From the Ellon Times
The entrance to the former Haldanes supermarket car park has been blocked off following a visit by Travellers.
The entrance to the former Haldanes supermarket car park has been blocked off following a visit by Travellers.
Published on Monday 20 August 2012 17:55
The entrance to a former supermarket site in Ellon has been blocked off following a visit by Travellers.
A group of three vehicles pitched up on the one-time Haldanes store car park in Ythan Terrace at the end of last week.
However, they left over the weekend and workers moved in on Monday morning to seal off the entrance with five concrete posts, and a sign advising that the car park is closed.
Aberdeenshire Council had been made aware of the encampment and contacted the land owners.
Ellon and District councillor Gillian Owen has been calling for an official site at Balmacassie to best meet the town’s ongoing problem with unauthorised Traveller campsites.
She has said that while not popular locally, it was a necessary element of the council’s housing strategy.
She told the Times following the latest illicit encampment: “This just shows how urgently we need a Travellers Transit site, however unpopular.
“This summer Ellon seems to have been plagued by Travellers. The latest incursion has now resulted in the blocking off of the Haldane’s car park again inconveniencing the hard-pressed residents of Ellon. It feels like we have been under siege. I will try and see if the owners will reconsider.”
The Haldanes site has been in the news recently after plans for a new housing and retail development were rejected by a Scottish Government reporter.
The plans, which include 62 flats overlooking the River Ythan, along with space for retail units, had attracted local criticism for the density of the development, the impact on the town’s river frontage and the size of the proposed retail units.
Residents had also raised concerns that the new buildings would block the river view from Ythan Terrace.
Formartine area councillors turned down the plans by Warsash Properties in March on the grounds that the project could not be comfortably located on the site.
The decision was challenged and the reporter has upheld the committee’s decision.
The site is also subject to a second application from Aberdeen-based Carden Studios, with proposals for a development incorporating health, retail and residential uses. These proposals remain at the planning stage.
Friday, 31 August 2012
Gypsy families' Flackwell Heath plans rejected - Bucks
From the Bucks Free Press
PLANS put forward by two Gypsy families to move onto land in Flackwell Heath have been thrown out.
The proposals submitted by the Travellers to move their caravans onto a derelict plant nursery were rejected by Wycombe district Council's planning committee last night.
As previously reported by the Bucks Free Press, the families have been facing eviction from an unauthorised site in Walters Ash.
The group, which includes five adults and three children, hoped to make a permanent home at 128 Heath End Road in order to access health and education services.
They proposed putting two mobile homes there along with a day room and hardstanding.
However, planning officers had recommended the application be refused and councillors were in unanimous agreement that it should go no further.
There were over 500 objections registered.
Councillor David Johncock said: "I think the reasons set out in the reports are perfectly valid reasons for coming to the conclusion to reject the plan."
Officers said in their report that the plan would represent inappropriate development in the greenbelt and have a detrimental impact on openness, on protected trees and also on rural amenities and the character of the countryside.
Councillor Sebert Graham said: "To grant this application would be a mistake, firstly is not in keeping with the surrounding area."
He expressed concerns about the safety and cleanliness of the site, which he said needed to be addressed.
Councillor Richard Scott said there were no special circumstances to justify developing on greenbelt.
The proposal stated that the two families would effectively live as one extended family, saying there are closely related.
WS Planning & Architecture, which is based in Surrey, submitted the scheme on behalf of Travellers.
The application said two of the group, Gerard O'Connor and Patrick Murphy, breed horses and attend Gypsy fairs throughout the country.
It added: “When they travel they take their touring caravans. When they are not horse trading/breeding they carry out landscaping works.
“They have tried living in bricks and mortar but it does not suit their lifestyle which involves travelling.
“They rent land elsewhere in the district for the grazing of horses although they have no formal tenancy for this land.”
The Travellers, outlining their reasons as to why they need to move the site, stated the fact that Patrick Murphy is suffering from diabetes and heart disease and needs regular and proper medical care, while his son is disabled with cerebral palsy and also requires constant care.
However the officers said these factors would only give limited weight in their application and said Flackwell Heath, where a doctor's surgery closed down early this year, would not be best placed to offer the essential medical care the family needs.
Their application said the Local Plan for the district fails to identify suitable locations for traveller sites, adding there is a “backlog of unmet need”.
Although this was considered, ultimately it was not considered a strong enough reason.
Chipping Wycombe parish Council had also objected to the plan saying it was unacceptable.
PLANS put forward by two Gypsy families to move onto land in Flackwell Heath have been thrown out.
The proposals submitted by the Travellers to move their caravans onto a derelict plant nursery were rejected by Wycombe district Council's planning committee last night.
As previously reported by the Bucks Free Press, the families have been facing eviction from an unauthorised site in Walters Ash.
The group, which includes five adults and three children, hoped to make a permanent home at 128 Heath End Road in order to access health and education services.
They proposed putting two mobile homes there along with a day room and hardstanding.
However, planning officers had recommended the application be refused and councillors were in unanimous agreement that it should go no further.
There were over 500 objections registered.
Councillor David Johncock said: "I think the reasons set out in the reports are perfectly valid reasons for coming to the conclusion to reject the plan."
Officers said in their report that the plan would represent inappropriate development in the greenbelt and have a detrimental impact on openness, on protected trees and also on rural amenities and the character of the countryside.
Councillor Sebert Graham said: "To grant this application would be a mistake, firstly is not in keeping with the surrounding area."
He expressed concerns about the safety and cleanliness of the site, which he said needed to be addressed.
Councillor Richard Scott said there were no special circumstances to justify developing on greenbelt.
The proposal stated that the two families would effectively live as one extended family, saying there are closely related.
WS Planning & Architecture, which is based in Surrey, submitted the scheme on behalf of Travellers.
The application said two of the group, Gerard O'Connor and Patrick Murphy, breed horses and attend Gypsy fairs throughout the country.
It added: “When they travel they take their touring caravans. When they are not horse trading/breeding they carry out landscaping works.
“They have tried living in bricks and mortar but it does not suit their lifestyle which involves travelling.
“They rent land elsewhere in the district for the grazing of horses although they have no formal tenancy for this land.”
The Travellers, outlining their reasons as to why they need to move the site, stated the fact that Patrick Murphy is suffering from diabetes and heart disease and needs regular and proper medical care, while his son is disabled with cerebral palsy and also requires constant care.
However the officers said these factors would only give limited weight in their application and said Flackwell Heath, where a doctor's surgery closed down early this year, would not be best placed to offer the essential medical care the family needs.
Their application said the Local Plan for the district fails to identify suitable locations for traveller sites, adding there is a “backlog of unmet need”.
Although this was considered, ultimately it was not considered a strong enough reason.
Chipping Wycombe parish Council had also objected to the plan saying it was unacceptable.
PROTEST SIEGE GYPSIES MAKE MOVE TO STAY IN VILLAGE - Meridan
From the Daily Express
Gypsies being evicted from a green belt camp have resorted to what residents say is a “trick” planning application to develop land next door.
