Cashpoints: If you want to be happy, don't live in the UK

This week's top stories • Want to be happy? Avoid the UK. A study by uSwitch has named the UK and Ireland as the worst places in Europe for quality of life, with both suffering from lower life expectancy, lower household income and less holiday entitlement than the rest of Europe. France came out best in uSwitch.com's latest Quality of Life Index. • Consumers with a poor credit rating are being given an alternative to borrowing from loan sharks. The government and National Housing Association are launching a scheme for people financially excluded by high street banks because of their poor credit record or low income. • Call centres have benefited from the recession, a new survey has found. One in three call centre workers is a university graduate unable to find more suitable employment. Do you have any feedback on these issues that you want to get off your chest? Email us at [email protected] Feature The cinema projectionist Kevin Markwick spent his childhood in the small-town Sussex cinema his father bought in 1964. Now he owns and runs it ... Read the full article here Ask the experts: Homebuying Question of the week: What are the pitfalls of buying a house that has had subsidence problems? Our homebuying expert Virginia Wallis says: One is that when you come to sell, the cost of insuring the property will put off a prospective buyer. Or a buyer will want to do what you have done and negotiate a lower selling price … Read the full answer here • Any questions? Email our panel of experts on financial concerns, consumer gripes, legal wrangles, debt worries and career-related problems at [email protected] Tools Find the cheapest gas and electricity deals here – compare thousands of tariff deals from top suppliers.