Ben Chapple
BBC News Online

The members of a panel - that will decide which campaign groups will be given official status and taxpayers' money ahead of Guernsey's first referendum in October - have been suggested.

Former bailiff Sir de Vic Carey, Jurat Stephen Jones and Graham Daldry, the Creative Director of Specsavers, have been put forward by the States Assembly and Constitution Committee.

The referendum will consider options for electoral reform including island-wide voting and a mixture of island-wide and district or parish based elections.

There are five options due to be considered in the vote on 10 October and the official campaign group is entitled to a £5,000 grant as part of the campaign for their preferred option.

There can only be one official campaign group for each of the options.

• Option A: One island-wide district, elections held every four years. All 38 deputies elected at same time
• Option B: Seven electoral districts, elections every four years. Each district elects five or six deputies
• Option C: One island-wide district to elect 10 island-wide deputies and seven districts to elect remaining 28. Elections every four years with island-wide held before district
• Option D: Four electoral districts, with elections every four years. Each district elects nine, 10 or 11 deputies
• Option E: One island-wide district with successful candidates serving six years. Elections held every two years for a third of deputies so 12 or 13 elected each time

Condor Ferries has cancelled tomorrow's Liberation's sailings between the Channel Islands and Poole.

Ben Chapple
BBC News Online

Due to an unexpected "high demand" Guernsey Water is asking islanders to check all water supplies for bursts or leaks following this week's cold weather.

A spokeswoman said this includes "feeding fields, vineries and unoccupied properties" that owners will be responsible for.

Gareth Owen
BBC Radio Guernsey

Waves are expected to break over sea walls with debris strewn over east coast roads and paths tonight, as Guernsey Met issues a further tide warning.

It's in force from 19:13, with a 32ft (9.7m) high tide combing with a force five-to-six southeast to south wind.

There's a similar warning in place for the east coast on Saturday morning at 07.29.

In Saint Anne, Alderney - the most northerly of the Channel Islands, Mark takes in the wildilfe and manages to get lost on the 3 mile long and 1.5 mile wide island.

BBC Radio Guernsey

Guernsey's Peninsula Hotel has been sold to new owners.

Image source, Peninsula Hotel

The site in the Vale is under the ownership of the family which also controls the Fleur du Jardin hotel in the Castel, and Les Douvres Hotel in St Martins.

The hotel has 99 en-suite bedrooms and conference facilities.

The new owners say they have "exciting" plans for the site.

BBC Radio Jersey

Jersey charities are having to think twice about new projects because of the cost of planning application fees, a local care provider has claimed.

Jersey Cheshire Home - a residential facility for disabled adults - is building an extension that will include three additional en-suite bedrooms and upgrades to six existing ones, along with building a dedicated therapy room.

David Lord, from the home, said: "I think the costs of these applications makes charities look twice at what they are going to put an application in for - to make sure they don't waste any money."

Jersey's planning minister has just agreed to halve Jersey Zoo's £12,000 bill for building projects.

BBC Radio Jersey

Parts of Jersey could be flooded tonight because of a high tide and strong winds.

Jersey Met has issued an orange warning, meaning that waves and debris could come over sea walls along the south and east coasts.

High tide at 19:06 combines with a 38ft (11.5m) high tide.

It will be the first challenge for recent repairs on the wall near St Helier, which had to be patched up after winter storms.

BBC Radio Jersey

Jersey's Financial Services Commission is warning that a fake Australian investment business is trying to defraud islanders out of their money. , external

The business called "Focus on Market" is approaching islanders offering investment opportunities in a variety of shares, stocks and foreign exchange transactions.

If you've been contacted by this business, you should contact the commission., external

Edward Rowe
BBC Radio Guernsey

It's claimed a "political association" announced today by three "like-minded" deputies will help people at the ballot box in 2020, should Guernsey opt for island-wide voting in a referendum later this year.

Deputy Carl Meerveld, who unveiled the idea from his garden shed earlier today, said moving from a district to island-wide system of voting would mean candidates could be judged on policy over personality.

By creating associations under his favoured island-wide system, voters could easily identify which group of deputies supported the same principles, he said.

"We have to work out a mechanism for how people can elect 38 deputies in one day. If you have associations then they can decide that they support the principles of the association.

"That helps them select their candidates.

"We hope this will swing to more policy-based debates where people are asking questions about the policies and how they are going to handle them, as opposed to whether they like the individual," he added.

BBC Radio Jersey

A new lifeboat organisation for Jersey will be officially launched next week.

The Jersey Lifeboat Association will be independent of the RNLI, and hopes to run alongside other services.

Crew and supporters of the former all-weather crew in Jersey came together to form their own organisation after falling out with the lifeboat charity.

The association hopes to buy its own boat, and has started raising money to buy a vessel and equipment.

It's been formally registered as a charity and has former senator Ben Shenton as its chairman, who said it will officially launch on Thursday, 8 March.

More on this story:

• Ports of Jersey 'welcome' RNLI St Helier dispute review
• RNLI advises Jersey's new lifeboat charity
• Independent lifeboat association gets charity status
• Independent lifeboat 'could be in service by January'
• Almost £500k donations promised for independent lifeboat
• Call for inquiry into RNLI crew dispute

Rob Byrne
BBC News Online

Thanks to John Silvester who sent us this photo of Guernsey's Little Chapel earlier this week.

John says it provided "a peaceful sanctuary in the face of 'The Beast from the East'".

Image source, John Silvester

It's after groceries did not make it to the island yesterday as services were cancelled.

Rob Byrne
BBC News Online

Three Guernsey politicians have today announced their intention to form a political association. But what are they trying to achieve?

• To "fundamentally improve" the way in which the States of Guernsey functions
• The adoption of island-wide voting in the referendum being held in October
• To field a number of candidates at the 2020 General Election
• Candidates will support "a common manifesto" agreed by members
• The association "will not be a political party", its founders say
• Members "who are, or become, deputies, will be free to vote as they wish"

Rob Byrne
BBC News Online

First we had the Charter 2018 political alliance, on Wednesday there was a meeting of two senior deputies and 40 islanders on "building a new form of politics", now there's a yet to be named "political association", started by three island politicians.

The association, founded by deputies Peter Ferbrache, Carl Meerveld and Joe Mooney, has been unveiled today from Deputy Meerveld's garden shed.

He said it was in no way connected to Charter 2018, a like-minded group of politicians, which all three are members of.

On the association, Deputy Ferbache said: "Our key objective will be to fundamentally improve the way in which the States of Guernsey functions, with our initial objective being to campaign for the adoption of island-wide voting at the public referendum scheduled to be held on 10 October this year."

Guernsey Press

A Conservative MP has said it was only natural for some people in the UK to look to more business-friendly jurisdictions in light of Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party’s policies., external

Jersey Evening Post

An immediate cabinet reshuffle after the States chooses its ministers would not happen, as the Chief Minister would fear a vote of no confidence, Senator Ian Gorst has said while discussing proposals to overhaul the running of government., external