This week's Bromsgrove and Droitwich Standard letters...... - The Droitwich Standard

This week's Bromsgrove and Droitwich Standard letters......

Droitwich Editorial 21st Aug, 2020   0

Asylum seekers entered country illegally

LAST week P Cooper complained of being ‘disgusted and repelled’ after watching a Nigel Farage video about illegal immigrants being housed in what Farage referred to as the four-star Bromsgrove Hilton Hotel.

Mr Farage was compared to Hitler and accused of making ‘false, lying and manipulative claims’, suggesting he should be prosecuted for hate speech, and helpfully named the appropriate legislation.

They complained about Mr Farage’s description of the hotel which everybody locally apparently knows is no longer the Hilton and lacked any proof it had four stars.

Its website shows it has four stars but Mr Farage erred slightly in not referring to it as the ‘former’ Hilton but everyone I know locally refers to it as that.




P Cooper also took issue with Mr Farage’s comment the hotel was full of illegal immigrants, saying ‘it is not full of illegal immigrants, but simply used to house some asylum seekers’.

It’s not easy to find an accurate description other than ‘full’ for a 60-room hotel for about 150 residents.


Numbers aside, P Cooper described the hotel as being ‘simply used to house some asylum seekers.’

Whatever euphemism is used, the hotel’s residents had almost certainly entered the country illegally by crossing the English Channel, along with over 4,000 others recorded to have travelled by that route since January.

The country is in the midst of a pandemic which has claimed many lives, yet thousands, completely unknown to us or the authorities, are able to enter the UK illegally by leaving France and claiming ‘asylum’ on British soil.

This would be farcical were it not so serious.

The situation of young women in the area complaining of feeling threatened after being harassed by some of the hotel’s residents has been acknowledged by a local councillor, yet dismissed by P Cooper.

They claimed that ‘If young women in Bromsgrove have been harassed, it is local male youths who are the problem.’

M Howard

Lickey End

 

Anonymity enables more people to express views

BROMSGROVE’s former Liberal Democrat candidate Dr David Nicholls lists the party’s electoral achievements but, nationally, the Lib Dems only have 11 MPs out of 650.

If Lib Dem policies are so attractive, why does Bromsgrove always return a Tory MP?

Responding to John Hartley (same issue), anonymity is a basic right, and should not deter people from expressing their genuine views.

I always made a point of publishing my full name, until we received very disturbing anonymous correspondence, following my letter in a national newspaper.

A sad sign of the times, but, for safety reasons, I now use a nom de plume but the editor always has my correct name and address.

M Shaughnessy

Bromsgrove

 

Will day centres reopen again?

DEAR councillor Adrian Hardman.

As you are no doubt aware the council has not given a date when day centres will re-open and if they will open.

Parents are finding it hard to cope because of the pandemic receiving little or no respite and many are at breaking point.

Therefore, after months of no respite and loved ones with nowhere to go it is critical that all day centres are now opened – as social distance measures could be put in place as is common practice.

Opportunities for social interaction, companionship, building friendships, sharing enjoyable experiences, looking out for each other, are as important as physical care.

Covid-19 has been very difficult for people with challenging behaviour or high-level autism.

They have missed the structure their day centre provides.

It has been particularly distressing for their parent or carer and has proved how essential a day centre place is.

Although, aware that there is a shortage of provision for people with challenging behaviour or high-level autism, however, currently there are no alternative day centres in the private sector who have this provision.

I am sure you fully understand the consequences of not re-opening the centres and like myself, realise the Centres must open before some users find themselves in full-time care because parents/carers can no longer cope.

Therefore, I am asking for you to please give a date when the centres will open.

Coun Peter McDonald

Bromsgrove Labour leader

 

Recipes feature is a tasty addition

JUST a quick email to say how much I’m enjoying the ‘Recipes From My Travels’ feature in your paper.

What a great idea linking a trip to a recipe!

I was very excited after seeing the latest recipe – as I adore Greece.

Really looking forward to seeing the upcoming recipes over the next few weeks.

Great job!

S Bowen

 

We need to stop virus spread to protect our NHS this winter

NHS services across the West Midlands will be preparing to face what will undoubtedly be one of the toughest winters in the history of our health service.

Come the winter our NHS will need to tackle a backlog of care, treat Covid patients, deal with seasonal flu and prepare for further local or national outbreaks of coronavirus.

Empowering local councils to close shops, outdoor events and public spaces, while long overdue, is necessary to help reduce the spread of the virus and keep the pressure off the NHS.

It is crucial though this is underpinned with adequate resources, clear local data, and a well-managed test, track and trace system.

So far, the Government’s record in all these areas has not been good.

Dr S Millar

BMA West Midlands Regional Council chair

 

EDITOR’S COMMENT

NO matter how you look at it; the handling of this year’s A-levels has been a total disaster.

The major U-turn taken by the Government on Monday will not hide its failings.

But it does mean students have fresh hope of securing those vital university place which, for many, appeared lost.

I want to congratulate all Bromsgrove and Droitwich students who received their GCSE results yesterday.

It has been an incredibly testing year but you have shown resilience throughout.

 

We welcome your letters…..

What pressing issues do you feel need addressing in Bromsgrove, Droitwich, Rubery and South Birmingham? Send us your views to [email protected] or [email protected]

Online Editions

Catch up on your local news by reading our e-editions on the Droitwich Standard.

Business Directory

From plumbers, to restaurants, we can provide you with all the info you need.

Announcements

Weddings, Birthdays, Bereavements, Thank you notices, Marriages and more.

Public Notices

View and download all of the public notices in the Droitwich Standard.