Travellers should ‘buy their sites’ - Brighton

Travellers should be made to buy their own sites, according to an MP.

During a closed-door meeting on the formation of a Traveller strategy for Brighton and Hove, Mike Weatherley said the taxpayer should not have to foot the bill for a permanent traveller site in the city.

Hove’s Conservative MP said the council should instead be giving advice to Traveller groups on how to buy their own plots of land.

The Greens have insisted a permanent site is the best way forward and accused the Conservatives of whipping up resentment against Travellers.

The scrutiny panel on traveller strategy also heard from the Sussex Traveller Action Group, the council’s commissioner for community safety, Linda Beanlands and Argus editor Michael Beard.

Mr Weatherley urged the Greens to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to Travellers and to drop plans for a permanent site.

He said: “Rather than forcing the taxpayer to provide a large site which seems to be proposed, I would prefer to see a series of smaller sites that are spread around the city equally where each is paid for – and run by – Travellers themselves.

“If the objective really is to build cohesion, this seems to be a far better approach.”

He also accused the Green administration of treating the residents of Brighton and Hove as racists and making “inflammatory comments”.

Mr Weatherley said: “The people of Brighton and Hove are no less sympathetic towards the illegal actions of Travellers than they are towards the illegal actions of any other group.

"Residents are fed up with illegal encampments on their parks and public spaces, and would be just as angry if those in occupation were from any other background.”

Pete West, the council’s cabinet member for environment, said: “I have never suggested everyone is a racist. That is ridiculous, but there is racism towards Travellers.

“They are a marginalised and vulnerable group. What we need is inter-communal understanding. Many Travellers don’t understand the settled community and vice versa.

“This issue has been politicised by the Conservatives. I was genuinely worried during the summer that some calamity would happen because of the atmosphere that had been created.”

Coun West said a permanent Travellers site would free up space on the transit site and would therefore result in fewer unauthorised encampments elsewhere in the city.