Taking back control of my borders | Brief letters

Commons reputation | Rural loneliness | Bristol syntax | Call me Ishmael | Overgrown garden

A Conservative ex-minister faces a string of allegations including 2,000 sexual texts to two young women that finally did for his ministerial career. Yet the parliamentary standards watchdog has cleared him of wrongdoing: it is “not persuaded that [the exchanges] caused significant damage to the reputation of the House of Commons” (Report, 9 September). Has its reputation really sunk that low?
Anne McLaren
Liverpool

• Really enjoyed Steve Morgan’s article (The Upside: In this English town, a bold plan to banish loneliness and misery is afoot, 11 September). Isolation and loneliness can be a real issue in rural areas compounded by physical isolation. At the Arthur Rank Centre we have produced a toolkit on our website to help churches address this issue in their communities.
Rev Elizabeth Clark
National rural officer, Methodist and United Reformed Churches

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The converted golf club where James Bond was a member

This home will shake, not stir, you.

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Do wormeries ever work - or are they fated to a biblical foulness? | Adrian Chiles

It all starts promisingly enough, with the worms looking eager and ravenous for your celeriac shavings. Then slowly, inexorably, it goes very, very wrong

On the radio last week I was advised to use a wormery to dispose of my organic matter. Really, they are such wonderful things. You buy this shallow bucket within which there are a number of perforated trays. It looks vaguely like a big plastic stove-top steamer. You bung in a load of special worms along with some soil-like stuff and some torn-up bits of newspaper, egg cartons or some such, and then you start throwing in your waste food. No meat, citrus or onions, I think. But everything else goes in, which the worms eat up. And out will come a wonderful compost-type substance, which is perfect for all your gardening needs. So your scraps and stuff, instead of pumping methane out of landfill, will produce tray after tray of matter so nutritious that your plants will stiffen in admiration at the very sight of it.

If this sounds too good to be true, I am afraid I have got to tell you I think it probably is. I have now made two concerted but dismally failed attempts at this. It all starts promisingly enough; the worms look eager and ravenous for your celeriac shavings. Then slowly, inexorably, it goes very wrong indeed.

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Do wormeries ever work - or are they fated to a biblical foulness? | Adrian Chiles

It all starts promisingly enough, with the worms looking eager and ravenous for your celeriac shavings. Then slowly, inexorably, it goes very, very wrong

On the radio last week I was advised to use a wormery to dispose of my organic matter. Really, they are such wonderful things. You buy this shallow bucket within which there are a number of perforated trays. It looks vaguely like a big plastic stove-top steamer. You bung in a load of special worms along with some soil-like stuff and some torn-up bits of newspaper, egg cartons or some such, and then you start throwing in your waste food. No meat, citrus or onions, I think. But everything else goes in, which the worms eat up. And out will come a wonderful compost-type substance, which is perfect for all your gardening needs. So your scraps and stuff, instead of pumping methane out of landfill, will produce tray after tray of matter so nutritious that your plants will stiffen in admiration at the very sight of it.

If this sounds too good to be true, I am afraid I have got to tell you I think it probably is. I have now made two concerted but dismally failed attempts at this. It all starts promisingly enough; the worms look eager and ravenous for your celeriac shavings. Then slowly, inexorably, it goes very wrong indeed.

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Guide to buying a home with friends Nottingham Estate Agents

Faced with demands for large deposits from lenders, more people are considering buying a property with friends. Here we explore the advantages and pitfalls In this blog, the Money Advice Service talks you through the things to think about beforehand and what to look out for during the buying process. The advantages of buying with friends There […]

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Tenants complain over housing association’s ‘abysmal’ service

Inhabitants of L&Q estate say they face leaking roofs, poor plumbing and unreliable maintenance

I have part ownership of a flat at an L&Q development, Harrington Court in north London.

Since moving in two years ago with my young family, we have experienced mismanagement of the estate and abysmal customer service from L&Q. Tenants have endured leaking roofs, falling roof tiles, incorrectly fitted floor tiles and poorly installed plumbing. The fortnightly garden maintenance visits we pay for have been unreliable.

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A guide for landlords to lettings rules and regulations Nottingham Estate Agents

Are you thinking about becoming a landlord or are you one already?  Sean Skelton, lettings manager at GSC Grays, Stokesley, provides advice to help keep all landlords up to date with lettings legislation Deposits must be placed in a Tenancy Deposit Scheme Any deposit funds must be placed in one of the three designated government […]

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