Category: Britain

When Nazmush Shahadat arrived in London from Bangladesh he had nowhere to stay.

He had been accepted on to a course to study law, but found university accommodation too expensive and he couldn’t find a house to live in.

Mr Shahadat said things “turned dark really soon”, and he ended up sharing a two-bedroom flat with 20 other men.

“I never expected to live in a place like that – I still have my scars,” he said.

With multiple bunk beds crammed into a room and shift workers coming and going, he said it was impossible to sleep and he was often bitten by bed bugs.

“The first couple of months, I couldn’t video call my family because I didn’t want them to see how I am living – that’s sad,” he explained.

Mr Shahadat now lives in a shared house and has his own room, but said trying to find an affordable home in London was extremely difficult because foreign students don’t have the references and pay slips needed to secure a home.

Many have also used their family’s savings to cover fees, he said, with his amounting to £39,000 for a three-year course.

“I’ve spent my family’s savings to come here to fulfil my and my parents’ dreams,” he said.

In recent years the government has worked to increase the number of international students at UK higher education institutions.

In the 2015/16 academic year there were 113,015 international students in the capital. That increased by 59% to 179,425 for 2020/21, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Now, some London institutions have more foreign students than UK ones.

Rashavh Kaushik from India will also be studying law this year and has found a home with friends, but he’s sharing a bedroom with another student.

For that arrangement, they’ve had to pay £16,000 upfront and have had to get a guarantor to secure a place. “It’s costly for us,” he said.

Nehaal Bajwa, from the National Union of Students (NUS), said: “Universities are trying to recruit more and more international students partly because they pay a lot higher fees, but it means that some universities are expanding at a rate much higher than the local housing stock can deal with.”

The NUS has been calling for rent controls for students, and said international students were particularly vulnerable to financial strain.

“You’re kind of open to exploitation because you don’t know your rights,” Ms Bajwa said.

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She added that foreign students were more likely to accept a home without a contract, pay large sums of money up front, or be forced to accept unsuitable conditions.

“You might be more tempted, because otherwise where are you going to live? So homelessness is a real threat,” she said.

Film student Giulia Tortoricei, 19, from Italy, now lives with her friends Maisie and Lidia in a shared house, but found looking for accommodation in London last year tough.

“It’s way too expensive – last year I came here without having a place. A friend of mine was giving me part of his room for a whole month before I found a place so that was really stressful,” she said.

It’s not just international students struggling either – students based in the UK told the BBC about their difficulties finding a home, and of facing long commutes to get to campus.

Analysis from Savills found in London there were currently 3.8 students chasing every bed in purpose-built student accommodation, compared to an average of 2.9 across the UK as a whole.

Student charity Unipol believes there is a need for more “affordable” accommodation, especially for more vulnerable students who may opt for dedicated university accommodation if they don’t know an area well or come from overseas.

Martin Blakey, the charity’s CEO, said such accommodation was about 35% more expensive than renting a room in a house, so some students ended up spending much of their money on temporary accommodation thinking they would save money when they find a house-share.

However, many run out of funds before they can secure somewhere and he said by this point “quite significant numbers of international students were using food banks” and may have to return home.

“It it is really rough at the pointy end of this and people’s dreams quietly fall apart,” Mr Blakey said.

In a statement, a Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson said: “Attracting the brightest students internationally is good for our universities and delivers growth at home.

“That’s why we encourage universities and private accommodation providers to consider their accommodation needs and support them accordingly.”

Universities UK said in a statement: “The current pressures on the housing market in the UK are being felt across society – including by students, and universities are working to ease this wherever possible.

“Universities are experienced in supporting students, and while we strongly recommended that students organise housing before travelling to the UK, any student facing difficulty should contact their university accommodation team as soon as possible.”

Culled from BBC

Fresh, salty air. The evocative screech of seagulls. Ice cream on every corner. There’s no place quite like the Great British seaside. And if you wanted to make a move to the coast? Happily, Halifax, the bank, has just revealed the cheapest – and most expensive – locations to nab a property by the sea.

