Spent about three and a half hours at Haringey’s Youth Offending Services receiving a thorough briefing on all aspects of how our young people are treated in and around the justice system. I met a number of very, very committed officers and volunteers who are incredibly enthusiastic about the work they are doing.

The area that slightly worried me was around restorative justice – where the people are phenomenal, the effect on dealing with crime justly and cutting crime very welcome – but the funding is minimal.

The Government seems to have very deep pockets when it comes to shoving people in prison – where young offenders learn from the criminal experts and don’t change their behaviour, with the result – very high reoffending rates. But those pockets turn very shallow when it comes to smarter approaches to cutting crime – such as putting in more effort to help change people’s behaviour so that they don’t commit more crime in the future.

Followed by one of my last visits to sheltered housing on my summer project of visiting every sheltered housing or supported housing scheme in Hornsey & Wood Green. Just as last year – when my mission was to visit every shop on every little parade or high street on foot – and I only got to around 60% – so this year I have only managed about 60% of the schemes. However, I may be over-ambitious (and short of time) but it has been so worthwhile – and outside of taking up the key issues which are, as ever, about bus driver behaviour, broken and dangerous paving stones, closure of our local Post Offices and free foot care (lack of) – I have had the most interesting and rewarding time talking to the people I have met about their lives.