Huffington Post: "Rumours of London's Recovery Have Been Greatly Exaggerated"

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"Leafy Barnet is one of the most prosperous of London's boroughs - and one of the last places you might expect to find a food bank. However, due to necessity, there's been one operating for the last six months.

"Hundreds of people have had to use the service, which is fast becoming a more common feature across suburban London. There are now 40 food banks throughout the city, and they which have issued food parcels to over 42,000 people.

"Many in the media act as if London is living in a separate world from the rest of the country, with some claiming that it has all but recovered from the crash. A recent feature in the Daily Mail repeated the claim that London has 'shrugged off the recession' and others have concluded that Britain is experiencing a polarised 'two-speed' recovery which sees London benefit while the north of the country stands still. There is definitely money in the south, but not everyone is benefiting from it. The problem with these critiques is that they judge the health of the city by its most affluent residents.

"The reality, though, is that London is a city of great inequality. One recent study described it as the most unequal city in the developed world."