The majority of the most affordable spots are in Scotland, with Greenock in Inverclyde taking the top spot. The only location in England to make the ‘cheap list’ is Newbiggin-by-the-Sea in Northumberland.

Meanwhile, the list of expensive seaside towns is dominated by the South West, with seven entrants. The spenniest overall was Salcombe in Devon, with an extraordinary average house price of £1,244,025.

Of the 209 locations included in the study, the cheapest seaside towns to buy a home are:

1. Greenock, Inverclyde, Scotland: £97,608
2. Girvan, Ayrshire, Scotland: £105,410
3. Millport, Ayrshire, Scotland: £111,381
4. Invergordon, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland: £114,962
5. Saltcoats, Ayrshire, Scotland: £116,414
6. Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Northumberland, North East: £117,663
7. Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland: £117,884
8. Wick, Caithness, Scotland: £124,857
9. Thurso, Caithness, Scotland: £126,716
10. Campbeltown, Argyll and Bute, Scotland: £129,348

The priciest coastal locations are:

1. Salcombe, Devon: £1,244,025
2. Sandbanks, Dorset: £952,692
3. Aldeburgh, Suffolk: £794,492
4. Padstow, Cornwall: £790,847
5. Lymington, Hampshire: £663,474
6. Yarmouth, Isle of Wight: £611,816
7. Dartmouth, Devon: £567,985
8. Kingsbridge, Devon: £556,659
9. Wadebridge, Cornwall: £548,669
10. Budleigh Salterton, Devon: £537,681

Kim Kinnaird, mortgages director at Halifax, said: ‘For many, owning a home by the sea is an aspiration, with coastal living offering beach walks, clean air and other health benefits. But this comes at a price in many locations and Britain’s most expensive seaside spot, Salcombe in Devon, will set buyers back over £1.2 million on average.

‘When we delve deeper into the cost of Britain’s seaside homes, it’s clear that there is a broad spectrum in house prices. While million-pound properties are abundant in the South West of England, in contrast, homes in Greenock in Scotland are valued on average at less than £100,000.

‘Second-home ownership undoubtedly plays a role in driving up prices in the most desirable locations.’

Culled from Timeout

Jeremy Corbyn has warned Rishi Sunak’s net zero shake-up will cause “irreparable” damage and “cost thousands of lives”,

The former Labour leader tweeted:

Climate delay is climate denial.

Rishi Sunak's negligence will cost thousands of lives around the world and cause irreparable harm to our planet.

We need a real alternative that takes on the fossil fuel industry, transforms our economy and secures a Green New Deal.

— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) September 20, 2023

It’s that time of year again! Fresh-faced freshers are itching to leave their parents’ pads for uni, ready for a few years of hard-graft studying (and a decent helping of fun antics, obvs).

But let’s face it: we’re still in a cost-of-living crisis. Most students watch their wallets pretty closely at the best of times, but now, with soaring rents and higher food prices, money is an even bigger issue. In other words, if you’re heading off to uni in the next few weeks, you might be wondering how expensive it’s likely to be.

Helpfully, UK bank NatWest has conducted a huge study to figure out the country’s most and least affordable unis. The NatWest Student Living Index ranked university towns by surveying over 3,000 university students and looking into stuff like average accommodation costs and student incomes.

The least affordable university town in the study was Edinburgh, which combined a high cost of living with low average term-time incomes. The second most expensive place to go to uni went to Glasgow, while London came in third, with the highest reported outgoing monthly costs at an average of £1,445.32 per month.

On the flip side, the most affordable university town in the UK went to Bournemouth, thanks to its comparatively high student incomes. Cardiff, meanwhile, came second, whilst Lincoln followed in third place.

Here are the top ten most affordable university towns in the UK, according to the NatWest Student Living Index.

1. Bournemouth
2. Cardiff
3. Lincoln
4. Portsmouth
5. Newcastle
6. Manchester
7. Leeds
8. Birmingham
9. Oxford
10. Leicester

And here are the least affordable.

