The brutal reality of housing

Depending on who you ask, Robin Hood Gardens was either a modern masterpiece of Brutalist design or a concrete eyesore, but when the London estate was demolished, beginning in 2017, the voices of the people who lived there were missing.

A new exhibition – called Brutalism as Found – is hoping to right that wrong, showcasing the stories of tenants through powerful images and their own words. We share those this week at a time when the spotlight is on social housing.

We also speak to the Housing Ombudsman, charged with fixing the biggest issues of the housing crisis. Richard Blakeway pores over thousands of complaints each year from tenants at the end of their tether. It could be damp or mould, a pest infestation or a boiler packing in. When someone complains about something to their landlord and isn’t satisfied with the response, they can turn to the ombudsman.

Also inside

• Comedian Dane Baptiste bigs up The Big Issue as he joins as an Ambassador

• Why four-day weeks are the future

• We roundup the best blooming new books coming this Spring

• Take on Morten Harket as the A-ha singer delivers a Letter To My Younger Self

• Leila Farzad, star of new BBC drama Better talks about the responsibility of leading her own prime time show

• We meet the director described as the British Jordan Peele

• Norman Lebrecht tells us what Beethoven teaches us about life

• And out vendor Melissa in Bath explains that she sells The Big Issue to give a better life to her son

Plus much more!

If you can, please buy a copy from your local vendor.

If you can’t buy in person, you can purchase magazines from The Big Issue Shop or download a digital version via The Big Issue app, available now from the App Store or Google Play