Foodbanks are appealing for more food than normal; the school holidays have started. For many parents, the summer holidays bring fresh challenges for meagre budgets. The Trussell Trust handed out 4,412 more three-day emergency food parcels for children last July and August than during the previous two months. Almost half go to primary school pupils, and 27% to children, including babies, under the age of four. School holidays financially stretch families struggling to get by. Without free school meals, and with extra childcare costs, families who just about stay afloat risk going under. There is a food poverty crisis in the UK, and the government is starved of ideas. In 2016 teachers reported children returning to school in September sluggish and visibly thinner. Pray for the parents skipping meals, or working out the smallest number of calories they can get by on, or only eating what is left on their children’s plates.

Nearly two thousand homes are empty near the Grenfell Tower, while 100+ families are homeless. Kensington and Chelsea Council, which owns the tower, revealed that dozens of vacant homes may have been empty for 11 to 15 years. 260 properties stand vacant in southern parts of the borough, the opposite end to Grenfell in the poorer north. These vacant homes are associated with the ‘buy-to-leave’ phenomenon, which involves super-rich foreigners buying high-end properties not to live in, but as an investment. The fire has revealed a terrible message about social inequality in today’s cities. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn faced controversy when he called for Kensington homes left vacant by rich overseas investors to be ‘requisitioned’ for survivors, calling the borough ‘a tale of two cities’.

On 27 July Victoria Wasteney attended court in the next stage of her long legal battle. As head of forensic occupational therapy at a London hospital she was suspended for 'gross misconduct' for nine months and received a written warning, following allegations of 'harassment and bullying' by a Muslim staff-member. She appealed to the Employment Appeal Tribunal when the judge recognised the significance of her case in protecting religious freedom. The judge said that the tribunal should consider whether the original ruling had properly applied the European Convention on Human Rights' strong protection of freedom of religion and expression. When she lost her appeal, Victoria applied for permission to appeal the tribunal's decision to the Court of Appeal, but this was refused. She is now seeking to challenge this, with support from Christian Concern.

Care of the vulnerable is a measure of a civilised society. Care home placements for adults with complex needs are assessed and funded according to the nature and severity of mental/physical disability. T is unable to speak, has severe autism and epilepsy, and has been assessed as lacking the mental capacity to make decisions. He needs specialist care. He was stabbed 20+ times by another resident in his previous accommodation and had been moved to Hillgreen. JL, by contrast, is a predatory sex abuser, has mild learning disabilities, no mental disorder and a long history of sexual offending. He was transferred to Hillgreen while awaiting trial, charged with raping an autistic woman in his previous home. The two should never have been living under the same roof. Everyone at Hillgreen was aware of the risk JL posed. Outside the care home he was permanently under supervision. Inside, despite many warnings, he was subject to no such restrictions. JL raped T.