1. Edinburgh
2. Glasgow
3. London
4. Coventry
5. Liverpool
6. Cambridge
7. Nottingham
8. Lancaster
9. Bristol
10. Sheffield

To find out more about the Student Living Index, check out the full study on the NatWest website here.

Summer might’ve seen some sort of respite for London commuters from strike action, but, as previously threatened, major industrial action is kicking off once again. Strike action is taking place across the country, but it’s also affecting the capital.

The next strike action is taking place over several dates in the coming weeks – and it’s likely that disruption will continue for the foreseeable future. Back in August London Underground drivers who are ASLEF members voted overwhelmingly in favour of striking for at least the next six months, while strikes dates have also been announced by the RMT union. Here’s everything we know about the situation right now.

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How to get around London during the strikes in July and August.

When are the next London train strikes?

Members of the ASLEF union will go on strike on September 30 and October 4. They will also not work overtime on September 19 and for five days from October 2 to October 6.

Which London train lines will be affected?

The RMT and ASLEF strikes will affect 14 train companies, some of which operate services in and out of London. These are all the lines affected:

• Avanti West Coast
• CrossCountry
• East Midlands Railway
• Great Western Railway
• LNER
• TransPennine Express
• C2C (not involved in the Aslef action)
• Greater Anglia
• GTR (Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern, Thameslink)
• Southeastern
• South Western Railway
• Chiltern Railways
• Northern Trains
• West Midlands Railway

Are there any tube strikes?

There are not currently any tube strikes planned for London in September.

Will the Elizabeth line be on strike? 

The Elizabeth line is not set to be affected by the next strike action.

Will strikes affect the Eurostar? 

Eurostar is also not expected to be affected by the upcoming strike dates. Find the latest details on the Eurostar website.

Why are UK train workers striking?

RMT has been battling with train companies over pay, working conditions and job cuts for well over a year.

The RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch, said: ‘The mood among our members remains solid and determined in our national dispute over pay, job security and working conditions.

‘We have had to call further strike action as we have received no improved or revised offer from the Rail Delivery Group.

‘The reason for this is the government has not allowed them a fresh mandate on which discussions could be held. Our members and our union will continue fighting until we can reach a negotiated and just settlement.’

What will the government’s proposed anti-strike laws mean for London?

A bill that would require striking workers to meet ‘minimum service levels’ is in its final stages before being passed. Rishi Sunak’s proposed anti-strike legislation would ensure ‘minimum service levels’ on key public services, including trains, making it pretty difficult for things to grind to a complete halt.

The law would allow bosses in rail, health, fire, ambulance, education and nuclear commissioning to sue unions and even sack employees if minimum services aren’t met during strikes.

However, many people, including opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer, have expressed concern that these laws could infringe on workers’ fundamental right to strike.

As for London trains, the legislation could make strike action less severe. With a minimum service, it would be less likely for there to be absolutely no tubes, Overgrounds or trains.

Culled from Timeout

Many London women are calling for heightened support of Black-owned hair shops after a shocking viral video appeared to show an unnamed woman being ‘strangled’ by a shop worker in the store Peckham Hair and Cosmetics earlier this week.

The widely-circulated clip showed a male, South Asian shop worker with his hands around an unnamed customer’s throat following an alleged dispute about a refund. The woman was arrested on accusations of theft and assault and later bailed pending further enquiries, while the worker reportedly faces no charges.

A protest organised by community group Forever Family, with support from UK domestic abuse charity Sistah Space, took place on Rye Lane, Peckham yesterday (September 12) in response to the viral video and arrest, which fuelled pre-existing frustrations among south London women that many hair shops are not Black-owned.

‘This is a longstanding issue that Black women, or Black people who identify as women, face when they go into these spaces,’ said Savannah, a protestor. ‘These are hair shops that are meant for Black women and we are often racialised, and type-casted [in these spaces].This is a boiling over of that.’

