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You and Yours: Gym membership; University economies; Stamp Duty

10/08/2020

Gym membership; University economies; Stamp Duty

BBC Radio 4 - You and Yours, Gym membership; University economies; Stamp Duty

Thousands of gym goers are cancelling their memberships as lockdown eases.

Gyms were one of the last things to reopen as lockdown restrictions were eased but there are fears not enough people are continuing their memberships to make them viable.

When gyms were permitted to reopen after lockdown the big question was whether people would go back. Many had got used to training at home or found the extra income from a frozen subscription a boon. You and Yours has learned that since restrictions were eased, thousands have cancelled their memberships. It raises fears about the future of an industry that's already seen one casualty, after DW Leisure - which owns 73 gyms -  went into administration last week.

The Chancellor's temporary relief on Stamp Duty seems to be fueling a mini-boom in the housing market, with both Nationwide and the Halifax reporting prices up by 1.7% in July. It covers homes worth up to a million pounds and lasts until next March. It's good news for for house-buyers on the face of it but could the bubble burst when the stamp duty holiday ends?

And students are due to find out if they've got the grades to get into University this week. Applications are up as many have decided to defer gap years in the era of Coronavirus. But with social-distancing measures in place how will students adapt to University life? We take a look at what sort of experience they can expect and what it means for the local economies in University towns and cities that rely on the 'student pound' for a big slice of their income.

Presenter: Winifred Robinson
Producer: Simon Hoban

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