:00:08. > :00:13.Good evening and welcome to your BBC in the Channel Islands. Here
:00:13. > :00:16.rather a Kent lines: A major overhaul of Jersey States housing
:00:16. > :00:20.is proposed. It will mean higher rents. -- here
:00:20. > :00:25.are the headlines. And what Guernsey voters really
:00:25. > :00:30.want to hear from election hopefuls. Somebody with foresight to cope
:00:30. > :00:40.with the problems they will face. And games, set and match. Heather
:00:40. > :00:46.
:00:46. > :00:50.Watson is hoping to bag a gold But first this evening, we have
:00:50. > :00:55.heard a Jersey's specialist offshore pensions industry has been
:00:55. > :01:00.dealt a severe blow by the UK. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs has
:01:00. > :01:03.published an updated list of overseas pension scheme is that
:01:03. > :01:09.complied with the listing but they are available to overseas residents
:01:09. > :01:15.only. It means that the industry, which employs around 200 people,
:01:15. > :01:18.they now stagnate as clients search for new business. Her Majesty's
:01:18. > :01:22.Revenue and Customs are looking to protect their income and their
:01:22. > :01:27.potential income and this all comes back to the baby-boomer generation
:01:27. > :01:31.coming up to retirement. Money has been held for many years, accruing
:01:31. > :01:35.in pension schemes and now the baby boomer generation is starting to
:01:35. > :01:39.retire, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs can see the income going
:01:39. > :01:43.out of the door. And man accused of indecently
:01:43. > :01:48.assaulting two young girls in Guernsey has denied the charges.
:01:48. > :01:53.Appearing in the magistrates' court, the 47-year-old pleaded not guilty
:01:53. > :01:59.to six charges of indecently assaulting two girls under the age
:01:59. > :02:04.of 12 between 1st January, 1994 and December 31st, 1995. A trial date
:02:04. > :02:07.has been set for 25th September. He has been released on bail until
:02:07. > :02:13.then on condition that he remains in Guernsey and does not contact
:02:13. > :02:19.the complainant. Alderney's population has fallen by
:02:19. > :02:25.6% in four years, according to figures from the Guernsey social
:02:25. > :02:29.security department. The population now stands at around 2150. In the
:02:29. > :02:35.four years since 2007, the number of people employed in the island
:02:35. > :02:38.has also fallen. Guernsey's three scrutiny
:02:38. > :02:42.committees should be scrapped and replaced with a single overarching
:02:42. > :02:45.body, according to the recommendation of a UK expert
:02:45. > :02:50.drafted in to look at how the government monitors its performance.
:02:50. > :02:55.Belinda Crowe says the present system of scrutiny, set up in 2004,
:02:55. > :02:59.lacks a sense of pace and urgency. She suggests forming a single
:02:59. > :03:04.scrutiny mad and committee of three members, but by a 12 strong
:03:04. > :03:07.scrutiny panel. There is less than one week until
:03:07. > :03:11.Guernsey goes to the polls to vote in any government. Hustings have
:03:11. > :03:16.been held across the island to give people a chance to hear from the
:03:16. > :03:19.candidates. Last night was the turn of the south-east candidates.
:03:19. > :03:24.Microphones at the ready, and a room of voters are ready to quiz
:03:24. > :03:27.the candidate wanting to represent them in the States. What
:03:28. > :03:35.characteristics are they looking for? A I am looking for a person
:03:36. > :03:39.who is articulate and has got a grasp of what is going on. Somebody
:03:39. > :03:45.who has got the foresight to try and cope with the problems they are
:03:45. > :03:50.going to face. Honesty and straightforwardness. I have come
:03:50. > :03:58.here this evening to hear what they have got to save. We are going to
:03:58. > :04:07.get a good idea before we vote. so it was time to begin. I would
:04:07. > :04:16.like to hear the candidates' views on how green houses should be used.
:04:16. > :04:21.Are you for or against, and why? And under the watchful eye of the
:04:21. > :04:24.official timekeeper, the candidates had their chance to answer.
:04:24. > :04:29.Politics is not all easy. Politicians are put under stress
:04:29. > :04:33.and it does not had for them to be put under stress on an evening
:04:33. > :04:39.knock this, with the public to seeing how they are handled. --
:04:39. > :04:46.like this. We have quite a strong field compared to other voting
:04:46. > :04:51.district, so I have actually broadened by mind, I think. There
:04:51. > :04:58.is a lot of ignorance showing in some subjects, which I thought was
:04:58. > :05:03.rather prejudicial to a good debate. Very good. I now have some idea who
:05:03. > :05:11.I am going to vote for. I changed my mind on a couple. Back is the
:05:11. > :05:13.point of these meetings, happening across the island. -- of that. In
:05:13. > :05:17.less than a week, it will be decision time.
