Letters: The toilet paper stockpile that lasted 80 years

The case for small homes

Sir: Your editorial rightly highlights what must be one of the government’s priorities once the worst of this crisis abates (‘Call that care?’, 2 May). I have been the owner and manager of a small, five-bedroom care home for nearly 30 years and, having had a majority of privately funded residents, can recognise ‘the iniquity whereby residents with savings have found themselves cross subsidising those who are funded by local authorities’. The government should firstly allow the payment of care home fees to be tax refundable. It is only fair that those who are saving the state the money for their care should at least not have to pay tax on it. This might provide an incentive for people to save for care — thereby giving themselves more choice — rather than spending what they have in the knowledge that the state will pick up the bill.

Secondly, government should make it easier for individuals to set up their own small care businesses (well regulated, of course), again with tax incentives, so that rather than having elderly people ‘put away’, they are part of the community they live in. Not only would they be able to live more ‘normal’ lives, but they would also be less vulnerable to being overwhelmed by pandemics. Well-run small homes are also more likely to keep their staff, which in turn gives the residents greater stability and security. A network of small homes across the country would give much more choice to elderly people who recognise that they can no longer manage alone, but abhor the thought of being institutionalised.
Charis Cavaghan-Pack
Taunton, Somerset

Benefits of commuting

Sir: I find myself in the rare position of disagreeing with Rory Sutherland (The Wiki Man, 2 May). I have decided I miss commuting terribly. I live and work in London, so my journey could never be described as overly pleasant.