25/01/2017 Channel Islands News

Good evening, I'm Charlie McArdle. Welcome to BBC Channel Islands.

Making sure the islands are not forgotton when it comes to Brexit.

is charging too much for new social housing.

If their rent is fully covered it's not a problem for them that it is a

problem for the taxpayer and there are questions about inflation in the

whole housing market. Safety concerns means more

of La Cotte's secrets And we've got a cold day in store

for the islands tomorrow. Some sunshine, strong winds and low

temperatures. All the details later than the programme.

That's the message from a senior Guernsey politician

following the UK's justice committee visit today.

The three MPs are responsible for making sure the interests

of the Crown Dependencies aren't forgotten, when it comes

to Britain's exit from Europe, as Mark Inchley's been finding out.

If there's one thing that Brexit's promised to deliver

And the Channel Islands are by no means immune.

But this week's visit by members of the UK Justice Committee has

at least gone some way to reassure the islands' governments that local

I'm cautiously optimistic but I'm absolutely sure of one thing,

that there is no room for complacency which is what makes

visits such as the one from the Ministry of

Justice Select Committee so important.

The committee's here to make sure the Channel Islands feel well

represented and to hear where concerns lie.

One is the whole question of uncertainty affecting

That's exactly the same as we've got to handle in the UK as well.

And the second one, again common to the UK,

is giving assurance to EU citizens who are already in the Crown

Dependencies as they are in the UK that their rights to remain

and remain a welcome part of our society are not

The island's smaller industries such as fishing and agriculture also play

a role in the inquiry, but local farmers say there's

at least one area likely to survive the changes unscathed.

We actually manage our production to try and avoid export

because our costs of production are high so we're not really

We produce milk for the island and we try and make sure we have

enough for the island and very little extra.

And for those reasons, what goes on beyond our shores

hopefully isn't going to impact us in a huge way.

But that optimism isn't shared across the island's industries

and as islanders line up to find out the true impact of Britain's

departure from Europe, much rests on the findings of just

A Jersey politician will travel to Washington DC to attend a meeting

addressed by newly-inaugurated President Donald Trump.

Deputy John Le Fondre has accepted an invitation on behalf

of US Congress to go to the National Prayer

The annual event has seen every US President

Deputy Le Fondre says he'll pay for the trip himself.

Jersey's Andium Homes is charging too much for new social housing,

Deputy Montfort Tadier is worried rents are spiralling out of control.

It comes after some social housing was priced at ?1,300 a month

These are the newly refurbished homes at Clos de

Deputy Montfort Tadier's impressed with the quality of the flats,

but he says for some people affordable housing

The rent for these two bed maisonettes is around ?300 a week.

And as social housing, those rents are pegged at 90%

But his concern is that tenants on income support who are renting

privately only get around ?280 a week.

If their rent is fully covered by income support that's not a problem

for them but it's a problem for the taxpayer. That is also question

about inflation in the whole housing market.

But Social security says this isn't an issue for tenants as the cost

Andium Homes follows the rent policy set by the States.

The Housing Minister wasn't available but her spokesman told us:

We are making a ?250 million investment to improve social

housing, which would not be possible without the financial certainty

We have completed a consultation, which looks at issues

A report is due to be issued in March.

Jersey's Social Secutiry Department says:

Income Support fully covers the cost of social housing rentals.

For private rented properties, Income Support rates are based

on the average value of the Andium stock.

The property highlighted by Deputy Tadier has been

refurbished and therefore likely to be at the higher end,

so it is misleading to use it as the benchmark for social

So while most of Jersey's affordable housing will be refurnished

to provide better accommodation, that will cost the tax payer.

Guernsey's Scrutiny Management Committee says it's extremely

concerned by the findings of an independent review into health

The Committee says the review identifies a number of areas

where existing provision falls below acceptable standards.

It's President says a lot of work is needed to rebuild confidence.

It's clear that there has been a breakdown in confidence between the

people and the health service. I think we need to work with all

agencies to rebuild and renew that confidence in the service.

