We are told the UK welcomes legal migration. Yet illegal migration is at record levels.

In many countries, “push” factors such as anarchy, oppression, conflict, unemployment, spiralling food costs and inadequate healthcare drive people to seek a “safe harbour”.

But why the UK? Some may have relatives here or believe Britain is a safe place to live in peace and harmony. Others may visit the Government website, type “asylum” and read the “What you’ll get” section under “Asylum support”.

It sets out, in plain English, that applicants will receive housing, cash support, help with meals, extra support for mothers and young children, maternity support, NHS healthcare, free prescriptions, dental care, eyesight tests, help with glasses and education for young children.

Why would that not be attractive, particularly when much of it is not free to British people?

The internet is global. The message being sent is that, even if someone arrives illegally, the British state will provide this support.

The reality may differ, but it is the Government’s messaging I challenge. The page should be removed.

George Hesse,

Farnham

It was reassuring to read in last week’s Herald (February 5) that our two local MPs are aligned, both literally and metaphorically, in highlighting the upheaval caused by local government reorganisation in Surrey and Hampshire.

With minimal public consultation, the Government remains convinced that a new unitary structure will improve service delivery in both counties — but at what financial and logistical cost?

Council tax payers in the south already face high charges. Any suggestion that the new authorities will reduce bills can be dismissed in light of the Government’s so-called Fair Funding Review, which directs greater central support to the north. At the same time, claims that larger councils will be better able “to serve local communities” risk being overshadowed by the pursuit of questionable efficiencies.

While East Hants residents wait to learn how many unitary authorities will be created and how large they will be, Waverley residents face a more immediate reality, with the transition to the new West Surrey authority beginning in May.

Greg Stafford MP is right to highlight Woking’s unstructured debts, but it is not alone. Spelthorne and Runnymede carry service debts running at 225 percent and 170 percent over budget respectively, compared with Waverley at 6 percent. Surrey County Council’s deteriorating finances must also be considered, as they will inevitably affect both west and east Surrey authorities. Given their higher population densities, those areas are likely to command a greater share of West Surrey’s resources, leaving Waverley — and particularly Haslemere, at the southern edge of the county — as the poor relation.

With half of Haslemere’s residents already living in West Sussex and paying 20 percent lower council tax, a transfer out of Surrey altogether may be the logical solution, provided sufficient local backing can be secured. The May election offers the first democratic opportunity to advance that case, with the “Haslemere Heads South” movement fielding a candidate. It is time to make our voices heard.

Doug Thow,

Hazel Grove,

Hindhead

In the Alton Herald of February 5 there was an article about plans to build 225 homes near Will Hall Farm in Alton.

It included a quote from an objection describing it as “a farm with Domesday barn, where Farmer Gunner wrote historic diaries, where Fanny Adams tragically inspired an English folk song”. Some of this is not correct.

The barn was built in the late 1400s by Winchester College after it bought the property, and I hold a transcription of the accounts confirming this. The Domesday entry refers to the existence of a church, not a barn. This is the only reference yet found and it was probably erected in the Anglo-Saxon period, making any remains particularly significant.

Archaeological excavations were carried out before the estate on the eastern side of Brick Kiln Lane was built, but no trace of the church or the dwellings of the six Domesday smallholders was discovered. That is why similar investigations would be essential on the western side should planning consent be granted.

Farmer William Terrell Gunner did write his diaries, now held at the Hampshire Record Office, between 1845 and 1880. He lived for part of that time at Will Hall Farm, but also at Lenten House for a considerable period after marrying Emma Curtis.

The reference to Fanny Adams is also misleading. Frederick Baker met Fanny, her sister Lizzie and their friend Minnie Warner “at the back of Mr Jefferies’ tanyard”. Henry Jefferies lived at 25 Lenten Street and also owned land at the junction of Tanhouse Lane and Flood Meadows.

Frederick offered Fanny a halfpenny “to go with him up a hollow or old road leading to the village of Shalden”. Minnie was offered “three-halfpence” to take Lizzie away. Fanny refused, but Frederick seized her hand and led her away crying up “the Hollow” to a nearby hop garden.

The land formed part of Amery Farm, then occupied by the Chalcraft family. Amery Farm House is now known as Amery House.

Jane Hurst,

Alton

While parts of the right-wing press continue to focus on the Peter Mandelson controversy and pay little attention to issues surrounding Nigel Farage, several Labour policy developments over the past week have attracted less coverage than they merit.

Here are seven measures delivered in England under Labour’s Plan for Change in the past week.

Pride in Place is expanding to 40 more neighbourhoods, giving local people control over how up to £800 million is invested to revive high streets and protect community spaces.

From April, 500 more schools will introduce Best Start free breakfast clubs, targeting support at 300,000 children who need it most.

Labour MPs have voted to scrap the two-child limit, putting the country on course for a significant reduction in child poverty within a single Parliament.

Through the National Cancer Plan, Labour has committed to ensuring that three in four people diagnosed with cancer from 2035 onwards are cancer-free or living well five years after diagnosis.

A new £10 million fund will help cover travel costs for families whose child has cancer, so that care is not determined by income or postcode.

A new £88 million programme aims to place 10,000 vulnerable children into foster homes, reversing the decline in carers and providing greater stability.

£6.5 million is being invested to protect Britain’s canals, repairing historic waterways, strengthening resilience to extreme weather and supporting millions of visitors.

On immigration, 58,000 illegal migrants and foreign national offenders were deported in the past year, according to government figures.

Supporters argue these measures show a Prime Minister intent on delivering change, while critics continue to challenge the Government’s overall direction.

Geoffrey Brooking,

Havant