It is the latest twist in the long-running battle between residents and Travellers in Meriden, Warwickshire, with locals claiming the move is a delaying tactic, copying gypsies in a notorious row at Dale Farm, near Basildon, Essex.
The Meriden Gypsies have been occupying a three-acre site on the edge of the idyllic village for more than two years, with residents staging a round-the-clock protest vigil.
Solihull Council ordered the Travellers to leave by March 2013 but last week they lodged an application to move on to a disused builders yard 100 yards away.
The Gypsies have told the council they want to park eight caravans there and build timber kitchens and a toilet block, which would be close to villagers’ homes.
The villagers yesterday likened the planning application to tactics used at Dale Farm, which took a decade to clear, costing taxpayers millions of pounds.
David McGrath, chairman of campaign group Residents Against Inappropriate Development, said:
“This is a move straight out of the Dale Farm book of tricks aimed at stringing out the illegal occupation of the green belt at the expense of taxpayers.
"All of these planning applications are being fought vigorously.”
Last night the council said the planning application would not affect the Travellers’ deadline to leave by March next year.
Gypsies being evicted from a green belt camp have resorted to what residents say is a “trick” planning application to develop land next door.
It is the latest twist in the long-running battle between residents and Travellers in Meriden, Warwickshire, with locals claiming the move is a delaying tactic, copying gypsies in a notorious row at Dale Farm, near Basildon, Essex.
The Meriden Gypsies have been occupying a three-acre site on the edge of the idyllic village for more than two years, with residents staging a round-the-clock protest vigil.
Solihull Council ordered the Travellers to leave by March 2013 but last week they lodged an application to move on to a disused builders yard 100 yards away.
The Gypsies have told the council they want to park eight caravans there and build timber kitchens and a toilet block, which would be close to villagers’ homes.
The villagers yesterday likened the planning application to tactics used at Dale Farm, which took a decade to clear, costing taxpayers millions of pounds.
David McGrath, chairman of campaign group Residents Against Inappropriate Development, said:
“This is a move straight out of the Dale Farm book of tricks aimed at stringing out the illegal occupation of the green belt at the expense of taxpayers.
"All of these planning applications are being fought vigorously.”
Last night the council said the planning application would not affect the Travellers’ deadline to leave by March next year.
Travellers 'must have temporary site on edge of city' - Cambridgeshire
From cambridge-news.co.uk
The travelling community is being “failed” because sites are not provided in Cambridge, it has been claimed.
A number of caravans have parked up on a charity’s land for the third time, sparking a debate about provision for Travellers.
At least three caravans arrived at the site after a large concrete block was moved out of the way and a “heavy duty” lock cut from gates to the disused site in Wadloes Road last week.
Cllr Richard Johnson, Labour representative for Abbey ward, said the city council was “failing” these members of the community.
He said: “The city council has consistently failed to provide a temporary travellers’ site.
“There needs to be more sites on the edge of Cambridge which would enable easy moving on, as well as access to Addenbrooke’s.
“If we can secure a temporary site, it would nip this problem in the bud.”
At present the city has no temporary sites.
Alan Carter, head of strategic planning, said investigations had been carried out to find pitches but it was not easy to find somewhere suitable.
He said: “In an urban place like Cambridge it is quite difficult to find suitable pitches. It’s not without the want of trying.
“We have carried out assessments of needs over the years and although there are instances of unauthorised encampments, there doesn’t seem to be a large number compared with our rural district colleagues.”
Mr Carter added the council was continuing to look for sites, whether permanent or temporary, as part of its local planning review.
Meanwhile a spokesman for the firm which represents the charity which owns the land in Wadloes Road, said: “A court sheriff is going back to tell the Travellers they are not allowed on there.
“We had to get a possession order last time this happened and they then left.
“This will cost the charity money to get rid of them and they always leave filth and mess.”
Earlier this month, caravans set up camp on Cambridge City Council-owned land in Robert Davies Court, East Chesterton, for the eighth time, and the council had to get an eviction order and bailiffs to remove them.
The travelling community is being “failed” because sites are not provided in Cambridge, it has been claimed.
A number of caravans have parked up on a charity’s land for the third time, sparking a debate about provision for Travellers.
At least three caravans arrived at the site after a large concrete block was moved out of the way and a “heavy duty” lock cut from gates to the disused site in Wadloes Road last week.
Cllr Richard Johnson, Labour representative for Abbey ward, said the city council was “failing” these members of the community.
He said: “The city council has consistently failed to provide a temporary travellers’ site.
“There needs to be more sites on the edge of Cambridge which would enable easy moving on, as well as access to Addenbrooke’s.
“If we can secure a temporary site, it would nip this problem in the bud.”
At present the city has no temporary sites.
Alan Carter, head of strategic planning, said investigations had been carried out to find pitches but it was not easy to find somewhere suitable.
He said: “In an urban place like Cambridge it is quite difficult to find suitable pitches. It’s not without the want of trying.
“We have carried out assessments of needs over the years and although there are instances of unauthorised encampments, there doesn’t seem to be a large number compared with our rural district colleagues.”
Mr Carter added the council was continuing to look for sites, whether permanent or temporary, as part of its local planning review.
Meanwhile a spokesman for the firm which represents the charity which owns the land in Wadloes Road, said: “A court sheriff is going back to tell the Travellers they are not allowed on there.
“We had to get a possession order last time this happened and they then left.
“This will cost the charity money to get rid of them and they always leave filth and mess.”
Earlier this month, caravans set up camp on Cambridge City Council-owned land in Robert Davies Court, East Chesterton, for the eighth time, and the council had to get an eviction order and bailiffs to remove them.
Thursday, 30 August 2012
Councillor welcomes decision of Travellers to move from public parkland - Moray
From STV
A group of Travellers who camped on a public park in Moray have moved following complaints from local residents.
The Travellers arrived at Bicentenary Park in Fochabers last week and sparked complaints of children being bullied and dogs being allowed to run free.
Sean Morton, who is a Labour councillor for Fochabers/Lhanbryde, said that he was “disappointed” that the group had chosen to camp on the site. After his attempts to act as an intermediary failed he lodged a complaint with Moray Council.
Councillor Morton was advised that the encampment was legal and only a successful action against them in the sheriff court could bring about their removal.
On Wednesday, however, it was revealed that the group had moved on. Councillor Morton said: “I went to speak to the Travellers and things did not go well, to put it mildly. They made it very clear that they would stay until there was a court order for their removal.
“They informed the council that they would be staying there for five weeks. I thought that was far too long considering the complaints that had been raised with me.
“I listened to the concerns of my constituents and made sure the council were well aware of them. I am pleased that the council responded very quickly to my concerns.
“I am also pleased that the Travellers, in this instance, realised that this was clearly not the place for them to be.
“The law says that they were entitled to be there but they moved on and aside from damage their vehicles have done to the turf, the park is reasonably tidy.”
Councillor Morton added that he hoped the Travellers might choose where to halt “more wisely” next time they were in the area, adding: “I know that the people of Fochabers are not prejudiced but I know that they care for their town and look after it.
“To see Travellers here not respecting our town was simply too much to take.”
The councillor added that with Moray Council working towards a new policy on travellers he hoped that the balance of their needs and those of the settled community might be found.