Jersey's Environment Minister says the quality of the island's water

is getting better but admits there's still room for improvement.

Deputy Luce has issued a response to a report by Save Our Shoreline.

It's concerned that marine life will disappear and tourism

will suffer unless more is done to reduce the level

We have got some environmental challenges and our water could be

better but are we at a tipping point? I don't think so and I come

to that conclusion because our quality is improving. It has been

for a few years. I will put my hand up and say we can do better and we

will improve further. Later, more than 85 years of service between

them, two pilots tell us their stories.

It's one of the most important ice age sites in northern Europe

and this week archaeologists are meeting with engineers to work

out how the La Cotte site at St Brelade can be preserved

It comes after Jersey Heritage had to turn down a ?180,000 grant

from the government as work can't continue until the site

More than 40,000 years ago, it was mammoths and Neanderthals

And they returned time and time again to the site at La Cotte.

Once linked to Northern France by coastal plains,

it now contains more Neanderthal artefacts than the rest

Like most of the coastline it is vulnerable to erosion and rock

movement. It's a question of stabilising the site and stopping

the rocks from becoming loose and creating a safe environment to do

archaeology. Archaeologists wanted to continue

digging at the site later this year. But that work has been frozen, along

with the government funding for it, Around 200,000 stone tools have

already been discovered there. But Dr Matt Pope, who's

an archaeologist, is confident Although a lot of excavation has

taken place only about 40% of the site has been explored and that was

a long time ago. For the future that is an incredible archive there.

Modern scientific techniques would throw an even greater light on the

Neanderthals. Dr Pope and Jersey Heritage are

meeting with engineers this week. They're hoping to publish a report

on exactly what needs to be done But as it's expected to take

years rather than months, for now the rest of La Cotte's

secrets will remain undiscovered. It's been another cold

start to the day. Gritters were out and about

keeping the roads safe. Temperatures got down to around -1C

overnight with Jersey Police saying there were a number of accidents

on the island's roads. But the ice did give way

to beautiful sunshine, although it did cloud

over this afternoon. So, will it be another early start

for gritting teams tomorrow? You are quite right, it's going to

be another cold night. Frost as possible again. We'll -- with a

strengthening wind this evening. By the time we get up tomorrow morning

it's going to feel bitterly cold. A really cold day. Maybe some clout to

start with and some sunshine as well. We are seeing some changes now

because first of all tomorrow is going to be colder than today. The

high pressure is weakening and moving away. This is an area of low

pressure which is getting a little bit closer over the next 24 hours

and that changes the type of area we're going to see. Before that

happens we've got a cold wind and those low temperatures. The

combination of the wind-chill will make it feel bitterly cold. Well

below freezing. Overnight tonight some patchy cloud. The frost will

reform despite the fact the breeze continues to be strong and will see

temperatures as low as minus two Celsius. When we start the day like

that and we have a lot of cloud and the strong wind it's going to feel

bitterly cold. Gradually through the day the sunshine will come out and I

think that will help things along a little bit. But it will still feel

cold. Only five or 6 degrees. The times of high water. Most of the

beaches clean but a really cold day for our service. This is the coastal

waters forecast. So as we move into Friday and the weekend that's when

we start to warm up. On Friday still a southerly wind which will get

temperatures up to 9 degrees. A chance on Friday for a few spots of

rain. Showers on Sunday and possibly Saturday. And it will be warmer

during the daytime. A reminder of our top story. There is no room for

complacency, that's the message from a senior politician following the UK

plus much is this committee visit today. The three MPs are responsible

for making sure the interests of the Crown dependencies are not forgotten

when it comes to Brexit. Our bulletins will be available on the

eye player and I'll be back just before 8pm with a news update. And a

full bulletin after the ten the news. Until then, goodbye.

Now, they may not seem all that similar but there is one major

challenge which connects all the following places -

the blocks, avenues and streets of the Big Apple, the burgeoning

skyline of Melbourne, Australia and somewhere

They've all been named as markets where prices for typical houses far

outstrip what families on middle incomes can afford.

