There are two sides to this debate, of course, but I consider this good news for those who need to travel by car.

One of Brighton’s busiest North Laine streets, which was pedestrianised last year, will be reopened to traffic.

Brighton and Hove City Council voted in favour of reducing Gardner Street’s pedestrianised hours to 11:00 to 19:00 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

The change will improve accessibility for disabled residents, one of whom has been “left stuck in their home for months”, the council said.

A former Green councillor has described the move as “desperately sad”.

Jamie Lloyd, the former lead for active travel for the council, accused Labour of being a “pro-traffic, anti-clean air administration” that had “thrown out any chance of an ultra-low emission zone” in the city.

Labour councillor Trevor Muten said air quality in the city had declined over the last three years and the council was “committed to moving the city towards a low carbon transport system”.

‘A workable compromise’

Gardner Street, which is full of shops and restaurants with tables outside, is currently shut to traffic from 11:00 to 17:00 each day, following a decision by the then-Green majority council last November.

But following a vote on Tuesday, the road will be open to vehicles from Monday to Thursday.

Labour councillor Trevor Muten said this was “a workable compromise” to maintain “the vibrancy of this busy street” at busy times, while also ensuring fair access for residents.

“It is vital that no-one is disadvantaged or left to feel isolated, especially our most vulnerable residents,” said Mr Muten.

Mr Lloyd argued cars did not provide a solution to accessibility.

Traffic free cities across Europe were “extremely pleasant places” where “disabled people can still live their lives”, he said.

A charity is hoping to raise £25,000 to set up a training brewery for adults with learning disabilities and autism.

The Count Me In Collective is a group of disabled and non-disabled people in Reading who have been brewing their own beer.

It was founded by Becky and John Whinnerah, inspired by their own children who have complex needs.

Mrs Whinnerah said it was her “ultimate dream” to help disabled adults gain work skills.

The charity recently partnered with the Elusive Brewery, a microbrewery in Wokingham, and held two training days that resulted in two beers being developed – called Count Me In and Stand Up and Be Counted.

Mr and Mrs Whinnerah, who have run pubs in the past, now want to set up the Count Me In Collective’s own brewery offering training in beer-making, and ultimately employment opportunities.

‘Life-changing’

Mrs Whinnerah said: “We are seeing more and more of this in bakeries, cafes, hospitality, so I couldn’t see why it couldn’t be applied to brewing.

“For us its personal – two of our three children are disabled, one is autistic and the other has complex needs – it makes you think very long-term.”

Fewer than 22% of autistic adults are presently employed in the UK, dropping to about 5% for those with learning disabilities, according to the Office for National Statistics.

A crowdfunding appeal is being launched to allow the charity to buy the equipment it would need to set-up its own brewery.

Ms Whinnerah said: “Hopefully the beer we create and sell will sustain us in the long run.

“I’m exhausted as a parent-carer, but then I think back to that first training session, where I met our first trainee Matthew and I remember his whole face lit up and he told me it was life-changing.

“It’s moments like [when] I wake up and am proud of our venture.”

Train announcements will be shown in sign language on Northern rail services as part of a trial, the company said.

Information will be displayed on screens on trains between Leeds and Manchester Victoria.

Census data showed BSL was the main language of 22,000 people and Northern said it aims to launch the announcements by the end of the year.

Marc Silverwood from the company said he wanted “to make a difference to our customers and provide for them”.

“We know that rail travel can be daunting for anyone with specific needs, and I really hope this makes a difference to give people confidence to travel by rail,” he added.

The company is now looking for organisations to help provide sign language interpreters for the project.

A former Welsh government minister has said he would still be in the cabinet if job sharing was allowed.

Ken Skates stepped back from government in 2021 in search of a better work-life balance after eight years in ministerial roles.

The Senedd reform bill published this week includes a way of exploring the idea of Members of the Senedd (MSs) job sharing in the future.

If introduced it could see politicians share their workload and a salary.

Mr Skates, who was part of the Welsh government between 2013 and 2021 and served as economy minister, is now a backbench Labour MS for Clwyd South, which covers part of Wrexham and Denbighshire.

Asked if he might still be a minister if job sharing was an option, he said “yes, absolutely”.

“It’s incredibly difficult when you’re a member of the government to be able to balance your professional and personal life in a way that gives you satisfaction and in a way that people need, especially if you live far from Cardiff Bay,” he told the BBC’s Politics Wales.

“It’s simply not possible for example to make the journey from parts of north Wales to Cardiff Bay on a daily basis,” he said, explaining how it affected his personal life and his ability to serve his constituents.

“Having the option of remote working as well as job sharing… would level the playing field and enable many more people to consider getting into politics.”

The newly-published Senedd reform bill, which paves the way for an increase in the number of MSs and the introduction of a new electoral system, also places a duty on the llywydd (presiding officer) to try to set up a committee following the next election to consider the idea of job sharing.

What do women need to get into politics?

It is argued job sharing could create greater diversity by reducing the barriers preventing some people from standing for election, including those with disabilities and caring responsibilities, such as parents with young children, and women in particular.

Jessica Laimann of Women’s Equality Network Wales said it would help women, who have an unequal share of caring responsibilities, get into politics.

“We’ve heard from a range of women who would not otherwise stand say they would immediately put themselves forward if that sort of arrangement was available to them,” she added.

Sara Pickard, a community councillor in Pentyrch in Cardiff who has Down’s syndrome, said the option to job share would encourage more people with disabilities who might otherwise feel “daunted” to stand for election to the Senedd.

“Having someone share that job with them could really help them share out the hours, the workload so that that job doesn’t feel too much work for one individual, ” she said, “especially those who’ve got disabilities who might feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work involved”.

But the idea throws up practical questions – what if the two MSs disagreed in a vote, one stood down or switched parties, or one was offered a government post?

Prof Rosie Campbell, director of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London, said: “As a job share team they would have to say how they’re going to manage the situation if one were to step down.

“In the same way if they want to be in government, they’re a job share so they would need to agree that between themselves.

“There can only ever be one person voting so they would have to say how they would make that decision.

“The key point to make is that it is still one job, one vote, one salary.”

But Caerphilly Labour MS Hefin David said while he agreed job sharing could help committee chairs and ministers, he does not believe it is a necessary option for backbenchers.

With proposed six-member “super constituencies” in future, he said voters would have enough trouble getting to grips with who was representing them and job sharing was “probably creating more problems for the community than you’re solving for the individual”.

Welsh Labour said it recognised the “potential benefits” of job sharing and Plaid Cymru – which has a cooperation deal with Labour in the Senedd – said it was “proud to play its part” in trying to make becoming an MS a “realistic and attractive vocation to a wider group of people”.

Welsh Conservatives called it “fraught with issues and additional costs” and accused Labour of “removing themselves further from the scrutiny of the electorate”.