:00:11. > :00:13.Good evening and welcome. Tonight's top stories. Out of reach for the
:00:14. > :00:17.past decade - the report which proves average families can't
:00:17. > :00:20.afford a home of their own. Learning how to make a fresh start
:00:20. > :00:23.- the new quarter of a million pound skills centre at Guernsey
:00:23. > :00:33.Prison. And big plans for Jersey Rugby
:00:33. > :00:40.
:00:40. > :00:44.Club's expansion - but could all Jersey houses have been
:00:44. > :00:49.unaffordable for the average family for at least a decade. The figures
:00:49. > :00:51.come from a new report from the States' statistics office. High
:00:51. > :01:00.prices have kept many families in cramped or rented accommodation
:01:00. > :01:03.which simply isn't suitable, as Rachel Royce reports.
:01:03. > :01:07.David Robin retired 18 months early to look after his wife, Diane, who
:01:07. > :01:10.suffers from MS. He had worked for St Helier parish for 22 years as a
:01:10. > :01:13.dustman, and they rented a house that went with the job. Buying a
:01:13. > :01:23.house was always way beyond their means, but now they've been told
:01:23. > :01:26.
:01:26. > :01:31.they must leave their home. Quite worried at the moment. Very worried.
:01:31. > :01:40.We just do not know what is going to happen. Yd you never buy an
:01:40. > :01:50.house? Were have never been able to afford to. -- we have. The prices
:01:50. > :01:53.
:01:53. > :01:57.were too extreme. With two adults working and a 10% deposit saved,
:01:57. > :02:07.the average family cannot afford the average house. That has been
:02:07. > :02:08.
:02:08. > :02:11.the situation for 10 years. The figures have been worked out for
:02:11. > :02:13.the first time by the Office of Statistics, which has created an
:02:13. > :02:16.index of affordability based on house prices, income and interest
:02:16. > :02:22.rates. The mean average is over for under �1,000. The average household
:02:22. > :02:26.has less than 80% of the earnings required to service a mortgage on
:02:26. > :02:33.such a property. The Robins had hoped to stay where they are for
:02:33. > :02:36.the rest of their lives. Now, like many others obliged to rent, they
:02:36. > :02:40.find they have no long term security. Their bags are packed but
:02:40. > :02:44.with nowhere else to go. Deputy Andrew Green is Jersey's
:02:44. > :02:51.Housing Minister. He joined me earlier in the studio. I asked him
:02:51. > :02:57.if Jersey was getting its housing policy completely wrong. I think we
:02:58. > :03:04.need to get that into context. We are number 19 in the UK when you
:03:04. > :03:09.look at different authorities. Devon and Cornwall Aaron a similar
:03:09. > :03:14.position, as his London. We need to do something more about
:03:14. > :03:19.affordability. In the old days, people used to buy a small flat,
:03:19. > :03:27.move and buy a bigger one. That mobility is not in the market today.
:03:28. > :03:33.That is the challenge. What do you say to people like the Robbins?
:03:33. > :03:41.First all, I have to make sure the department is in contact with them.