Dorset is also mentioned in the research which focussed

on different areas in a range of countries.

Janine Jansen has been to see what effect it's having on those

Lucy Stokes is an estate agent in South Brent.

All day long she sells houses but she's also trying

She has just moved here from Worcester and she

There is a huge difference in the prices.

Up there you'd be looking around 150 as a first-time buyer

for a three-bed and down here you'd be looking to start from about 250.

The US property consultancy says the least affordable place to live

in the world out of nine countries surveyed was Hong Kong,

with houses at 18 times the average household income.

Second was Sydney, with prices at 12 times.

Listed tenth most unaffordable place was Bournemouth and Dorset,

nine times the income, with Plymouth and Devon coming 14th.

This survey focuses on the middle of the market -

housing affordability for average households.

So in Devon and Plymouth the average house price is ?215,000 -

the average household income is just over ?30,000.

This means house prices are seven times the average household income.

The authors of the report say the answer is to build more houses,

something the British Government says it is doing.

The government's made some steps in the right direction recently

with some changes to buy to let mortgages and tax and stamp duty

by investors, but they're fiddling around the edges.

We need a massive increase in supply, a sustained increase

in supply, building 300,000 homes a year to meet projected household

demand and backtrack on all the unaffordability that

Lucy and her boyfriend bring in the so-called average household

income of ?30,000 but she can't buy what she wants.

You have a guide price of 245 for this one.

How does that fit in with your budget?

Slightly out of my reach unfortunately, we're only

Lucy regularly hands over keys to new buyers and she's waiting

for the day she gets to keep her own.

If she would like to comment on that story, please send us an e-mail.

If you let your birds run free you could face jail.

The warning to owners who still need to keep their birds undercover

in a bid to prevent the spread of avian flu.

Only yesterday the virus was confirmed in a flock of 10,000

But as our environment correspondent Adrian Campbell

reports, not everyone is following the rules,

despite a warning of fines or even jail.

Nigel Stevens is very careful about bio-security

He has put up a poly tunnel to ensure they can't come

into contact with wild birds or their droppings which might

Defra introduced strict controls in December -

they're still in force but Nigel says they are very confusing.

As to whether you should keep them in cages but have a roof

properly plasticed over, it's all a bit of guesswork really.

We went out and put up a temporary poly tunnel

to house ours in which does the job and still gives them

You don't have to look far to see there is widespread confusion

We filmed these birds a week ago in east Devon.

They should have been covered over to protect them from the virus.

Their owners told us they have since been advised by trading

standards that everyone must comply with the law.

The Government's chief veterinary officer agrees.

This particular strain isn't a problem for people or for the food

chain but it is very severe in birds, especially chickens

and turkeys but also potentially ducks and geese causing severe

It's not just hens and it's not just in East Devon.

Birds which should be undercover can easily be found in the countryside.

We just happen to be in the area filming nearby and noticed this

comic geese left out in the open unattended. No evidence of any

covering for these birds to keep them separate from wild birds.

The owners of these birds told us they needed to be outside

But even people like Nigel who are doing the right thing say

I don't think I know who is policing it at all.

I don't know whether Defra know who is policing it.

But Defra insists we all have an obligation to inform

Trading Standards where the law is being broken.

It was their first job after leaving school,

and now with more than 85 years service between them two admiralty

The men have helped guide ships in and out

They've seen plenty of changes in Devonport as David found out

when he met them on board HMS Sutherland during their

The World Pilot Gig Racing Championships, but it wasn't

In the 1800s there were lots of square riggers coming into port

and they needed the local knowledge of a pilot to come alongside.

The pilots race in their gigs to get the work, and a fast crew

Today's pilots do the same job but it's no longer a race.

When we first started there was very little

on the bridge to give you a hand, you had a radar and now you have

GPS, electronic charts, you can see exactly where you are.

Why does the captain need to have one of you guys on board?

We're there to give the captain as much advice as we can,

the support of Plymouth, local conditions which

The wonderful thing about our pilots here in Devon Port is they know

every inch of the river inside and out.

