugs,

To make sure we don't make the same mistakes

other people have made in

More people are going out and getting drink.

If you do something wrong now, and if you

are applying for a job, they

And how it will affect you when you are older.

And the theme of consequences runs through Crime Week.

Aimed specifically at 12 and 13-year-olds who are at

an important stage of life, it's hoped it'll help them

They are at a stage in their life where they are facing challenging

They are struggling with moving up from being a child to an

So we think it is time in year eight to come in and

Now in its 11th year, the Crime Week messages

are delivered through demonstrations by police officers and fire

If the kids go home and have taken just one part of what ever they have

been taught today, and if that is, I'm not

criminality because I could get bitten by a dog, or get involved

in drugs because the penalties and the chances

of me getting caught are

so high, then we have done our little bit.

If they take home just one point, we've done our job

This Prison Me No Way campaign has been touring round Jersey's

And the hope is that, by spending time with youngsters now,

they won't be spending too long with them in the future.

Unfortunately, there's been a few delays and cancellations for air

So, lets see if tomorrow will be any better,

Kid evening. We have a real contrast today with some of us seeing mist

and fog and visibility and elsewhere some lovely sunshine. Many have seen

some of both. Tomorrow we are likely to see some mist and fog, more so

during the morning and it should hopefully clear and the afternoon

some of us getting some bright spells. Because high pressure is in

charge it can bring dry and bright weather but equally because the ear

is stagnant it can lead to mist and fog and that is a problem many of us

saw today. The high pressure stays in charge over the weekend. Less of

a problem with mist and fog but there is some weather fronts pushing

and which could bring cloud and some rain, mostly dry, however. Through

tonight so, some mist and for camp visibility, light winds, staying dry

tonight and some clear spells around -- poor visibility. We could perhaps

see a touch of ground frost. Tomorrow, risk of mist and fog at

first. Hopefully it will lift unclear and by the afternoon some

bright spells coming through -- left and clear. A mild day. Fairly light

winds. These are our times of high water.

This is the picture for the coming days. Fairly mild with light winds

and mostly dry. Some mist and fog and a fair amount of cloud but when

we see sunshine it should feel nice. BBC Radio Guernsey and Jersey

will have bulletins from six tomorrow morning, including

regular travel updates. of 11. Not too bad for the

forthcoming weekend. Here is Nick Miller with a resume of the National

weather picture. Hello, rain for some of us today

although it won't make much of a dent in the dry winter so far across

much of the UK. A few threatening clouds in Cumbria but more than a

threat of rain across the pond for Friday. The wettest weather system

of the season is over heading into California, and there have been a

few, with copious amounts of rain and lots of mountain snow.

Record-breaking wet winter so far in parts of California. In Los Angeles

this might be conservative, 50-100 millimetres of rain in a short space

of time. A deluge on the way. This has made a bit