:05:17. > :05:21.You can find a full list of candidates on the BBC Guernsey
:05:21. > :05:26.website. Turning to the top storey, tenants
:05:26. > :05:31.in States housing in Jersey will have to pay higher rents in future
:05:31. > :05:34.if a major overhaul of the housing system gets the go-ahead. The
:05:34. > :05:39.Housing Minister outlined his vision of a new future for social
:05:39. > :05:44.housing to date. The plans include removing a hidden subsidy of �11.5
:05:44. > :05:47.million a year, currently enjoyed by tenants and turning their
:05:47. > :05:51.housing department into a housing association that run along
:05:51. > :05:55.commercial lines. The aim is to improve the island's social housing
:05:55. > :06:00.stock. Jersey's social housing is about to
:06:00. > :06:04.face a major shake-up. 4,500 tenants currently live in housing
:06:04. > :06:11.owned by the States and around a quarter of it is considered sub-
:06:11. > :06:14.standard, with tenants living in poor conditions. I am proposing to
:06:14. > :06:18.establish a strategic housing unit... At a press conference today,
:06:18. > :06:22.the Housing Minister announced his department's plans and said he
:06:22. > :06:26.hoped it would lead to greater improvements. For existing tenants,
:06:26. > :06:31.we can guarantee that their homes will meet the UK decent homes
:06:31. > :06:34.standard and one day, maybe the Jersey homes standard. For those on
:06:34. > :06:39.the waiting list, real hope that we are going to be providing homes
:06:39. > :06:44.that they need so they can get off the waiting list. Jersey's housing
:06:44. > :06:47.charities broadly welcomed the proposals. If I had one criticism
:06:47. > :06:52.of the white paper it would be that I feel there should be more
:06:52. > :06:57.emphasis on the need for more housing. I think the white paper is
:06:57. > :07:02.principally concerned with bringing States housing up to a decent level
:07:02. > :07:06.and perhaps some provision of housing in the future. But I think
:07:06. > :07:09.they need is there. Massive improvements to social housing are
:07:09. > :07:13.already under way year, with tenants being moved out of the
:07:13. > :07:20.older blocks to some of the new builds up behind me. But part of
:07:20. > :07:23.the plans include increasing rents. At present, some tenants pay 50% or
:07:23. > :07:29.less of market rate and the proposal is that in 10 years' time,
:07:29. > :07:32.everyone will pay 90%. The housing department estimates are currently
:07:32. > :07:41.uses 11.2 �5 million per year through what it calls this hidden
:07:41. > :07:45.subsidy. -- loses pounds 11.2 5 million. The proposals met with
:07:46. > :07:50.mixed reactions here. It would be almost on a par with the private
:07:50. > :07:58.rent. I am sure, like many people here, if I could afford to go
:07:58. > :08:03.private, I would. Everyone admits that Jersey's housing is behind the
:08:03. > :08:07.times. -- social housing. This is designed to bring it into the 21st
:08:07. > :08:11.century, but can rent increase took near market levels without hurting
:08:11. > :08:18.those it is designed to support? Keeping bad ball in the air will be
:08:18. > :08:22.quite a feat. -- that ball. Channel Islands tennis star had a
:08:22. > :08:26.Watson has set itself an ambitious challenge of winning at a gold
:08:26. > :08:33.medal at London Olympics. However, the British No. 3, is likely to
:08:33. > :08:37.need a ranking in the top 17 or a wild card to compete. She is
:08:37. > :08:41.determined, as our reporter found out.
:08:41. > :08:46.She is the 19-year-old Guernsey girl with the world at her feet and
:08:46. > :08:51.this week, she has been coaching up and coming tennis players.
:08:51. > :08:57.ranking rate is 100 and 15th in the world but I am working really hard
:08:57. > :09:03.to get back inside the top 100. Seen here at the launch of the
:09:03. > :09:09.event macro in Edgbaston, she has a clear ambition and a clear dream. -
:09:09. > :09:16.- Aegon Classic. To play it on your home ground will not happen very
:09:16. > :09:20.often at all. It is definitely one of the main goals. A 2011 saw have
:09:20. > :09:28.it be said by injuries and it is clear it affected her
:09:28. > :09:33.professionally. -- sort Heather affected. She dropped back a little
:09:33. > :09:37.bit and had some tough draws in the Grand Slams but she is a world-
:09:37. > :09:42.class player and together with Laura Robson, I think we have got
:09:42. > :09:47.two bright young tennis players on the women's tour. It was tough last
:09:47. > :09:51.year with my elbow injury. I don't get injured a lot but it is
:09:51. > :09:57.happening at the worst times. You have got to stay positive for and
:09:57. > :10:01.worked through it. And as the next generation look up to her, her back
:10:01. > :10:06.as her sights firmly set on a limb big success. She will be flying the
:10:06. > :10:16.flag for Guernsey at London 2012, she hopes.
:10:16. > :10:16.
:10:16. > :10:19.We will all be cheering for her. Not much change in the weather
:10:19. > :10:24.pattern across the Channel Islands over the next few days but each day
:10:24. > :10:29.we get slightly colder. The last decent day will be tomorrow, with
:10:29. > :10:34.temperatures up to 13, because into the weekend we get some colder air
:10:35. > :10:38.moving in and still the risk of some showers. Tonight, the showers
:10:38. > :10:43.will probably be with us for a while. In fact, most of them will
:10:43. > :10:47.fade away to become very isolated, but there is a chance of them
:10:47. > :10:50.continuing until dawn as the weather front moves away. Into
:10:50. > :10:54.Saturday, with the keen north- easterly wind developing, it will
:10:54. > :11:02.continue to feed in showers but a noticeable breeze so it will feel
:11:02. > :11:06.colder. Be showers may fade for a time tonight but one or two will be
:11:06. > :11:11.left behind right through to the end of the night. Overnight
:11:11. > :11:14.temperatures quite cold at four or five degrees. The showers will be
:11:14. > :11:18.replaced by clearer skies and into the afternoon, a good chance of
:11:18. > :11:25.seeing some spells of sunshine for the rest of the day. Temperatures
:11:25. > :11:31.between 11 and 13 degrees. The winds from the north-west, which
:11:31. > :11:41.will be light to moderate. The forecast for the coastal waters -
:11:41. > :11:52.
:11:52. > :11:56.you can see it on screen. On Saturday, we pick up more of a
:11:56. > :12:02.breeze. It is a north-easterly wind which will be fresh to strong at
:12:02. > :12:07.times. It will bring showers and low temperatures. Much brighter on
:12:07. > :12:17.Sunday, but the colder air behind the line of showers will make it
:12:17. > :12:20.