The Guardian newspaper reports that the Belgian regional council of Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, located near Brussels, has become the first municipality in Europe to sign up to a charter for single people. The brainchild of councillor Carla Dejonghe, the charter recognises that across the EU, some seventy million people live alone. Carla said that single people are often disadvantaged, whether through higher household expenses or the assumption that they are available to work evenings and weekends. The text of the charter stresses the aim of ensuring that single-income househol