:03:41. > :03:44.I need to make sure they have got a secure home. For people in their
:03:45. > :03:51.position or younger, I want to make sure they can afford to buy
:03:51. > :03:57.something. That might be about shared equity. Will this report be
:03:57. > :04:03.filed away? No. This report is incredibly useful. It helps with
:04:03. > :04:08.information that we all knew what we have the real information and we
:04:08. > :04:10.can target activities. The Council is determined to house our
:04:11. > :04:14.community. The BBC has learned that Condor
:04:14. > :04:17.Ferries - which recently pulled out of Weymouth when the port became
:04:17. > :04:19.unsafe - hasn't had a written contract with the council for 20
:04:19. > :04:23.years. Weymouth and Portland Council says a contract with the
:04:23. > :04:25.ferry firm was put on hold when redevelopment plans stalled. The
:04:25. > :04:28.lack of a contract means no compensation is payable, and also
:04:28. > :04:33.means Condor has no legal obligation to return if the port is
:04:33. > :04:39.rebuilt. Inmates in Guernsey Prison are now
:04:39. > :04:42.benefiting from a new Learning and Skills Facility. It's cost around a
:04:42. > :04:44.quarter of a million pounds to build, and it's hoped the centre
:04:44. > :04:48.will enable prisoners to gain qualifications while inside. Mike
:04:48. > :04:51.Wilkins reports. Aiming to be a cut above the rest -
:04:51. > :04:59.these prisoners are learning new skills that they hope will help
:04:59. > :05:04.them make a fresh start upon release. Some field inmates should
:05:04. > :05:09.be doing time and very little else. But Guernsey prison feels
:05:09. > :05:14.differently. Behind me is a new education block which it hopes will
:05:14. > :05:19.rehabilitate prisoners. When they leave, many of them lead
:05:19. > :05:26.independent lives. We are teaching them some of the basic skills
:05:26. > :05:31.required. I have just started an art class. It is OK. If I can get a
:05:31. > :05:36.few more lessons every week, I think I will be good. It is good
:05:36. > :05:41.for a rehabilitation. I want to try to gain some qualifications. It is
:05:41. > :05:48.quite good. It has cost quite a lot of money. But rehabilitating people
:05:48. > :05:51.can be worth it in the long run. This is quite good. It's cost a
:05:51. > :05:58.quarter of a million pounds to build this education centre, and
:05:58. > :06:02.some feel it's money well spent. You cannot lock somebody up for
:06:02. > :06:08.their entire sentence and expect them not to reoffend. This is a
:06:08. > :06:11.chance for people to learn new skills. Prisoners have a lot of
:06:11. > :06:19.time inside to reflect on what they've done. It's now hoped that
:06:19. > :06:21.they'll be able to do a lot more than just learn from their mistakes.
:06:21. > :06:24.Bigger viewing areas, better facilities and more parking - all
:06:24. > :06:28.part of plans submitted by Jersey Rugby Club this week for its St
:06:28. > :06:31.Peter ground. The islanders are favourites for promotion to the
:06:31. > :06:36.second tier of English rugby, the Championship, next season, and fans
:06:36. > :06:39.are flocking to watch. But does it make financial sense for an island
:06:39. > :06:49.the size of Jersey to invest in one facility - when more sports could
:06:49. > :06:50.
:06:50. > :06:52.Big players, big crowds, big plans. When Jersey Rugby Club secured
:06:52. > :07:02.promotion to National League One last year, bosses started thinking
:07:02. > :07:10.big. Coach Ben Harvey was even calling for a big multi-sport,
:07:10. > :07:15.state-of-the-art grounds and facilities to help all sports grow.
:07:15. > :07:19.If you get good facilities in, you will attract good coaches. There
:07:19. > :07:22.are good coaches and they need to be helped out. Now, plans have been
:07:22. > :07:25.submitted to add a terrace, extend viewing areas and build a bigger
:07:25. > :07:34.clubhouse. With crowds of over 2,000 paying �10 each, the club can
:07:34. > :07:38.afford to think big. I have been in Jersey 30 years, and this has
:07:38. > :07:45.always been Jersey rugby club. I think now this is Jersey rugby
:07:45. > :07:48.Island Club. We are looking at a five-year plan. Time will tell.
:07:48. > :07:52.does Jersey need another big stadium, when it's already got
:07:53. > :07:56.Springfield? This stadium holds a thousand people seated - up to
:07:57. > :08:00.seven thousand altogether. So could this be Jersey's super stadium of
:08:00. > :08:10.the future? If it were limited to top teams, like football's Muratti
:08:10. > :08:11.
:08:11. > :08:16.final, perhaps - but that's not what football here is all about.