Protestor Cleopatra Thompson echoed these sentiments, stating that she too has felt unsafe in such stores. ‘I’ve been followed around and watched like a hawk in these shops in south London,’ she said at the protest. ‘I don’t want to spend a minute or a penny more in these shops that don’t respect me.’

She added: ‘It’s ironic – these shops cater towards Black beauty, but they treat us like scum. We shouldn’t turn a blind eye anymore, and we must start investing in our communities rather than convenience.’

Thompson held up a placard championing local Black-owned hair shops in south London, such as Essence of Nature in Sydenham and Hair Glo in Bromley.

Black women make up a huge proportion of all hair and beauty spending in the UK, with data revealing that Black women spend six times more on hair-care products than white women.

Met Police Detective Chief Superintendent Seb Adjei-Addoh, local policing commander for Southwark, confirmed that officers attended the scene on Monday and are continuing to investigate the full circumstances of what has taken place.

Culled from Timeout

The Sunday Times Good University Guide has spoken, placing three London unis in the top ten.

Depending on who you ask, London could be home to a whopping 160 universities. Which is, whichever way you look at it, a lot. And plenty of those are some of the best in the country –and the entire world.

Ask the Sunday Times and London officially has 17 exceptional unis. The publication revealed its Good University Guide 2024 last week, judging 131 UK universities across a range of criteria such as student satisfaction and research output. The headlines saw St Andrews in Scotland awarded the much-sought-after top spot and Oxford relegated to the dark depths of second place.

In other news, three London universities were ranked in the top ten in the country. The London School of Economics placed highest at fourth, while Imperial College London came in at five.

University College London (UCL) rose one place this year to sixth and was also named University of the Year. The guide cited the university’s world-leading research, improved graduate prospects and commitment to sustainability as just some of the reasons for its success, describing the university as, ‘a powerhouse in British education.’

Other successful London institutions included King’s College London and SOAS, which placed at 27 and 28 respectively, and Royal Holloway at 29.

Always one to keep you on your toes, the capital is also home to universities which did not rank particularly well, with the University of East London (UEL) coming in dead last. Ouch. That’s a sharp contrast to just a few weeks ago, when UEL was shortlisted for University of the Year by Times Higher Education.

If you’re heading to any uni in London this week, don’t worry about where these ranking. LSE or UEL, we’re all just trying to make our landlords fix the growing patch of mould on the kitchen ceiling because apparently £250 a week isn’t enough to buy you respiratory health. Student living, baby!

Culled from Timeout London

Homeowners struggling to meet their mortgage repayments have been speaking about their fears for the future.

The Bank of England has hiked rates 14 times since December 2021, with the Institute for Fiscal Studies predicting that repayments will soon average an extra £520 a month in London.

The cost of borrowing has gone from 0.1% to 5.25% with the rate potentially set to increase again on Thursday.

Wendy told BBC London almost all her household’s money went on the mortgage.

“I never thought in my life that I would have to go to a food bank. We are struggling so much.”

Charlotte Towne, who lives on the capital’s Surrey border, said things were going to become “very, very difficult” with her mortgage repayments expected to almost double to £3,100 a month. On top of that her monthly childcare costs are £1,700 a month.

She said it felt “unfathomable” how quickly rates had risen.

If interest rates rise, more than 1.4 million in the UK people on tracker and standard variable rate (SVR) deals will be affected.

 

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Campaign group Positive Money said the interest hikes meant “huge profits” for banks and “massive payouts to shareholders”.

It said “these profits can be considered unearned windfalls from higher interest rates”.

The group said they should be taxed to “help support households through the cost of-living-crisis”.

A Treasury spokesperson said: “We already have two specific taxes for the banking sector – the Bank Levy and the Bank Corporation Tax Surcharge – and the entire UK banking sector generated around £39bn in tax last year, which is almost enough to fund the entire police and justice system.

“The chancellor has been clear, however, that banks must pass on the interest rate increases to savers so they can benefit. The new Consumer Duty – which came into force last week – gives regulators the tools they need to take action where this isn’t happening.”

Culled from BBC