How happy are private renters?

Coined terms

Liz Williams, a Reform UK council candidate in May’s local elections, began a High Court action trying to overturn the result after she lost on the toss of a coin, having tied with the Green candidate Hannah Robson. The toss of a coin has been used several times to decide local elections. Has chance favoured a particular party?

1987 Labour candidate Bob Blizzard defeated the Conservative May Reader in Pakefield Ward of Waveney District Council after the toss of a coin.

2000 Labour defeated the Conservatives on the toss of a coin in the Worksop North East ward of Bassetlaw District Council.

2007 The Tory Christopher Underwood-Frost defeated the Lib Dem candidate on toss of coin in West Lindsey, Lincolnshire.

2022 The Labour candidate won over the Conservative in Carmarthen’s Bigyn ward.

There is only one recorded instance of a tie in a general election – in Ashton-under-Lyne in 1886. On that occasion the returning officer used a casting vote to elect the Conservative candidate John Addison.

Bag news

Which retailers sold the most single-use plastic bags in 2023/24 (legislation compels them to charge at least 10p for each one)?

Ocado 190.4m

Morrisons 53.3m

Co-op 24.8m

Aldi 11.4m

Sainsbury’s 8.8m

Farmfoods 7.9m

Source: Defra

Flat rate

How happy are private renters?

80% say they are happy with their current accommodation (75% of social renters and 94% of owner occupiers say the same).

Private renters say they pay an average of 31% of their income on rent. They have been in their current accommodation for an average of nearly 4 years. 73% say they left their last rented home because they wanted to move; 10% because the fixed rental period ended; 6% because their landlord asked them to move. Of the latter, 61% said their landlord wanted to sell the property.

Source: English Housing Survey