Home Office officials need to show common sense
THIS newspaper would not usually call for somebody living in Britain illegally to be allowed to stay.
Nobody knows how many criminals or undocumented workers are living in this country
But while Myrtle Cothill may have overstayed her visa the long-running attempts to deport her are a callous demonstration of just how warped the Home Office’s priorities have become.
Nobody knows how many criminals, jihadist-sympathisers or undocumented workers are living in this country.
Instead of tracking down and deporting them the authorities are wasting time and resources harassing an elderly lady.
This is all because Mrs Cothill’s desire to do the right thing and cooperate with the Government has made her a soft target for officials obsessed with meeting quotas.
Of course our laws must be rigorously enforced but the system also needs to incorporate a measure of common sense.
What does anybody stand to gain from deporting an elderly lady in poor health?
Mrs Cothill is hardly a hardened criminal and nor is she a burden on the state
Mrs Cothill is hardly a hardened criminal and nor is she a burden on the state.
She does not want anything from the Government other than the chance to live here in peace with her only relatives.
The plan is to send her back to South Africa where she would be all alone. She would even find the plane journey taxing because of her ill health.
Come on Theresa May, it is time to show some compassion. This family has suffered enough at the hands of your department. Let Mrs Cothill stay.
Local authorities are planning to hike council tax
Councils must cut waste
UP AND down the country local authorities are planning to hike council tax, according to new research.
This displays a frighteningly cavalier attitude towards taxpayers’ money. Hitting us in the pocket is impossible to justify at a time when so many councils still have executives taking home huge pay packets and enjoying all manner of lavish perks.
Meanwhile, some of those planning to raise the levy are sitting on massive cash reserves. If councils are struggling to make ends meet, they need to consider more efficient ways of using the money they already have.There are still too many pen-pushers doing pointless jobs and wasteful projects that hoover up our cash but deliver nothing of any value.
Putting up our taxes may be the easy option for council officials but cutting costs and making the most of existing resources must be their priority.
Keeping the romance alive over the course of a happy marriage costs £267,357
Cost of a happy marriage
KEEPING the romance alive over the course of a happy marriage has been revealed to cost £267,357.
For all those years of love, companionship and cherished memories, it’s cheap at twice the price.