A group of Travellers who camped on a public park in Moray have moved following complaints from local residents.
The Travellers arrived at Bicentenary Park in Fochabers last week and sparked complaints of children being bullied and dogs being allowed to run free.
Sean Morton, who is a Labour councillor for Fochabers/Lhanbryde, said that he was “disappointed” that the group had chosen to camp on the site. After his attempts to act as an intermediary failed he lodged a complaint with Moray Council.
Councillor Morton was advised that the encampment was legal and only a successful action against them in the sheriff court could bring about their removal.
On Wednesday, however, it was revealed that the group had moved on. Councillor Morton said: “I went to speak to the Travellers and things did not go well, to put it mildly. They made it very clear that they would stay until there was a court order for their removal.
“They informed the council that they would be staying there for five weeks. I thought that was far too long considering the complaints that had been raised with me.
“I listened to the concerns of my constituents and made sure the council were well aware of them. I am pleased that the council responded very quickly to my concerns.
“I am also pleased that the Travellers, in this instance, realised that this was clearly not the place for them to be.
“The law says that they were entitled to be there but they moved on and aside from damage their vehicles have done to the turf, the park is reasonably tidy.”
Councillor Morton added that he hoped the Travellers might choose where to halt “more wisely” next time they were in the area, adding: “I know that the people of Fochabers are not prejudiced but I know that they care for their town and look after it.
“To see Travellers here not respecting our town was simply too much to take.”
The councillor added that with Moray Council working towards a new policy on travellers he hoped that the balance of their needs and those of the settled community might be found.
Sutton Council cracks down on Travellers - London
From yourlocalguardian.co.uk
Sutton Council's legal team is cracking down on the waves of illegal Traveller camps that have appeared in the borough over the summer.
It hopes a new policy will help keep parks and open spaces clear of unwanted camps which have been causing havoc over the last few months.
Groups of Travellers had been setting up camp in various parks including Mellows Park, Beddington Park and Roundshaw Park and after eviction they would merely move from one to the other.
Neighbours have reported music blaring late at night and Travellers using parks as a racing track.
In some cases rubbish has been left behind including beer cans and nappies and in July there was a stand-off in Mellows Park between Travellers and police.
The parks teams are now using a byelaw which bans Travellers from setting up camp in the borough’s parks.
It forces Travellers to leave within 24 hours if they set up a camp and prevents them from driving down the road and setting up nearby.
Before using the byelaw, officers were forced to go through a process that often took more than a week to move on Travellers.
Tracy Macheta, from Wallington, who worked with the council to stop Travellers entering Mellows Park, welcomed the news.
She said: "We at Mellows Park are very grateful.
"I think it sends out a clear message to the Travellers that it’s just not acceptable."
Councillor Jill Whitehead, chairman of Sutton’s environment and neighbourhoods committee, said: "We live in a beautiful borough and our parks are a source of real pride and joy to residents.
"That is why it is so important we do everything we can to make sure they are available for everyone to enjoy and why I am so pleased that we have this new method of evicting people who set up illegal camps."
The council is using the Byelaw With Respect to Pleasure Grounds, that it allows the authority to evict camps in 24 hours and bans Travellers from setting up a new camp in a number of named locations.
Sutton Council's legal team is cracking down on the waves of illegal Traveller camps that have appeared in the borough over the summer.
It hopes a new policy will help keep parks and open spaces clear of unwanted camps which have been causing havoc over the last few months.
Groups of Travellers had been setting up camp in various parks including Mellows Park, Beddington Park and Roundshaw Park and after eviction they would merely move from one to the other.
Neighbours have reported music blaring late at night and Travellers using parks as a racing track.
In some cases rubbish has been left behind including beer cans and nappies and in July there was a stand-off in Mellows Park between Travellers and police.
The parks teams are now using a byelaw which bans Travellers from setting up camp in the borough’s parks.
It forces Travellers to leave within 24 hours if they set up a camp and prevents them from driving down the road and setting up nearby.
Before using the byelaw, officers were forced to go through a process that often took more than a week to move on Travellers.
Tracy Macheta, from Wallington, who worked with the council to stop Travellers entering Mellows Park, welcomed the news.
She said: "We at Mellows Park are very grateful.
"I think it sends out a clear message to the Travellers that it’s just not acceptable."
Councillor Jill Whitehead, chairman of Sutton’s environment and neighbourhoods committee, said: "We live in a beautiful borough and our parks are a source of real pride and joy to residents.
"That is why it is so important we do everything we can to make sure they are available for everyone to enjoy and why I am so pleased that we have this new method of evicting people who set up illegal camps."
The council is using the Byelaw With Respect to Pleasure Grounds, that it allows the authority to evict camps in 24 hours and bans Travellers from setting up a new camp in a number of named locations.
ST KEVERNE Quarry Travellers - Cornwall
From the West Briton
TRAVELLERS are now said to have left Dean quarry, near St Keverne.
Parish councillors were told at their meeting at the end of July that there were four vans and three to four tents on the site, which was said to be private land.
This led to calls for the provision of a potential Traveller site in the parish to be completed.
At a special meeting of the council earlier this month, though, Councillor Anthony Richards said the Travellers had now left, although it was also questioned how far away they had moved.
TRAVELLERS are now said to have left Dean quarry, near St Keverne.
Parish councillors were told at their meeting at the end of July that there were four vans and three to four tents on the site, which was said to be private land.
This led to calls for the provision of a potential Traveller site in the parish to be completed.
At a special meeting of the council earlier this month, though, Councillor Anthony Richards said the Travellers had now left, although it was also questioned how far away they had moved.
Travellers back on land - Suffolk
From the Haverhill Echo
ENVIRONMENTAL Health officers were yesterday due to visit Travellers who illegally pitched up on a site in Haverhill.
The family of Travellers moved onto council land in Bergamot Road late on Tuesday evening.
Officers both at St Edmundsbury Borough Council and Haverhill Police said the Travellers are the same family that have moved onto the site twice in the past year.
Since then St Edmundsbury Borough Council has spent £3,000 on security on the site including putting a fence up around the site to stop illegal access to the land.
“We can confirm that this is council owned land and that it is being illegally occupied,” said a council spokeswoman.
“The Travellers appear to be the group that also illegally occupied the same site last year.
“They arrived on Tuesday night and dug up the fencing to gain access.
“There appear to be about six caravans and various other vehicles.
“We are working with the police and the county council’s Gypsy and Traveller Officer to assess their needs and our intention is to move them on as quickly as possible.”
She said the same Travellers had been on the site in May and November last year. She said each time they had stayed for about a week before moving to a site in Bury St Edmunds.
The council spokeswoman added that the clean up costs the past two times had been minimal.
She added that the council, which only has one legal Gypsy and Traveller site at Depden, was working to provide more pitches in the borough.
Haverhill Police Insp Peter Ferrie said: “Our officers went up there on Tuesday night to make sure that the local residents and the Travellers are ok and that there are no issues between them.
“We also contacted Suffolk County Council to get the street lights in Bergamot Road, Bramley Road and Coxs Close left on, and St Edmundsbury Borough Council to make sure that their refuse is collected.
