内容摘要：Then in April, the founder of the world’s biggest crypto exchange, Binance’s Changpeng Zhao, got

Then in April, the founder of the world’s biggest crypto exchange, Binance’s Changpeng Zhao, got

Sonia and her partner are separated but have been forced to live together because individually they cannot afford the cost of rent, despite taking home €2,400 a month between them.“They ask you for deposits of several months. Some have even told me that they don't want children, they don't want animals. And so many people are looking.”

Like thousands of Majorcans, Sonia is protesting this weekend against the surge in tourism that is being blamed for plummeting living standards among the local population.Activists say spiralling housing costs are being driven by a huge number of houses and apartments being bought by foreigners, or at least rented out to them for large chunks of the summer.“It’s impossible to sustain this sort of model," 25-year-old Pere Joan Femenia explains from outside the cathedral in Majorca’s capital, Palma.

He is part of a movement called "Menys Turisme, Més Vida", or "Less Tourism, More Life".He says not only are unprecedented numbers of visitors pricing locals out of the housing market, they are also using up public spaces, public services and natural resources.

Pere started his activism five years ago as part of Greta Thunberg’s climate movement, but his focus has shifted to the cost of living for his fellow islanders.

“Businesses are changing from ones selling traditional products to multi-nationals selling ice cream and we are losing our identity. We want to preserve our culture," he says.Among the plans are also improvements to the pavilion, and the south east entrance to the park, from Sir Tom Finney Way, will also be upgraded.

The £20m regeneration of an 18th Century mill is being reviewed to ensure the money will be spent in the most effective way.Somerset Council was given money via the Levelling Up fund in 2023 to transform the Tone Works site and neighbouring Tonedale Mill near Wellington.

However, the money remains unspent, with the council concerned about how cost effective the project is.Mike Rigby, the councillor in charge of economic development and assets, told the BBC: "I'm determined to hold onto as much of that £20m as I can as there is work to be done... it's just a question of when we push the button that all the pieces are in place that whatever we do is deliverable."