SIR – I couldn’t disagree more with The Bishop of Bradford’s comments (T&A, December 17) on the immigration services. It is of no surprise the comments he made considering his audience was asylum communities and supporters, and indeed he used the old tactic of pulling at the heart strings and using “families with young children”.

It is also of no surprise that he fails to mention the financial impact of this whole subject on the taxpayer or the numerous negatives that can come with asylum seekers – six out of ten are bogus!

If any individual wants to give their name, time and money to help these people then go ahead (otherwise we would be living in some form of fascist/commie state?). I resent millions of taxpayers’ money being spent on those that have not contributed, and before some reply with the old “they want/should/can work” argument, do we not have more than 1.5 million of our own unemployed (and rising!).

As for making Bradford a City of Sanctuary, please, we are one of the most impoverished cities around and cannot afford any more dependants.

The Bishop’s comments are ill-informed, ill-advised and certainly ill-timed!

G Drake, Sangster Way, Bradford