Research finds drop of 483,000 on number who would have received care services had five years of cuts not taken place
Sir Michael Lyons, drafting Labour plan for more homes, calls for 'muscular action'
Hospitals will face sanctions unless they deliver same standard of care seven days a week
Amelia Gentleman: The government is three years into a savage programmme of welfare cuts. Coalition ministers say they aim to save billions on benefits and help 'hard-working people' while ending a culture of dependency
Natalie Bloomer: Many new mothers are becoming reliant on handouts for basics such as nappies, wipes and bottles
Mark Gould: The East End Preservation Society, set up by the art historian and broadcaster and other residents, aims to save an iconic area of London from rich vested interests
Roundup
We hear from Gerson Martínez, the minister of construction in El Salvador, about the decision to join the Open Government Partnership this year and what 'open' actually looks like
Libraries are being kept open thanks to staff on zero-hours contracts. When used responsibly they can play a vital role
The Institute for Government is right to say accountability in Whitehall is 'confused and murky'. It must be agreed in law, says David Walker
Welcome to the Guardian Social Enterprise's Christmas advent calendar, be sure to check back each day in December as we'll be revealing more social present ideas as the month continues!
• Tell us why you buy from social enterprises for the chance to win our hamper filled with: chocolate gift sets, champagne, a bicycle and other wintery treats.
Lynne Berry explains why the voluntary sector needs to embrace older people as they are its biggest asset
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What the welfare cuts mean for us: 'The feeling of dread never goes away'
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Man who saw schizophrenic brother kill father criticises mental health system
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Anna-Marie Stevens established the Hospital2Home palliative care service
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With housing and care for older people increasingly market-driven, we must avoid pricing out its least powerful users, says Jeremy Porteus
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So what if the pope were a Marxist?
The credit card mistake that meant my family got crunched
The 'fake' Mandela memorial interpreter said it all
Slavoj Žižek: He claimed an 'attack of schizophrenia' rendered his signing unintelligible, but his performance translated an underlying truth