The call of the foghorn mournful | Brief letters

Universal credit | Weatherwatch | Real signs | Candles in Bath | Butter shortageI recently completed my tax return for 2016-17 and as I owe less than ?3,000 HMRC is happy to let me start paying the bill on my tax code from April 2018. This generosity from the government for those of us fortunate enough to have taxable income seems in stark contrast to those being moved to universal credit (Rent arrears spiral in universal credit pilot, 24 October), where it is deemed better that vulnerable people live without any money for a few weeks because the money tree can't afford it. John Beer Farnham, Surreyo Pilgrim Tucker's article (25 October) points out that, under universal credit, workers on low incomes will be forced to look for extra hours. Not only that, but if an unemployed person applies, their partner who has a part-time job which they love will also be forced to look for full-time work. This applies even if they have a young child. How cruel can this government get?Diane SmethurstChester Continue reading...