August saw the start of the inquest into the death of a man killed as he saved his family from a fire caused by a faulty fridge freezer.

Santosh Benjamin-Muthiah died after the blaze at his home in Grant Road, Wealdstone, on November 11, in 2010.

On the first day of the inquest Barnet Coroners Court heard how the family’s Beko fridge freezer had caused the fire due to a fault with the defrost timer switch.

It was also the month when a government minister called on Harrow Borough Council to stop moaning and start building new homes.

The war of words came after the council revealed it spends £500,000 a year renting properties it used to own for social housing tenants.

The homes were sold under the government’s Right to Buy scheme, and the situation was branded a “financial straightjacket” by councillor Glen Hearnden.

In response, housing minister Brandon Lewis said the council should get on with building more homes with money it had made from the scheme.

In August the North West London Hospitals NHS Trust, which ran Northwick Park Hospital, was given a ‘requires improvement’ rating by the Care Quality Commission.

The trust said a significant amount of work was being done to improve the safety and effectiveness of care.

Finally, a charity which gives disabled people the vital freedom to visit the town centre warned it might have to close because of lack of volunteers.

Harrow Shopmobility, which rents out battery charged scooters and wheelchairs to people with limited mobility, warned the services would not be able to operate every day unless more volunteers were not found.