“We are also working to get assessments done on their healh and educational needs.
“My understanding is that they intend to stay there until the notice is served.They have said they are there because they haven’t got anywhere else to go.”
Insp Ferrie said officers would continue to visit the site on a regular basis to check there were no problems.
Will Austin, clerk at Haverhill Town Council said he had received calls from a number of residents.
“We are assured that the relevant agencies are engaged with the Travellers to make sure that both the concerns of residents and the statutory duties to the Travellers are being addressed.”
ENVIRONMENTAL Health officers were yesterday due to visit Travellers who illegally pitched up on a site in Haverhill.
The family of Travellers moved onto council land in Bergamot Road late on Tuesday evening.
Officers both at St Edmundsbury Borough Council and Haverhill Police said the Travellers are the same family that have moved onto the site twice in the past year.
Since then St Edmundsbury Borough Council has spent £3,000 on security on the site including putting a fence up around the site to stop illegal access to the land.
“We can confirm that this is council owned land and that it is being illegally occupied,” said a council spokeswoman.
“The Travellers appear to be the group that also illegally occupied the same site last year.
“They arrived on Tuesday night and dug up the fencing to gain access.
“There appear to be about six caravans and various other vehicles.
“We are working with the police and the county council’s Gypsy and Traveller Officer to assess their needs and our intention is to move them on as quickly as possible.”
She said the same Travellers had been on the site in May and November last year. She said each time they had stayed for about a week before moving to a site in Bury St Edmunds.
The council spokeswoman added that the clean up costs the past two times had been minimal.
She added that the council, which only has one legal Gypsy and Traveller site at Depden, was working to provide more pitches in the borough.
Haverhill Police Insp Peter Ferrie said: “Our officers went up there on Tuesday night to make sure that the local residents and the Travellers are ok and that there are no issues between them.
“We also contacted Suffolk County Council to get the street lights in Bergamot Road, Bramley Road and Coxs Close left on, and St Edmundsbury Borough Council to make sure that their refuse is collected.
“We are also working to get assessments done on their healh and educational needs.
“My understanding is that they intend to stay there until the notice is served.They have said they are there because they haven’t got anywhere else to go.”
Insp Ferrie said officers would continue to visit the site on a regular basis to check there were no problems.
Will Austin, clerk at Haverhill Town Council said he had received calls from a number of residents.
“We are assured that the relevant agencies are engaged with the Travellers to make sure that both the concerns of residents and the statutory duties to the Travellers are being addressed.”
Travellers set up camp on Aberdeen industrial estate
From the Evening Express
TRAVELLERS have pitched up on an Aberdeen industrial estate.
The group of more than 10 caravans was spotted on a small road, near the Charleston flyover on Aberdeen’s outskirts.
It is believed that the land is owned by construction firm Muir Construction who are understood to be taking legal action.
TRAVELLERS have pitched up on an Aberdeen industrial estate.
The group of more than 10 caravans was spotted on a small road, near the Charleston flyover on Aberdeen’s outskirts.
It is believed that the land is owned by construction firm Muir Construction who are understood to be taking legal action.
Travellers are an ‘increasing problem for Skegness’, businesses and councillors have warned - Lincolnshire
From the Skegness Standard
RECURRENT visits from travelling communities are becoming an ‘increasing problem for Skegness’ and action must be taken, businesses, councillors and residents have demanded.
The latest in a long line of traveller encampments in the town has seen motor-homes and caravans set up on South Parade car park. Businesses in the area have been forced to lock their doors, claiming that Travellers have been ‘intimidating’, ‘verbally abusive’ and ‘a nuisance’.
Samantha Senior said: “They are abusive, causing a disturbance and noisy - some of the shop owners are locking their doors to prevent them coming in. In this day and age, when you can be arrested and in court the following day, I can’t see why more can’t be done about it - it’s pathetic.”
East Lindsey District Council ward holder for Seathorne, Coun John Byford, believes the Travellers are taking advantage of a loophole in the law and hopes the MP for Boston and Skegness Mark Simmonds may be able call for new legislation to help authorities clamp down on the problem.
He said: “Without wishing to upset the travelling community, there are some serious issues that need addressing.
“They are using a loophole in the law and upsetting many people while costing the taxpayer thousands of pounds in court costs to move them on and to clear up the waste that gets left behind. It’s starting to become a major problem for Skegness and it needs to be nipped in the bud before it gets any worse for residents and visitors alike - when you arrive on holiday you don’t want to be greeted by other people’s mess.”
Currently, the legal proceedings required to move illegally parked travelling communities take time and are often ineffective as the group simply moves to another location in the town, requiring another costly court order to move it again.
Communications team leader at ELDC James Gilbert informed Skegness councillors that legal proceedings had been initiated with regard to the travellers at South Parade but feared it would be unlikely to be resolved before the end of the bank holiday.
“Given the length of time the legal process takes, it may not be possible to get a court order this side of the bank holiday, however we will do our best,” he said.
Lincolnshire Police has also expressed its commitment to protecting the community from disruption, while remaining mindful of the prejudice often directed at Travellers.
Inspector Terry Ball said: “We are working with other authorities, licensed premises and close liaison with Travellers to ensure the expectations of all parties are met with minimal disruption to our communities.”
The community had moved on from their South Parade encampment by Tuesday morning before legal action was complete.
RECURRENT visits from travelling communities are becoming an ‘increasing problem for Skegness’ and action must be taken, businesses, councillors and residents have demanded.
The latest in a long line of traveller encampments in the town has seen motor-homes and caravans set up on South Parade car park. Businesses in the area have been forced to lock their doors, claiming that Travellers have been ‘intimidating’, ‘verbally abusive’ and ‘a nuisance’.
Samantha Senior said: “They are abusive, causing a disturbance and noisy - some of the shop owners are locking their doors to prevent them coming in. In this day and age, when you can be arrested and in court the following day, I can’t see why more can’t be done about it - it’s pathetic.”
East Lindsey District Council ward holder for Seathorne, Coun John Byford, believes the Travellers are taking advantage of a loophole in the law and hopes the MP for Boston and Skegness Mark Simmonds may be able call for new legislation to help authorities clamp down on the problem.
He said: “Without wishing to upset the travelling community, there are some serious issues that need addressing.
“They are using a loophole in the law and upsetting many people while costing the taxpayer thousands of pounds in court costs to move them on and to clear up the waste that gets left behind. It’s starting to become a major problem for Skegness and it needs to be nipped in the bud before it gets any worse for residents and visitors alike - when you arrive on holiday you don’t want to be greeted by other people’s mess.”
Currently, the legal proceedings required to move illegally parked travelling communities take time and are often ineffective as the group simply moves to another location in the town, requiring another costly court order to move it again.
Communications team leader at ELDC James Gilbert informed Skegness councillors that legal proceedings had been initiated with regard to the travellers at South Parade but feared it would be unlikely to be resolved before the end of the bank holiday.
“Given the length of time the legal process takes, it may not be possible to get a court order this side of the bank holiday, however we will do our best,” he said.
