New research to inform Guernsey's social policies

New research is being carried out to put a figure on how much money is needed to achieve a socially acceptable standard of living in Guernsey.

The Social Security and Housing departments will look at the cost of joining a club, following a hobby and being able to buy gifts for relatives.

The departments believe the results of the Minimum Income Standards project will inform a range of social policies.

The work will be carried out with the Centre for Research in Social Policy.

'Huge value'

The centre, which is based at Loughborough University and has conducted similar research in the UK, will conduct a series of focus group meetings to identify any local variations from the UK standard.

These will take place in the last week of June and the first two weeks of July.

Participants will receive a payment of £25 for taking part.

Deputy Dave Jones, the Housing Minister, said: "It will be of huge value to the Housing Department in helping us to understand the amount of money islanders need to be able to meet all their living expenses.

"We're particularly interested in their ability to purchase or rent property," he said.