If we seriously intend to tackle the housing problem (Society, 6 September), the government should appoint a minister of housing, planning and local government who has full cabinet status and would be responsible for all housing matters, both public and private. The main task would be to organise the building of large numbers of houses, including council houses to rent.
John Hartley
Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria
• Reading the report of the 20-year-old man who drove his car into a house (4 September) reinforces the conclusions of the Institute of Advanced Motoring report which shows that “8% of drivers are over 70, yet they are involved in around 4% of injury crashes. In contrast, the 15% of drivers who are in their teens and 20s are involved in 34% of injury crashes”. In the interests of road safety, women should be allowed to acquire a licence at 18 and men at 24.
Jane Lawson
London
• I whole heartedly agree with Judi Dench that a healthy sex life should not be neglected by octogenarians (Report, 5 September). I’m a widow, nearly 78, and through Guardian’s Soulmates have discovered a new sexy me.
Jude Mcgowan
London
• In Preston, the four strikers shot dead by soldiers of the 72nd Highlanders during the 1842 Plug Plot riots are commemorated by a tableau inspired by Goya’s painting The Third of May 1808 (Letters, 2 September). The memorial was erected by Preston trades council and the Labour History Group, together with the borough and county councils as a reminder of the struggle of the workers to secure their democratic rights. The adjacent pub in the former Corn Exchange was renamed 1842 last year.
Austen Lynch
Garstang,Lancashire
• So cyclists may face prosecution for dangerous cycling (Letters, 6 September). Fair enough, so long as pedestrians can be had up for dangerous wandering.
Peter Forster
London
• Bob Hughes’ question about a fourth Forth bridge (Letters, 5 September) brings to mind the football score that all sports announcers dread: East Fife 4: Forfar 5.
Roger Osborne
Scarborough, North Yorkshire
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