Lincolnshire Police has also expressed its commitment to protecting the community from disruption, while remaining mindful of the prejudice often directed at Travellers.
Inspector Terry Ball said: “We are working with other authorities, licensed premises and close liaison with Travellers to ensure the expectations of all parties are met with minimal disruption to our communities.”
The community had moved on from their South Parade encampment by Tuesday morning before legal action was complete.
Police hunt for gun at Welshpool Travellers' site
From the County Times
SCORES of police descended on a Mid Wales Travellers’ site as they searched for a gun.
Eight police vehicles took part in the raid which saw both entrances at Welshpool’s Leighton Arches (formerly the Withybeds) blocked with police.
The County Times understands that officers were acting on a tip-off and searching for a gun however, despite an extensive search, nothing was found.
Cars were prevented from accessing the site while officers wearing plastic gloves and plastic covering over their feet searched a premises.
Another officer filmed the scene while several residents protested at what they branded an unwarranted intrusion.
One resident said: “I think they’ve come on a tip-off from London.
“They’re looking for guns or something. I’ve never seen a gun in my life.”
A spokesman for the police said: “Following intelligence received and inquiries conducted a search warrant was executed at the property today.
"No arrests were made and no items removed from the premises. Police would like to thank the residents for their co-operation during the search today.”
SCORES of police descended on a Mid Wales Travellers’ site as they searched for a gun.
Eight police vehicles took part in the raid which saw both entrances at Welshpool’s Leighton Arches (formerly the Withybeds) blocked with police.
The County Times understands that officers were acting on a tip-off and searching for a gun however, despite an extensive search, nothing was found.
Cars were prevented from accessing the site while officers wearing plastic gloves and plastic covering over their feet searched a premises.
Another officer filmed the scene while several residents protested at what they branded an unwarranted intrusion.
One resident said: “I think they’ve come on a tip-off from London.
“They’re looking for guns or something. I’ve never seen a gun in my life.”
A spokesman for the police said: “Following intelligence received and inquiries conducted a search warrant was executed at the property today.
"No arrests were made and no items removed from the premises. Police would like to thank the residents for their co-operation during the search today.”
Nightclub doorman 'told Travellers to go away and tarmac a driveway' - Dundee
From STV
A nightclub doorman has been cleared of telling members of the travelling community to "go away and tarmac a driveway".
Kris Scott allegedly made the comments towards a group of Travellers as they left a nightclub in Perth.
The 26-year-old was charged with acting in a racially aggravated manner by making offensive, abusive and racist comments to three women.
However, he was cleared of the charge after a sheriff ruled that because the alleged recipient of the abuse, a man with a group of Travellers in the town, had not been called to give evidence at Perth Sheriff Court on Thursday.
Sheriff Michael Fletcher said telling a Traveller to "tarmac a drive" could not be considered the same as referring to "a black person and bananas." He said he disagreed with the High Court's position but had no choice.
In light of the sheriff's guidance, fiscal depute Rebecca Kynaston said she was not seeking a conviction.
During evidence, student Kathleen Reid, 20, said: "We are Travellers. What makes you a Traveller is your culture, your heritage and the way you are raised. It's like a religion but it's a culture. A lot of people know if they see a Traveller. I don't know what it is, but you just know. We are all human beings, so I don't know what distinguishes us from other people.
"I'm very happy and proud to be a Traveller. We left the nightclub because there was a dispute. He said some stuff we were not happy about."
She told Perth Sheriff Court that Scott had become embroiled in a dispute with a male Traveller and had directed the offending comments at him.
Ms Reid added: "The first thing I heard was 'go and tarmac your drive'. I took that as an offensive term to Travellers. It's the same as saying to an Asian guy 'go back to your curry shop'.
"There was a lot of shouting - 'pikey' and 'Gypsy' and other things were being thrown around. That's an offensive word for a Traveller. When these things were said it kind of turned our heads. I was very shocked and very offended. It's not something you hear everyday. They were offensive to all the Travellers there."
Sheriff Fletcher said the case made him feel "uneasy" and he formally cleared Scott, of Brookfield House, in the Perthshire village of Blackford.
A nightclub doorman has been cleared of telling members of the travelling community to "go away and tarmac a driveway".
Kris Scott allegedly made the comments towards a group of Travellers as they left a nightclub in Perth.
The 26-year-old was charged with acting in a racially aggravated manner by making offensive, abusive and racist comments to three women.
However, he was cleared of the charge after a sheriff ruled that because the alleged recipient of the abuse, a man with a group of Travellers in the town, had not been called to give evidence at Perth Sheriff Court on Thursday.
Sheriff Michael Fletcher said telling a Traveller to "tarmac a drive" could not be considered the same as referring to "a black person and bananas." He said he disagreed with the High Court's position but had no choice.
In light of the sheriff's guidance, fiscal depute Rebecca Kynaston said she was not seeking a conviction.
During evidence, student Kathleen Reid, 20, said: "We are Travellers. What makes you a Traveller is your culture, your heritage and the way you are raised. It's like a religion but it's a culture. A lot of people know if they see a Traveller. I don't know what it is, but you just know. We are all human beings, so I don't know what distinguishes us from other people.
"I'm very happy and proud to be a Traveller. We left the nightclub because there was a dispute. He said some stuff we were not happy about."
She told Perth Sheriff Court that Scott had become embroiled in a dispute with a male Traveller and had directed the offending comments at him.
Ms Reid added: "The first thing I heard was 'go and tarmac your drive'. I took that as an offensive term to Travellers. It's the same as saying to an Asian guy 'go back to your curry shop'.
"There was a lot of shouting - 'pikey' and 'Gypsy' and other things were being thrown around. That's an offensive word for a Traveller. When these things were said it kind of turned our heads. I was very shocked and very offended. It's not something you hear everyday. They were offensive to all the Travellers there."
Sheriff Fletcher said the case made him feel "uneasy" and he formally cleared Scott, of Brookfield House, in the Perthshire village of Blackford.
How mainstreaming becomes assimilation as Traveller-specific supports disappear - Ireland
From Politico
My school day, over eleven years, was filled with drawing, knitting and sewing. Various therapies, such as speech and language, occupational therapy and physical therapy were also part of that day. Travellers were automatically assumed to have a cognitive and cultural disability. The segregated syllabus didn’t include languages, maths, history or the Irish language – all mandatory subjects in mainstream education. By Rosaleen McDonagh.
The legacy of segregated education which we as members of the Traveller community have experienced is special schools; special classes; special classes in special schools; special buses; special lunches; special toilets. This demoralising regime included being given daily showers at school. Hair was checked for head lice. This humiliation, in front of our settled peers, made going to school excruciating and terrifying.
One would imagine, with special funding set aside for Traveller education, that at least two generations of Traveller children should be well equipped academically for university. Not so. According to the last available Census (2006) figures two-thirds of Travellers have left school by 15 years and less than 1% make it to third level education.
