It’s a phrase you don’t hear much these days: ‘civic pride’. And, if a new report is to be believed, it won’t be long before it goes out of fashion altogether.
According to Britain at Home, a comprehensive bi-annual study commissioned by Lloyds Bank Insurance, more than half of UK homeowners live in neighbourhoods that are falling into disrepair. Common problems include untidy gardens, spaces used as dumping grounds, overflowing bins and grotty buildings.
The problem is now so acute that two-thirds of homeowners suffer from negative feelings about where they live and one in five are considering moving house.
Not surprisingly, this lack of concern for our immediate environment is also having an impact on community relations and, in one in ten cases, is leading to financial worries over a decrease in the value of properties.
There’s little doubt that garden detritus, peeling paint and refuse affects the price of a house and puts potential buyers off.
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