2 h. ago ‘The friendship of the good’: how a community garden gave me a sense of something bigger than myself

By volunteering at her school garden, Magdalena McGuire found something radical: the good in other peopleGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailIf you came across our school garden, you might walk past without giving it much thought. On the surface, we don’t have anything that would warrant a visit from Gardening Australia: no kitchen garden or water feature or “reflection space”. But we do have something else you might not see at first glance – something I wasn’t expecting to find when I first came to this suburb.I moved to Fawkner, Melbourne with my partner and kids about five years ago, in search of affordable housing. The suburb was nice enough but I felt unmoored. I didn’t know anyone here and much of community life seemed to revolve around structures such as the extended family, the church and the mosque. I could see how vital these were for people in our suburb; for my part, however, I’m not religious and my extended family live far away. I tried to find other ways to mak...

Politics

4 d. ago Are rents affordable in Amsterdam? Not if you are a newcomer | Amber Howard

The city was once the pinnacle of inclusivity, with working- and middle-class people alike living in social housing – then the private landlords arrivedIn this series, writers discuss the causes of – and solutions to – the housing crisis in key European citiesWhen I moved to Amsterdam, I felt incredibly lucky to find an illegal six-month sublet 15 minutes by bike from the centre, secured through a friend of a friend. The cost was €1,000 a month – a bargain by market standards but still well over double what my downstairs neighbour, Henrika, paid under the lifelong social housing contract she had obtained four decades earlier.In the intervening years, Amsterdam had shifted from a pinnacle of inclusivity and progressive housing politics to one of Europe’s most unaffordable markets. In the last year, Dutch house prices have surged by more than 10%, homelessness has risen by more than 20%, and rents in the private rental sector have climbed by more than 7%.Amber Howard is a researcher i...

Events

5 d. ago Disabled people ‘could face extra costs of £15k a year by end of the decade’ as welfare vote looms

Government ‘must change course’ on ‘catastrophic’ welfare cuts, disability charity urges

Economics

7 d. ago Parking arrangements for Perth Leisure Pool site development still to be drawn up

Last week Perth and Kinross councillors approved in principle plans to allocate the land Perth Leisure Pool sits on for affordable housing and Capability Scotland's new Perth facilities

Politics

8 d. ago The top London suburbs and country towns for cheap room rents

Mortlake and Chadwell Heath see increased interest on SpareRoom from cash-strapped Londoners

Politics

8 d. ago Number of children with special educational needs plans surges by 10% in a year to increase burden on cash

According to figures from the Department for Education (DfE), there were 638,700 children and young people with an education, health and care (EHC) plan in January this year.

Politics

8 d. ago A broken housing market is driving inequality right across Europe – and fuelling the far right | Kirsty Major

From Lisbon to Amsterdam, housing policy has led to haves and have-nots. But, as our new series uncovers, it doesn’t have to be this wayHousing is as personal an issue as it gets. Homes are where we take refuge from the outside world, express ourselves, build relationships and families. To buy or rent a house is to project your aspirations and dreams on to bricks and mortar – can we see ourselves sitting outside in the sunshine on that patio? It can also be a deeply frustrating process – can we afford that house? For more and more of us, the answer is no.Experienced at such an individual level, it’s easy to think that rising costs are a problem particular to your community, city or country. But unaffordable house prices and rents are a continent-wide issue. According to the European Parliament, from 2015 to 2023, in absolute terms, house prices in the EU rose by just under 50% on average. From 2010 to 2022, rents rose by 18%.Kirsty Major is a deputy Opinion editor for the Guardian C...

Politics

9 d. ago Reduce the impact of Spain’s mass tourism. Stay in a university – not controversial holiday lets

In what could prove to become the template for increasing protests in Edinburgh, demonstrators in Spain are becoming increasingly vocal about the impact of tourism in some areas and, in particular, short-term holiday lets that are forcing locals out of affordable housing. A leading travel expert says university rooms that would otherwise stand empty for the summer provide the solution.

