Can’t the government see how important it is to provide home care and free beds?

Do you agree with our readers? Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments.

Speed limits and celebs getting off lightly

‘Sensible drivers should not be punished due to the failings of a minority’
I was pleased to read that councils across Wales are reconsidering their 20mph speed limits after nearly half a million people petitioned the Welsh government to scrap the policy.

The indiscriminate roll-out of 20mph zones by all local authorities was a reckless decision that now requires serious and urgent review. I can only hope that our London Mayor, along with Transport for London and London’s local authorities, follows suit.

Rather than enforcing blanket speed limit reductions that unfairly penalise responsible drivers, efforts should instead focus on improving road usage standards for all users.

Safe and sensible drivers and other road users should not be punished due to the failings of a minority.

It is also deeply concerning that public figures such Steve Coogan, who already had six points on his licence, was let off a six-month ban after being caught driving at 97mph on the M6 (Metro, Fri).

He was given five points instead of six and so only banned for two months.

The justification that the longer ban would ‘jeopardise his travel series’ – The Trip – is absurd. Had he caused an accident due to his reckless behaviour, would his victims have found comfort in knowing that his TV career was deemed more important than public safety?

Such leniency sends entirely the wrong message. Most ordinary drivers would not have been afforded the same privilege, nor should they be.

We need a fairer approach to road safety – one that prioritises genuine risk reduction rather than punitive blanket policies or that affords celebrity exceptions to all road users. Stuart R, London

Backing nuclear power

‘The best source of clean energy we have is nuclear power’
Sir Keir Starmer pledged last week to ‘build, baby, build’ more nuclear power plants – changing planning rules so more new reactors could be built.

The prime minister also said he wanted the country to be ‘one of the world leaders on nuclear’.

This is great news – and he and Labour should be commended.

It will create thousands of highly skilled jobs, boost economic growth, provide more clean energy and energy security.

It is great news for the climate too, 
as we will need a source of clean energy to replace fossil fuels that emit greenhouse gases.

The best source of clean energy we have is nuclear power that provides reliable energy not dependent on the weather. It also requires less land and materials.

It is good to see Labour taking action on this important issue. Mark Dawes, London

Phone safety advice? A bit of a joke

‘A library? I’m sure a large sssshhh will follow.’
Sorry, Carlos (MetroTalk, Fri), but I couldn’t help but chuckle at your suggestions of how to avoid thieves on bikes stealing mobile phones.

He says we should take our calls in ‘safe locations’ such as ‘a library, shop or even a doorway’. A library? I’m sure a large sssshhhh would soon follow.

As for a shop, mind you don’t get in the way of an escaping shoplifter. And doorway? Just beware of the smokers in a huddle having a crafty cigarette. Jim, London

The truth about women getting the vote

‘Sorry to be a stickler!’
Thursday’s Today In History noted that in 1918, women over 30 got the vote. This isn’t quite true. In actual fact, the 1918 Representation of the People Act gave women over 30 the vote provided they met a property qualification.

At the time, only about two thirds of the population qualified in this way.

It wasn’t until the Equal Franchise Act of 1928 that women over 21 were able to vote and women finally achieved the same voting right as men.

Sorry to be a stickler! Yann, MA Modern History, Manchester

Making housework manageable

‘I can motivate myself by the reminder that it is only one room’
Thank you for your article on the Ohio – Only Handle It Once – method which your writer, Jess Austin, now uses to keep a tidier home and says has led to a less stressful life (Metro, Wed).

I freely confess that I have never enjoyed housework and that feeling has only intensified as I have got older – I am 74 with osteoarthritis in my knees.

Having realised that the main cause of discouragement is trying to do the whole house at once, I have broken it down into individual rooms.

The kitchen and bathroom are cleaned every week, while the rest of the house is done once a fortnight.

The advantage of this is that I can motivate myself by the reminder that it is only one room so won’t take a lot of time.

I do live alone so it is probably easier to use this method than if I was married with children, but I offer it as a possible solution for people like me who look at a dusty, messy house or flat and just cannot summon up the energy to even get started! Beth Hale, Worthing