💭 The housing crisis tearing Leicester apart

Politics

The South Asian neighbourhood of Highfields in Leicester is made up of long, sloping streets of terraced houses, built largely between the Victorian era and the Second World War. At that time, Leicester was a major centre of Britain’s booming textile trade, becoming Europe’s second richest city in 1936. Today, though many Highfields residents still work in garment factories, these are more associated with exploitative practices than prosperity. While parts of the neighbourhood are still bustling, others have a ragged and timeworn character. The issues facing Highfields — particularly immigration, housing shortages and a crisis of government funding — are once again indicative of wider trends shaping British life.

Unherd     Aug 18, 2024