For us to be able to tap into that experience

For us to be able to tap into that experience is hugely

Is it a lot of pressure, do you feel the pressure and stress?

Yes, it's pressure but it's job satisfaction to feel that you moved

a ship 200 metres in length in perhaps a ninth and a half metre

draft from the sound to the dockyard alongside,

We've had some close shaves, you are bound to over 26 years

but we've never any major incidents in this port in a long time.

Presumably if it's really blowing a gale and there's a big sea

running, it's quite a hard thing to do.

Actually getting on and off the ships, particularly at night

on big ships you can go up to 9 metre ladders and a big swell

running, it gets very difficult and as you get older it gets

What are you going to do now you're going to retire, what's the plan?

I've got a boat with a friend that we've got a partnership

in so I'm going out, doing a bit more fishing.

I think that was they know they're at the end. You didn't take them a

bottle, then? They're leaving do is tonight so I

hope they enjoy themselves. Do you think we will clock up 85

years between us? We probably nearly have! It feels

like it. They do a fantastic service and people do not always realise

what goes on outside Plymouth Sound, all weather, if the wind is up at

night they still have to do it. It looks like we will see a change in

our weather pattern in the next 24 hours. We have some cold weather

tomorrow but you have been out catching a glimpse of some

interesting weather. This is a picture of a formal bow, a rainbow

created by sunshine and fog. We have also had some lively winds across

parts of Cornwall. It is the wind that is a feature of the weather,

especially tomorrow, and it is a cold winter so we will see more

clout by the start of the day, it will feel a truly cold with high

wind-chill because of low temperatures out of Europe but also

strengthening winds which could reach gale force for the western end

of the English Channel. Those weather fronts are out to the west,

they creep a little closer during tomorrow but at the same time they

squeeze those isobars, that is why they have such a strong wind,

especially for Cornwall where it will be at gale force, then we see

weather fronts of the Atlantic, slowly opening the door to milder

error, and by Saturday we are back into Atlantic air and temperatures

hopefully back up into double figures. At the moment it's bitterly

cold. It will be a cold start tomorrow with a widespread frosts

but the wind-chill there are real feature, you end up with

temperatures feeling like -2 4-3 tomorrow morning, so some very cold

conditions. This is Karen Cross, many of our wind turbines have been

pretty busy this afternoon because winds have increased. It has been a

fine day but feeling cold and it will get even colder tonight, so

despite the fact we will have a breeze and more cloud in the second

half of the night, we will see temperatures plummeting, getting as

low as zero 4-1 in a few places. There is more cloud creeping in from

the south-east, just about it enough for a few showers and with these low

temperatures one or two of those showers could be wintry. Winds

increase and we start tomorrow morning wintry, cold, even frosted

with temperatures starting from three or 4 degrees above freezing to

as low as -1 or minus two. So cold, cloudy, gradually it will brighten

up but for all of us it will not feel warm. We may see temperatures

of five or 6 degrees but it will feel colder than that because of the

wind. That is the forecast for the Isles of Scilly, gale force winds

and feeling cold. Times of high water that Penzance and Plymouth,

and this fight that -- and for surfers there could be some good

wins, messy along the south coast, and the Met Office has winds of

occasionally gale for straightforward Cornwall, then the

outlook for the weekend, it looks milder, less frost but not what

everyone wants because there is a lot of cloud and the potential for

some rain. On Friday, some Shari outbreaks, on Sunday the cloud is

that enough to produce some light rain or drizzle but the big story is

that we lose the night-time frost and daytime temperatures get back up

into double figures. On tomorrow's programme we'll be

marking the 100th anniversary of the destruction of a Devon

village which was washed Homes in Hallsands had been left

vulnerable after shingle was dredged from the area

for the new dockyards at Devonport. A high spring tide and easterly

gales on January 26th 1917 destroyed Tomorrow we'll find out more

about the history, and the concerns Just before we go, you know, good to

talk to you on BBC Radio Devon. I promised I would show you my work

shoes. I hope you approve. Good night.