'The current law means that children in England are not protected in law from physical assault - this needs to change' - Your Letters: August 23

A new survey commissioned by the NSPCC has found that four out of five parents in England believe that it is unacceptable to use physical punishment on a child.

Our survey found that there was strong support (59 per cent) for the law to be changed and bring an end to children receiving physical punishment.

We believe that this shows that current legislation around physical punishment is out of step with public attitudes.

Under the current law the defence of ‘reasonable punishment’ allows parents to argue that it is reasonable to use physical force against their children.

The NSPCC is calling on the Government to use the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to end physical punishment against children in England for good.

More than 60 countries around the world, including Wales and Scotland, have already put measures in place to protect children from harm, but the current law means that children in England are not protected in law from physical assault. This needs to change.

Rachel Wallace, NSPCC Campaigns Manager for the West Midlands

MINISTERS GET THE MESSAGE

The ruling that the government use of the Bell Hotel in Epping for the housing of migrants is a breach of the planning laws has unsettled the Home Office. One quote used on television news was: "...the decision could substantially impact the government's ability to house asylum seekers in hotels across the UK." Finally, they're getting the message!

Trevor Howard, Wolverhampton

MY U-TURN DUE TO CAR PARKS

In reply to C Lloyd (August 21) about lack of coin operated parking. We did the same trip to Bridgnorth a month or so ago. We tried to park next to the rugby pitch, planning to walk into the town and found only cards accepted at the meter, so did a quick U turn. You can still pay with coins in the car park opposite the library but that car park not very big and fills up quickly.

Over 10 years ago now my wife took her mother to Bridgnorth and she wanted to use the toilets, the ones opposite the library that used to have an attendant and were always spotless - she had to use her credit card to pay the 20p fee. She forgot about it until she saw a 20p charge on her card statement and scratched her head to think what it was for. It seem in some places now you cannot park unless you scan a QR code to download an app to your phone (probably a different app for every car park). Most councils have now outsourced their parking to private companies.

Chris Smith, Telford

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