Watching and reading the arguments Tory MPs put forward for voting against an extension of free school meals over the school holidays, there seems to be a common thread. Nearly all of them use the argument of dependency, that is relying on the state to provide for us rather than supporting ourselves through personal responsibility. These arguments are not new, "Booth and Rowntree found the greatest cause of poverty was not, as often believed, feckless shirking by the irresponsible lower classes, but low pay for full-time work, or inability to get regular work despite best efforts". In other words dependency is invalid as an argument for poverty. The causes of poverty are well known. This res

I’m delighted to be able to share the news that Lewisham is taking part in a ground breaking pilot to help people experiencing homelessness to access support services through an innovative new approach. We have been working closely with Proxy Address for a number of months to develop this service - which aims to fix the catch 22 of losing a permanent address by allowing those facing homelessness to “borrow” an existing address so they can access vital services. Lewisham is the first council in the country to take part in this scheme which could make a huge difference to lives of people facing homelessness. Losing your home means losing your address. But in 21st century Britain, an address is