:08:16. > :08:20.are a community sport. Everybody wants to play at Springfield. It is
:08:20. > :08:23.the pinnacle in Jersey. It has, though, worked in the UK - Reading
:08:23. > :08:26.Football Club and London Irish Rugby Club both use the Madejski
:08:26. > :08:34.Stadium. So if the facility was right, and the money was there.
:08:34. > :08:39.Well, as Bill says. You can never say never. Somebody may turn the up
:08:39. > :08:42.with a better idea and the will to do that. Could you spare a few
:08:42. > :08:45.hours to help one of the hundreds of charities across the Channel
:08:45. > :08:48.Islands? A new website in Guernsey has been launched to try and pair
:08:48. > :08:56.up would be volunteers, with organisations that could use a few
:08:56. > :08:58.more helping hands. Penny Elderfield reports.
:08:58. > :09:07.Julie-Ann's been volunteering at the women's refuge for two years,
:09:07. > :09:15.starting after a close friend experienced domestic abuse.
:09:15. > :09:19.she's part of a charity there to help. I was made aware of the
:09:19. > :09:25.refuge when my friend was going through this. I thought I can help,
:09:25. > :09:29.I will volunteer. We listen to women, offer them support. Even a
:09:29. > :09:35.cup of tea and a biscuit makes all the difference. Seeing a woman walk
:09:35. > :09:39.out the door, straight with pride, you cannot put a price on that. To
:09:39. > :09:42.see that, that makes the job worthwhile. But for many charities,
:09:42. > :09:44.people like Julie-Ann are far and few between. That's why she's
:09:44. > :09:53.lending her support to a new website, launched here yesterday.
:09:53. > :09:56.It aims to find would be volunteers their perfect charity. If they are
:09:56. > :10:02.looking in one particular area, they can search and they can find
:10:02. > :10:09.and visit to charities and find what is on offer. It is like a
:10:09. > :10:12.great big dating agency with lots of faces to look at. So the hope is
:10:12. > :10:15.it'll pair up people like Julie-Ann with the charities in Guernsey that
:10:15. > :10:25.need more manpower. Without that support, many wouldn't be able
:10:25. > :10:25.
:10:25. > :10:28.offer support to those that really There's been a significant drop in
:10:28. > :10:31.the amount of litter on Guernsey's beaches, according to the
:10:31. > :10:36.Beachwatch Survey carried out last year. The volume found has halved
:10:36. > :10:40.since 2010, and is now less than a third of the UK average. However,
:10:40. > :10:50.50% of it still comes from beach users, a figure the States are keen
:10:50. > :10:51.
:10:51. > :10:55.to reduce. Now the weather with Good evening. After some of rain
:10:55. > :10:59.today, tonight it will turn misty. From tomorrow, we are looking at
:11:00. > :11:05.dry weather which will continue through the weekend and much of
:11:05. > :11:11.next week. A little area of low pressure will trickle away tonight,
:11:11. > :11:16.moving across central parts of Britain. South-east winds drying in
:11:16. > :11:23.dry air. A little list. As we move into the weekend, high pressure
:11:23. > :11:29.returns. We are expecting some high temperatures. Showery rain tonight
:11:29. > :11:34.will move away. The mist and fog will form by the morning. Overnight,
:11:34. > :11:44.temperatures down to six degrees. Tomorrow, Mr in the morning. Hayes
:11:44. > :11:44.
:11:44. > :11:54.in the afternoon. -- missed in the morning, Hayes in the afternoon.
:11:54. > :12:02.
:12:02. > :12:11.Probably one of the warmest days this year. The times of high water:
:12:11. > :12:16.and for surfing, the waves will be big but usable. The forecast as we
:12:17. > :12:23.move into the weekend and next week does not change. We will have
:12:23. > :12:27.south-east winds for the weekend. Saturday and Sunday dry. The winds
:12:27. > :12:32.becoming easterly as we move into his Sunday. When we see and north-
:12:32. > :12:38.east breeze settle in, it will bring more cloud. Jersey seen the