The formal education system in Ireland refuses to acknowledge nomadism nor does it recognise Traveller ethnicity in the state syllabus.[1] Education is a key element in addressing broader social determinants[2] including risk of poverty, health status and employment opportunities. It is well documented that the more educated you are, the healthier you are, as you are in a position to make informed choices. However, although more than 90% of 14-year-old Travellers are now in school, their educational attainment is very low, with the majority continuing to leave school early.[3]
Since the 1980s, with the emergence of Traveller organisations committed to Traveller self-determination and the use of community development approaches, Traveller leaders have emerged. Most of us had very little or no education. Our consciousness was around the direct experience of racism that impacted on all areas of our lives. Traveller women have played a huge part in the quest for human rights and anti-discrimination laws over the past three decades. The hope was that these laws would possibly change the situation for our children and our grandchildren. Systematic racism is tiresome to challenge. Despite thirty years of political lobbying, social, personal and public activism, the context of our lives hasn’t changed. In 2010, the All Ireland Traveller Health Study was launched. The statistics tell of a stark reality of how another two generations of the Traveller community are affected by discrimination, racism and marginalisation.
The parameters of the racism experienced by Travellers have changed over the past ten years. A more covert racism, a harsher racism and a more difficult racism to challenge has emerged. The economic crisis in Ireland: in an economic crisis people revert to type. This leads to a more censorious public attitude to those deemed to be different - Travellers.
It facilitates public officials with power overtly pursuing an assimilationist mindset. Assimilationist attitudes, practices and provisions which had been hidden behind a rhetoric of equality over the past ten years are once again more evident. Public officials hide behind the mantra: “We have no resources.” It allows public officials to cut back on Traveller-related expenditure in a manner that is disproportionate to cuts in other sectors. This ensures mainstreaming becomes assimilation as the Traveller-specific supports disappear. Equality gets defined as a luxury for when the government has a more disposable income. Protections against discrimination and racism have been dismantled, including the State infrastructure.
In everyday life, the impact of this racism is a backlash in the form of "Aren't they getting it all," and "This has all gone too far," and "Why aren't they more grateful?" This means Travellers who are deemed 'successful' can be drawn away from our community and our cultural roots, creating division, new rejection and maybe even a redefinition of Traveller identity. Mainstreaming, without equality mechanisms being put in place, can and does cause division within our community. Anti-social behaviour grows. This enables stereotypes to deepen and take hold. This creates new isolations, enabling self destruction, individually and collectively. Previously Travellers struggled to put cultural diversity on the agenda. Now it is on the agenda. There is a different struggle for Travellers now - the struggle to be acknowledged as part of the cultural diversity in Ireland.
Winnie is 22. She’s in her second year of a science degree. Winnie is part of the first generation of Traveller women to attend university. Her mother was one of those women who was involved in the Traveller rights movement in the 1980s. Her mother, Annie, fought hard against the system to get her child into mainstream primary and secondary school. Winnie succeeded in completing her education despite the pressure from her family and the wider Traveller community. Winnie says the racism she received from teachers and classmates was “casual” and she managed to “avoid” or ignore most of it.
There were times when Annie had no childcare support so young Winnie would have been brought after school or on holidays to political meetings or Traveller rights marches. The day that Winnie was accepted into university was a very proud moment, not just for her mother and her immediate family, but for the whole community. Five years previous to Winnie’s entrance into university, Traveller activists and Traveller organisations lobbied the government and the university for an affirmative action package targeted at Travellers. The package was generous by way of education, tuition, accommodation and daily subsistence. A working group made up of Traveller activists, academics and student supports set about defining the requirements for this affirmative action package. The applicants who would receive the package had to be from the Traveller community.[4]
The blueprint the working group operated from was similar to that of such programmes in New Zealand for the Maori community and in Australia for the Aboriginal people. The community hoped that not only would it produce Traveller university graduates but that it would also raise a sense of pride and self esteem for younger Travellers. Winnie was successful. She filled all the criteria. Her family were known to the community. Winnie graduated this summer. She refused to do any public events to promote the affirmative action programme. Invitations by the media for her to talk about her experience and to promote the programme Winnie also turned down. Activists and community leaders, particularly those involved in the working group, were angry and frustrated at Winnie’s decision. The academic institution insisted it was her choice to remain anonymous and at no point was she expected to be the poster person for this affirmative action.
The community believed Winnie had become arrogant, had a bad memory, was in denial. Traveller activists believed she was “passing”, not only as a “settled Traveller”, but as a settled person. It was said that she was forgetting her culture and heritage in an effort for personal freedom. Winnie felt she deserved her degree regardless of the affirmative programme. “The community doesn’t own me or my degree.” Traveller activists wanted the programme to be about creating future role models given the context of racism and discrimination experienced by the Traveller community.
Affirmative action is often seen very narrowly as a rite of passage for an individual - almost as a reward, which fulfils personal satisfaction and creates better individual opportunities rather than collective outcomes for the Traveller community. The tension between the individual who benefitted from the affirmative action package and the Traveller activists is straining. Is affirmative action a gift of perceived autonomy and advantage or is it a Trojan horse?
Affirmative action allowed Winnie to catch up to her settled peers. She carried five generations of a community hurt at being excluded, marginalised and forgotten. Her head hasn’t tipped the glass ceiling. It will; then she’ll realise racism is never casual.
[1] Our Geels Traveller Health Study 2010, pg. 163
[2] Bambra etal., 2010; Bambra, C. et al. (2010) Tackling the wider social determinants of health and health inequalities: evidence from systematic reviews. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 64: 284-291.
Rosengren et al. (2009) Rosengren, A. et al. INTERHEART investigators (2009) Education and risk for acute myocardial infarction in 52 high, middle and low-income countries: INTERHEART case-control study. Heart, 95(24): 2014-2022.
[3] Minister Harney launches the findings of the All-Ireland Traveller Health Study, Health Update, September 2 2010 -- http://healthupdate.gov.ie/nationwide/minister-harney-launches-the-findings-of-the-all-ireland-traveller-health-study.html
[4] Defined by the Equal Status Act 2000 - 2008, which defines the community as follows:
“People who are commonly called Travellers, who are identified both by Travellers and others as people with a shared history, culture and traditions, identified historically as a nomadic way of life on the Island of Ireland.”
My school day, over eleven years, was filled with drawing, knitting and sewing. Various therapies, such as speech and language, occupational therapy and physical therapy were also part of that day. Travellers were automatically assumed to have a cognitive and cultural disability. The segregated syllabus didn’t include languages, maths, history or the Irish language – all mandatory subjects in mainstream education. By Rosaleen McDonagh.
The legacy of segregated education which we as members of the Traveller community have experienced is special schools; special classes; special classes in special schools; special buses; special lunches; special toilets. This demoralising regime included being given daily showers at school. Hair was checked for head lice. This humiliation, in front of our settled peers, made going to school excruciating and terrifying.
One would imagine, with special funding set aside for Traveller education, that at least two generations of Traveller children should be well equipped academically for university. Not so. According to the last available Census (2006) figures two-thirds of Travellers have left school by 15 years and less than 1% make it to third level education.
