The Know Daily - Monday 22 April 2024

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A very nice story this Earth Day: letting grass grow longer could almost double the number of butterflies in your garden! A new six-year analysis of butterfly sightings in British backyards has provided the first scientific evidence that wilder lawns encourage butterflies to thrive - throwing weight behind campaigns such as #NoMowMay. 

🏡 The cost of buying

Becoming a first-time buyer is the most expensive it has been in decades, according to a new report for the Building Societies Association (BSA).

Go on…
The report - written by housing market analyst Neal Hudson - found that while the cost of raising a deposit has been difficult for some time, recent increases in mortgage rates have made it even harder for first-time buyers. Soaring rental prices were also cited as a factor.

So how are most first-time buyers doing it?
By having two above-average incomes or receiving financial support from their parents, according to the report. In December, the Institute for Fiscal Studies found that around half of first-time buyers in their 20s had help to buy their home, receiving an average of £25,000.

What can be done to change this?
The BSA called for “new thinking and radical changes”, arguing that the housing market had tilted “too far” in favour of financial stability, therefore pricing out many would-be homebuyers.

It wants the next government to commission an independent review of the market to deliver a “clear starting point” for action, and to consider changing regulations to allow building societies to be more flexible with the mortgages they offer.

If you’re thinking about buying, MoneySavingExpert’s free-to-download guide for first-time buyers covers everything you need to know.

📣 “Leakers’ Corner”

Last Thursday, women’s health activists staged a protest in London to call for greater investment in maternal pelvic health. 

Tell me more.
Campaigners took over Hyde Park’s Speakers’ Corner - a traditional site for public speeches and debate - renaming it “Leakers’ Corner”. Led by women’s health brand Elvie, they called on the government to address the “hidden crisis” in maternal pelvic health and sought to raise awareness of a condition which is often seen as taboo. 

Elvie’s founder Tania Boler explained that while poor pelvic health is both common and treatable, it can have a “serious impact” on quality of life, often leading to “bladder weakness, reduced sexual pleasure or even prolapse”. 

How big a problem is this?
Pretty big. A 2023 report from The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists found that 60% of UK women have at least one symptom of poor pelvic floor health, while Elvie’s research found that 1 in 3 mothers experience urinary incontinence after pregnancy.

Despite these figures, just 33% of women surveyed said they had received advice from a healthcare professional surrounding pelvic floor recovery or rehabilitation in the months after giving birth.

How is this being tackled?
New government-funded pelvic health clinics are currently being trialled in England, and ministers have promised a £11m support package for the NHS. But activists described the amount as “insufficient” and called for further investment in an open letter.

Boler said that Thursday’s protest aimed to “open up the conversation” around pelvic health, empowering women to advocate for their wellbeing so that “no-one has to suffer in silence”.

👶 Diaper deal: The world’s first recycled disposable nappies have gone on sale in Japan - after being thoroughly cleaned. 

🇺🇦 Ukraine latest: The US House of Representatives approved a $61bn military aid package to Ukraine after months of deadlock. 

📲 PSA: Women who have been secretly filmed on nights out have been urged to contact UK police, amid a rise in misogynistic videos posted online. 

♻️ Textile trial: M&S and Oxfam have teamed up to introduce postal donation bags for “unwearable” clothes, in a bid to reduce the number of items going to landfill. 

💃 Stop right now: Saturday night saw a Spice Girls reunion…of sorts.

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Trivia answer: A) Munich was crowned the most walkable city in the world thanks to its extensive bike lanes and high safety levels - but how did other cities fare?

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