George Osborne has vowed to stick to his austerity strategy despite fears of a double dip recession. In a speech last night the Chancellor admitted that Britain’s economy is growing slower then forecasted and hinted that more quantitative easing could be on the cards.

In an interview with The Guardian, Jelena Watkins, the founder member of the September 11 UK Families Support Group calls for “stronger communities” in the wake of recent London riots. She says “policymakers need to start harnessing communities during times of mass tragedy.”

Barnet Council has been running a scheme to train unemployed people to become community coaches working with vulnerable families. Coaches work with families to help them become more self sufficient, while assisting with a range of tasks such as paying bills and setting goals. Six coaches have been trained and Barnet plans to form a social enterprise to help return coaches back into employment.

According to Mintel’s British Lifestyle report families  are now spending a greater proportion of household income on essentials, evidence of the continuing squeeze on household finances. Essentials  such as food, personal care drink and transport make up 38 per cent of household spending, while spend on luxuries such as holidays and alcohol has fallen to less than 11 per cent.

Environmental Groups including the National Trust, the Campaign to Protect Rural England have warned of the ‘huge and irreversible damage’ to the countryside if government plans for a high speed rail scheme go ahead. The new line will cut through traditional Tory heartlands in the Chilterns.

A group of 25 volunteers on the Isle of Wight will drive buses on five routes that would otherwise be scrapped due to cuts. In what has been called an example of the Big Society in action - bus operator Go-Ahead will offer training and a special licence to volunteers and will receive a £60,000 DfT grant to make buses available for the services. However RMT transport union boss Ron Crowe has blasted the scheme as evidence that the Big Society agenda will simply replace skilled and experienced staff with volunteers.

In an address to a panel of MPs Boris Johnson has warned against abandoning rioters to prison and has called for more effective rehabilitation and education to prevent re-offending.

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