This website has been put together to share perspectives on issues which matter to me. My aim is to add some value to debate and discussion. Hopefully, the site will be of use to students, to politicians of all stripes who are trying to grapple with the many pressures on local and national government today, to professionals who work across a range of public fields and to anyone else who might have an interest. Views are entirely mine and not those of any organisation I am associated with unless specifically cited as such.
There is no facility to chat and bicker - you won't find a discussion forum or a blog. You will find a contact page so get in touch if you want.
The tall one looks confident, settled, content with his lot and so do his companions, the little one seems a bit left out. When we look at our communities, towns and cities who are the ones who struggle the most and why? A large chunk of the population do all right for themselves with the jobs they have, the money they earn, qualifications, health and the homes they live in, but it's quite a different story for some people. One of the consistent themes in these pages will be to look at issues of 'poverty' and 'deprivation' in modern Britain and to ask what we mean when we use terms like these: who are the modern 'poor', what is being done to help, who is doing the helping and what could be done differently to change lives for the better and save public money?