Readers have responded to Adrian Chiles' column on the nine times table with even simpler methods. Jan Wiczkowski from Prestwich Manchester, who taught maths in Strangeways prison, suggests writing down 0-9 in a column and then, starting from the bottom, doing the same alongside. He says fear of maths is due to bad teaching. Michael Miller from Sheffield offers another method: multiply by 10 and deduct the multiplier, e.g., 7x9 = 70-7.
Council Tax Reform Suggestion
Phil Tate from Chester suggests that Andy Burnham should promise council tax reform from April 2029, noting that a terrace house in Makerfield pays as much as a Westminster mansion. Putting money in people's pockets before the election would be a vote-winner.
Repair Cafes as an Alternative
Gabriel Partos, organiser of the Wimbledon repair cafe, responds to Elizabeth Monger's letter about the disappearance of hardware shops. He points out that local groups fix broken items for free through Repair Café International and Restart Project networks, with a repair cafe even in her home city of Plymouth.
Wipeable Book Chart Idea
Veda Franz from Perth would prefer a wall chart with "100 best novels – the reader's choice" that she could wipe clean and edit at will.
