Even in an era when British politics seems endlessly surprising, this was an eye-opener: one of the biggest individual political donations this year has gone not to the Conservative party or to Labour but to a tiny group in Surrey with just one councillor. The news came in the quarterly update of donations produced by…
We applied for a grant under the government’s Green Homes Grant scheme, 12 days after it started, to replace our gas boiler with an air source heat pump. We’d already signed a contract with a registered installer, CB Heating. That was five weeks ago. When I chased the scheme, I was told that high demand…
Car lifts, subterranean pools, and a house with 20 bathrooms – from Hollywood Palladian to Essex glitz, these were the most snooped properties in Britain in 2020, according to website Rightmove. Chiddingfold, Surrey, £30m View image in fullscreenChiddingfold. Photograph: Rightmove A new-build Palladian style mansion in Surrey’s stockbroker belt, Sydenhurst sits in 30 acres, with…
It’s been a dreadful week for the high street, with Debenhams, Arcadia Group – which includes brands such as Topshop and Wallis – and fashion retailer Bonmarché all going into administration. Their shops are still open, where lockdown rules permit, and their websites are still trading, so we’ve looked at what rights you have if…
My mother is 81 and suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. She hasn’t used her mobile phone for over a year, but Vodafone won’t let us cancel it. My sister has sent our power of attorney document four times, along with requested ID. I tried to call but it refused to discuss the account…
Record redundancies, rising unemployment and declining job opportunities: it’s clear that the pandemic has wreaked havoc on the jobs market. Those at the beginning of their career are especially vulnerable, with entry level jobs slashed by nearly a quarter and 40% of placements and internships cancelled. Students could perhaps be forgiven, then, for feeling gloomy…
