The next big panic

Ed: I am beginning to think this is deliberate - after the year that brought us the 'Barbecue Summer' (carry water, look out for your heat-stricken elderly neighbour) and swine flu (expect up to 500 deaths a day), now we have 'recession chaos'. The important thing is 'the government must (be allowed to) do more.


Britain faces a surge in drug addiction, alcoholism and domestic violence as the second wave of the recession and rising unemployment take a grip, the leading public sector watchdog warns today.

Councils are not doing enough to prepare their communities for the fallout as the impact of more business failures, bankruptcies and the soaring jobless toll leads to deepening social and human problems, the Audit Commission reports. The watchdog, which monitors the performance of local councils and services, says that most authorities already face extra demands for benefits, welfare and debt counselling. One in three has extra pressure on social and mental health services, and on state school places from parents who can no longer afford to educate their children privately. Read more
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