Politics

9 d. ago How Lisbon put itself on the map for real estate investment and tourism – and became the least affordable city in Europe | Agustín Cocola

Tourists stay in short-term rentals and foreigners buy second homes, while residents of the city rent rooms, not apartmentsIn this series, writers discuss the causes of – and solutions to – the housing crisis in key European citiesOver the past decade, Lisbon has undergone a dramatic transformation – from one of the most affordable capitals in Europe to the most unaffordable.Between 2014 and 2024, house prices in the city rose by 176%, and by more than 200% in its central historic districts. The home price to income ratio, a key indicator of housing affordability, reflects this shift with stark clarity: today, Lisbon tops Europe’s housing unaffordability rankings. This trend extends to the national level. In 2015, Portugal ranked 22nd out of 27 EU countries for housing unaffordability. Today, it ranks first. In a country where 60% of taxpayers earn less than €1,000 a month, finding a rental below that price in the Portuguese capital is only possible if you’re willing to live in 20 s...

Politics

9 d. ago How Lisbon put itself on the map for real estate and tourism – and became Europe’s least affordable city | Agustín Cocola

Tourists stay in short-term rentals and foreigners buy second homes, while residents of the city rent rooms, not apartmentsIn this series, writers discuss the causes of – and solutions to – the housing crisis in key European citiesOver the past decade, Lisbon has undergone a dramatic transformation – from one of the most affordable capitals in Europe to the most unaffordable.Between 2014 and 2024, house prices in the city rose by 176%, and by more than 200% in its central historic districts. The home price to income ratio, a key indicator of housing affordability, reflects this shift with stark clarity: today, Lisbon tops Europe’s housing unaffordability rankings. This trend extends to the national level. In 2015, Portugal ranked 22nd out of 27 EU countries for housing unaffordability. Today, it ranks first. In a country where 60% of taxpayers earn less than €1,000 a month, finding a rental below that price in the Portuguese capital is only possible if you’re willing to live in 20 s...

Politics

1 week ago The court battle over £1billion and how Manchester missed out on affordable housing

It could have major implications for Andy Burnham's office and Manchester's biggest developer

Economics

2 w. ago Older windfarms won't increase East Ayrshire community benefit cash says council

East Ayrshire Council said that other benefits, such as job training support were getting developer support

Politics

2 w. ago Rachel Reeves to unveil £725 billion plan to 'rebuild Britain's foundations'

Labour's 10-year infrastructure strategy will include upgrades for transport networks, hospitals, schools and local facilities, as well as a boost to affordable house building

Economics

2 w. ago FLOURISHING AFTER 50: Help! We can't afford to leave our house... but can't afford to stay

This week, leading money educator Vanessa Stoykov helps a couple who feel trapped after their fix-rate mortgage ended a few months ago.

Politics

2 w. ago Life in Britain's CHEAPEST town: House prices in Burnley are lower than anywhere else... but locals still can't afford them

Locals say life in Burnley is like being stuck in 'a rut'.

Events

3 w. ago Plan to demolish part of Dalston's Kingsland Shopping Centre and build "massive" tower blocks prompts backlash from residents

The project could see 254 homes built, but the applicant has admitted it will not meet Hackney Council's affordable housing policy

Economics

3 w. ago The 1% Club's Lee Mack gasps 'I wasn't expecting that' as simple picture question wipes out 25 players

A previous instalment of the popular quiz show saw 100 contestants attempt to win a cash prize by answering a series of questions that gradually increased in trickiness.

Society

3 w. ago Spend every penny of increased cash on affordable housing, charity urges

The Chancellor announced an increase of £39 billion for housing in the next decade.

Economics

3 w. ago Charities hail ‘biggest cash injection in affordable housing in half a century’

Housing charity Shelter has described the funding as ‘a watershed moment in tackling the housing emergency’.

Politics

3 w. ago Tell us: have your saving habits changed due to economic uncertainty?

We would like to hear from people who have started setting aside more cashUK households are increasingly setting aside physical cash amid extreme economic uncertainty and to provide a safety net for possible banking system outages such as the recent one in Spain, according to the Bank of England’s chief cashier.Victoria Cleland said on Tuesday that the Bank had tracked a significant increase in the number of banknotes in circulation in recent months, continuing a rising trend since 2022. Continue reading...

Economics