The formal education system in Ireland refuses to acknowledge nomadism nor does it recognise Traveller ethnicity in the state syllabus.[1] Education is a key element in addressing broader social determinants[2] including risk of poverty, health status and employment opportunities. It is well documented that the more educated you are, the healthier you are, as you are in a position to make informed choices. However, although more than 90% of 14-year-old Travellers are now in school, their educational attainment is very low, with the majority continuing to leave school early.[3]
Since the 1980s, with the emergence of Traveller organisations committed to Traveller self-determination and the use of community development approaches, Traveller leaders have emerged. Most of us had very little or no education. Our consciousness was around the direct experience of racism that impacted on all areas of our lives. Traveller women have played a huge part in the quest for human rights and anti-discrimination laws over the past three decades. The hope was that these laws would possibly change the situation for our children and our grandchildren. Systematic racism is tiresome to challenge. Despite thirty years of political lobbying, social, personal and public activism, the context of our lives hasn’t changed. In 2010, the All Ireland Traveller Health Study was launched. The statistics tell of a stark reality of how another two generations of the Traveller community are affected by discrimination, racism and marginalisation.
The parameters of the racism experienced by Travellers have changed over the past ten years. A more covert racism, a harsher racism and a more difficult racism to challenge has emerged. The economic crisis in Ireland: in an economic crisis people revert to type. This leads to a more censorious public attitude to those deemed to be different - Travellers.
It facilitates public officials with power overtly pursuing an assimilationist mindset. Assimilationist attitudes, practices and provisions which had been hidden behind a rhetoric of equality over the past ten years are once again more evident. Public officials hide behind the mantra: “We have no resources.” It allows public officials to cut back on Traveller-related expenditure in a manner that is disproportionate to cuts in other sectors. This ensures mainstreaming becomes assimilation as the Traveller-specific supports disappear. Equality gets defined as a luxury for when the government has a more disposable income. Protections against discrimination and racism have been dismantled, including the State infrastructure.
In everyday life, the impact of this racism is a backlash in the form of "Aren't they getting it all," and "This has all gone too far," and "Why aren't they more grateful?" This means Travellers who are deemed 'successful' can be drawn away from our community and our cultural roots, creating division, new rejection and maybe even a redefinition of Traveller identity. Mainstreaming, without equality mechanisms being put in place, can and does cause division within our community. Anti-social behaviour grows. This enables stereotypes to deepen and take hold. This creates new isolations, enabling self destruction, individually and collectively. Previously Travellers struggled to put cultural diversity on the agenda. Now it is on the agenda. There is a different struggle for Travellers now - the struggle to be acknowledged as part of the cultural diversity in Ireland.
Winnie is 22. She’s in her second year of a science degree. Winnie is part of the first generation of Traveller women to attend university. Her mother was one of those women who was involved in the Traveller rights movement in the 1980s. Her mother, Annie, fought hard against the system to get her child into mainstream primary and secondary school. Winnie succeeded in completing her education despite the pressure from her family and the wider Traveller community. Winnie says the racism she received from teachers and classmates was “casual” and she managed to “avoid” or ignore most of it.
There were times when Annie had no childcare support so young Winnie would have been brought after school or on holidays to political meetings or Traveller rights marches. The day that Winnie was accepted into university was a very proud moment, not just for her mother and her immediate family, but for the whole community. Five years previous to Winnie’s entrance into university, Traveller activists and Traveller organisations lobbied the government and the university for an affirmative action package targeted at Travellers. The package was generous by way of education, tuition, accommodation and daily subsistence. A working group made up of Traveller activists, academics and student supports set about defining the requirements for this affirmative action package. The applicants who would receive the package had to be from the Traveller community.[4]
The blueprint the working group operated from was similar to that of such programmes in New Zealand for the Maori community and in Australia for the Aboriginal people. The community hoped that not only would it produce Traveller university graduates but that it would also raise a sense of pride and self esteem for younger Travellers. Winnie was successful. She filled all the criteria. Her family were known to the community. Winnie graduated this summer. She refused to do any public events to promote the affirmative action programme. Invitations by the media for her to talk about her experience and to promote the programme Winnie also turned down. Activists and community leaders, particularly those involved in the working group, were angry and frustrated at Winnie’s decision. The academic institution insisted it was her choice to remain anonymous and at no point was she expected to be the poster person for this affirmative action.
The community believed Winnie had become arrogant, had a bad memory, was in denial. Traveller activists believed she was “passing”, not only as a “settled Traveller”, but as a settled person. It was said that she was forgetting her culture and heritage in an effort for personal freedom. Winnie felt she deserved her degree regardless of the affirmative programme. “The community doesn’t own me or my degree.” Traveller activists wanted the programme to be about creating future role models given the context of racism and discrimination experienced by the Traveller community.
Affirmative action is often seen very narrowly as a rite of passage for an individual - almost as a reward, which fulfils personal satisfaction and creates better individual opportunities rather than collective outcomes for the Traveller community. The tension between the individual who benefitted from the affirmative action package and the Traveller activists is straining. Is affirmative action a gift of perceived autonomy and advantage or is it a Trojan horse?
Affirmative action allowed Winnie to catch up to her settled peers. She carried five generations of a community hurt at being excluded, marginalised and forgotten. Her head hasn’t tipped the glass ceiling. It will; then she’ll realise racism is never casual.
[1] Our Geels Traveller Health Study 2010, pg. 163
[2] Bambra etal., 2010; Bambra, C. et al. (2010) Tackling the wider social determinants of health and health inequalities: evidence from systematic reviews. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 64: 284-291.
Rosengren et al. (2009) Rosengren, A. et al. INTERHEART investigators (2009) Education and risk for acute myocardial infarction in 52 high, middle and low-income countries: INTERHEART case-control study. Heart, 95(24): 2014-2022.
[3] Minister Harney launches the findings of the All-Ireland Traveller Health Study, Health Update, September 2 2010 -- http://healthupdate.gov.ie/nationwide/minister-harney-launches-the-findings-of-the-all-ireland-traveller-health-study.html
[4] Defined by the Equal Status Act 2000 - 2008, which defines the community as follows:
“People who are commonly called Travellers, who are identified both by Travellers and others as people with a shared history, culture and traditions, identified historically as a nomadic way of life on the Island of Ireland.”
Horse fair divides opinions - Durham
From the Peterlee Star
PETERLEE Police chiefs say this year’s Horden Horse Fair passed largely without incident – but some businesses have criticised the event.
Apart from an incident in which a horse bolted and damaged a garden wall in Grants Houses , officers say there were no reports of trouble.
Travellers from as far as Canada and the USA descended on the village’s Sea View Industrial Estate in the week leading up to the bank holiday for the gathering.
Local traders, including the Sea View Diner food van and The Bell pub, saw a boost in business due to the influx of visitors, but some firms on the industrial estate itself have expressed concerns about the behaviour of Travellers and congestion and say they want the event pulled in future.
One local businesswoman, who did not want to be named, said: “It hasn’t gone without incident. Nobody wants the fair here, it’s just total disruption.”
She claimed that staff had been threatened by Travellers and there were congestion problems and said as well as the annual event, Travellers camp on the site every other week and leave litter.
The woman added: “Businesses are talking about moving out.
“Firms had to close on the weekend of the fair.
