Lewisham Council have been busy making sure all our residents are safe. This block is managed by Barratt Residential Asset Management company. Here is their statement: "A fire occurred in a single apartment at Roma Corte...It was extinguished safely and quickly without any injuries. Heat and smoke detectors and sprinklers are present in all apartments. Full fire safety procedures in the building were followeed successfully and we would like to thank the London Fire Brigade who responded swiftly. All residents have now returned to the building and we are conducting an investigation. "In addition for your information it might be helpful to know that in line with fire building regulations, ther

Photograph from the New York Times website The key points: After 8 years of austerity, Britain is looking less like the rest of Europe and more like the US, with a shrinking welfare state and greater poverty. A monumental shift has occurred has occurred in British life. Crime rates, drug addition, infant mortality, childhood poverty and homelessness are on the increase, i.e. a deteriorating quality of life. “It [austerity] has refashioned British society, making it less like the rest of Western Europe, with its generous social safety nets and egalitarian ethos, and more like the United States, where millions lack health care and job loss can set off a precipitous plunge in fortunes.” Austeri