Jersey’s children’s commissioner and a new cost-of-living report are raising alarms ahead of the island’s June election, with a quarter of households classified as low-income and residents warning that high housing and grocery prices are forcing families to consider leaving the island. Dr Carmel Corrigan said the fact that a quarter of the island’s children are living in poverty should serve as a “huge red flag for any society,” marking living costs as the defining issue facing the electorate. The report from the Jersey Community Trust found that 25% of households on the island are classified as low-income, a figure Corrigan said directly translates to child poverty that negatively affects education, housing quality, diet, and leisure access for young residents.
The affordability crisis has emerged as the primary concern for voters, with multiple residents telling the BBC Jersey election roadshow that soaring grocery prices, steep housing costs, and childcare fees comparable to mortgage payments are pushing families to the financial brink. The economic squeeze has led some young workers and parents to contemplate relocating, prompting calls for the next government to scrutinize freight contracts and adjust fuel duties to lower everyday expenses for working parents and retirees alike.
“People are very uncomfortable with that term, and they talk about low income and low-income households — which in real terms translates into poverty,” Corrigan said. “We know that a quarter of all children in the last household survey were living in households on low income and that should be a very, very big red flag for any society. We know for children for instance, that affects things like access to education, the quality of their housing, their diet, food, their access to leisure, it affects a whole wide range of their rights.”
Data from Policy Centre Jersey indicates that the cost of living in Jersey is at least 10% higher than in the UK. Analysts found that house prices on the island are slightly higher than in London, 51% higher than in southeast England, and 23% higher than in Guernsey. Groceries, meanwhile, are 14% more expensive in Jersey than in the UK.
The financial strain is unevenly distributed across demographics. According to the survey data, 69% of single parents reported finding it difficult to cope financially, compared to 44% of working-age people living alone, 35% of couples with children, and 17% of pensioners.
Families are adjusting their lifestyles to cope with the rising costs. Rose Le Motte, who has two children and is expecting a third, said her household relies on a single income that is not keeping pace with inflation. “If it wasn’t for the fact that I do Olio, I scrimp and save, I make everything from scratch, we would have double [the costs],” Le Motte said. She noted that grocery prices have increased significantly, making the prospect of buying a home increasingly unlikely. “Getting on the property ladder, oh my word, I don’t even know if that’s going to be possible for us.”
Childcare costs were cited by several voters as a major barrier to employment and family planning. Kim Neeson said nursery fees for young families have become prohibitive. “Nursery fees are almost the same as a mortgage so you’ve got double mortgages when you’re trying to be in full time employment and also raising a child at the same time, so costs should be considered in that respect,” Neeson said. “Its too much for families especially if you want more than one child and I definitely think it needs to be looked at, even putting kids into private school is cheaper than putting kids into nursery.”
The rising expenses are driving some residents to consider relocating to places where housing and groceries cost less. Toby Cahill Le Brocq, a 19-year-old St John’s village store employee, said he wants to stay on the island but fears the economic reality won’t allow it. “The cost of housing is way too much, the cost of food is way too much it needs to be lowered, for my future I’m scared I won’t be able to live here and will have to move away and it definitely needs to be addressed,” Le Brocq said. Debbie Krupski, 49, of Grouville, expressed a similar dilemma, stating she is heavily invested in living in Jersey but may eventually be forced to leave if her career income cannot offset rising expenses.
Despite the bleak economic landscape, advocates say policymakers have tools available to mitigate the crisis. Carl Walker, head of Jersey’s consumer council, suggested that the next government could look at fuel duty adjustments to ease the burden on households. “There are levers within the amount of duty that is being charged on fuel that the government could look at to ease the pain for people if the cost of fuel continues to rise because of the problems in Iran,” Walker said. He also urged an independent review of the government’s contract with DFDS, a ferry operator, questioning whether its standard freight charge has achieved its intended effect. “The supermarkets say it isn’t, the consumers say it isn’t, so let’s go and get an independent look at it.”
The election roadshow indicates that affordability will remain the central focus for voters as candidates present their platforms for the next parliamentary term.