FUNDS from dormant bank accounts totalling £1 million have been allocated to the Jersey Community Foundation, which supports charities and community and voluntary groups. The government has transferred the money to the organisation from the Jersey Reclaim Fund, which is made up of balances from accounts where there has been no contact with the customer […]
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Ministers discuss flexibility within the rental market
MINISTERS are discussing a further easing of restrictions affecting the rental market, according to the Housing Minister. Earlier this month, Home Affairs Minister Helen Miles told the States that new 12-month work permits – increased from nine months – would be introduced to help combat staff shortages in the hospitality sector. Housing Minister David Warr […]
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'I’ve had to go evenings without food' – Jersey teachers tell of financial struggles amid pay dispute strikes
TEACHERS have spoken of their “crippling” struggles with the cost of living – including a single parent claiming she has gone without food at times – as one of the Island’s main unions continues its strike over pay. The National Education Union has provided the JEP with anonymised accounts from teachers, sharing stories of their […]
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Benefit repayment making some Islanders ‘suicidal’
STRESS caused by debt from repaying Income Support overpayments is “so severe” that some Islanders have considered or attempted to take their own lives, according to a new report. The review by the Health and Social Security Scrutiny Panel also found that many Islanders were being pushed into rental arrears, were having to choose between […]
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Raising pension age in Jersey ‘not my first port of call’, says minister
THERE are no plans to raise the pension age to address problems associated with the Island’s ageing population, the Social Security Minister has said. Deputy Elaine Millar said that ‘no one wants the pension age any higher’, adding that it was ‘already quite high compared to other jurisdictions like France’. Her comments come as national […]
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Efforts to resolve Jersey credit card issues welcomed
JERSEY’S Consumer Council has welcomed government moves towards a solution to the problems reported by Islanders in obtaining credit cards. Following concern that many people in Jersey were finding it difficult to obtain or renew cards, government officers have met banks and credit reference agencies in a bid to resolve the issue. More than 600 […]
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Political in-fighting comes under fire from Jersey charity
A CHARITY has criticised politicians for an “unsightly bout of in-fighting” while price rises have caused mass food bank usage and plunged more Islanders into “devastating poverty”. Caritas Jersey have also demanded an apology from ministers regarding the “offensive language used in the flimsy report” on the living wage – and asked them to “make […]
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Overpaid benefits: ‘Returning the money causing hardship’
A ‘SIGNIFICANT cause’ of financial hardship among Jersey residents is the overpayment of income support benefits – with claimants often being driven to food banks while they pay back the debt – according to the Salvation Army. And a Scrutiny panel has heard that some Islanders have reportedly considered suicide as a result of the […]
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Minister: Package of measures needed to drop cost of GP visits
THE cost of GP appointments could fall significantly as part of a raft of measures being considered by the Social Security Minister. Last week, Deputy Elaine Millar has confirmed that she intends to bring forward plans which would provide a ‘decent reduction’ to the cost of visiting a GP. The proposals will include measures to […]
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No confidence vote in panel chair to be debated this week
THE chair of a Scrutiny panel, which has been in disarray over allegations of unprofessional behaviour from two of its members, could be ousted from his position during this week’s States sitting. A vote of no confidence has been lodged in Deputy Geoff Southern – who chairs the Health and Social Security Scrutiny Panel, with […]