“It’s not known if it is a legal fair. They are trespassing on that land, but the police and council allow it to happen.”
“We get eight or nine caravans parked up most weeks, with 20-odd horses and people’s laundry hanging off lamp-posts, which isn’t good for business.
But Eddie Richardson, a spokesman for the Travellers, said: “I don’t mind if we do something wrong, but a lot of the time we are not to blame.
“With the incident with the horse and the garden wall, that was someone who wasn’t with the fair, though we have been reparing the wall.”
The 48-year-old, who is usually based in Houghton-le-Spring, said the fair was a chance for Traveller families to meet up and added: “The road was never blocked as we made a point with police to put up signs to keep the area clear.
“It’s quite possible that people could get verbal abuse, but a lot of people come here who aren’t Travellers.
“We will come back next year if possible, we have left the field tidy and as far as I know the fair has gone without incident.”
Inspector Dave Coxon, of Peterlee Police, said: “We will be having a meeting in the next few weeks about the fair and if anyone has any comments they want to make they are more than welcome to give me a call.
“Sergeant Iain Dickinson and his team spoke to businesses before the event about what their perspecitve was and their views will be fed into the next debrief.”
Colette Longbottom, Durham County Council’s head of legal and democratic services, said: “The legalities of events such as these are complex.
“As such, we work closely with the police to ensure they are conducted in a safe and controlled manner in order to minimise the impact on residents.”
PETERLEE Police chiefs say this year’s Horden Horse Fair passed largely without incident – but some businesses have criticised the event.
Apart from an incident in which a horse bolted and damaged a garden wall in Grants Houses , officers say there were no reports of trouble.
Travellers from as far as Canada and the USA descended on the village’s Sea View Industrial Estate in the week leading up to the bank holiday for the gathering.
Local traders, including the Sea View Diner food van and The Bell pub, saw a boost in business due to the influx of visitors, but some firms on the industrial estate itself have expressed concerns about the behaviour of Travellers and congestion and say they want the event pulled in future.
One local businesswoman, who did not want to be named, said: “It hasn’t gone without incident. Nobody wants the fair here, it’s just total disruption.”
She claimed that staff had been threatened by Travellers and there were congestion problems and said as well as the annual event, Travellers camp on the site every other week and leave litter.
The woman added: “Businesses are talking about moving out.
“Firms had to close on the weekend of the fair.
“It’s not known if it is a legal fair. They are trespassing on that land, but the police and council allow it to happen.”
“We get eight or nine caravans parked up most weeks, with 20-odd horses and people’s laundry hanging off lamp-posts, which isn’t good for business.
But Eddie Richardson, a spokesman for the Travellers, said: “I don’t mind if we do something wrong, but a lot of the time we are not to blame.
“With the incident with the horse and the garden wall, that was someone who wasn’t with the fair, though we have been reparing the wall.”
The 48-year-old, who is usually based in Houghton-le-Spring, said the fair was a chance for Traveller families to meet up and added: “The road was never blocked as we made a point with police to put up signs to keep the area clear.
“It’s quite possible that people could get verbal abuse, but a lot of people come here who aren’t Travellers.
“We will come back next year if possible, we have left the field tidy and as far as I know the fair has gone without incident.”
Inspector Dave Coxon, of Peterlee Police, said: “We will be having a meeting in the next few weeks about the fair and if anyone has any comments they want to make they are more than welcome to give me a call.
“Sergeant Iain Dickinson and his team spoke to businesses before the event about what their perspecitve was and their views will be fed into the next debrief.”
Colette Longbottom, Durham County Council’s head of legal and democratic services, said: “The legalities of events such as these are complex.
“As such, we work closely with the police to ensure they are conducted in a safe and controlled manner in order to minimise the impact on residents.”
Wednesday, 29 August 2012
Family calls for apology after being banned from show - Somerset
From the Shepton Mallet Journal
Fears of a fracas between rival Traveller families at Sunday's Mid Somerset Show saw one family banned from the Showfield on Sunday.
But the Smith family, well known in Shepton for their expertise in the horse world said they were baffled and upset by the ban and have called for an apology.
They have been exhibiting their skills and horses and carriages at the show for the last 28 years.
Manny Smith, 38,who traditionally transports the Shepton Mallet Carnival Queen by horse-drawn carriage to events every year said they had been looking forward to showing off the family's skills and their horses and gleaming carts in the carriage driving classes.
Having paid their entry fees and assembled off Cannards Grave Road for their traditional parade into the show they were dismayed to find the entry gate slammed shut in their faces.
Show organisers had decided at the last minute to stop any Travellers entering the showground after unsubstantiated reports of an alleged anticipated fight on site between rival families.
Despite protests from the family, backed up by bewildered horse stewards and show staff on the ground, the Smiths were turned away from the site.
A dismayed Mr Smith of Silk Close, Shepton Mallet said: "We spent all Saturday cleaning and grooming the horses and getting the carts ready as we have done for the show for the last 28 years.
"We were happily trotting down Cannards Grave Road on Sunday morning to enter the Showfield as usual when suddenly this great big tractor came steaming towards us and slammed into the gate to close it and prevent us from entering and left us out in the road in the middle of all the traffic. We started talking to people on the gates but they kept telling us 'No Travellers here'!'
"The horse stewards were backing us and protesting to the people stopping us coming in saying you can't leave the horses and carriages out there in the main road with all the traffic piling through – but we were just told to go away. We were devastated.
"We knew all the people on the gate and they were devastated too and didn't know why this was happening – none of us knew why this was happening. I had gone in earlier and paid the due entry fees and no-one said anything. They just said 'Thank you Mr Smith – we look forward to seeing you again...'
"Everyone was welcoming us and waving to us as we pulled in but suddenly the gate was slammed shut in our faces."
Mr Smith said he went into the showground and remonstrated with organisers and was reimbursed his entry fees.
Mr Smith called on the show organisers to apologise.
"I am just so embarrassed – we had friends and family and my work colleagues all waiting to see us and cheer us on in the ring – and now I can't face them. To get treated like that after all these years I just feel so bad – I don't know how I am going to go into work and face my work colleagues. I don't know if we all ever come to the show again."
Spokesmen for the show at first declined to comment. But sources said the action was taken after fears of a confrontation between rival families at the show – and the decision was made to protect show-goers in general.
In a statement on Monday the show chairman Ian Harvey said any complaint should be put in writing and would be discussed at the next meeting of the show's executive committee and a written response would be given. "Until then no comment will be made," he said.
Fears of a fracas between rival Traveller families at Sunday's Mid Somerset Show saw one family banned from the Showfield on Sunday.
But the Smith family, well known in Shepton for their expertise in the horse world said they were baffled and upset by the ban and have called for an apology.
They have been exhibiting their skills and horses and carriages at the show for the last 28 years.
Manny Smith, 38,who traditionally transports the Shepton Mallet Carnival Queen by horse-drawn carriage to events every year said they had been looking forward to showing off the family's skills and their horses and gleaming carts in the carriage driving classes.
Having paid their entry fees and assembled off Cannards Grave Road for their traditional parade into the show they were dismayed to find the entry gate slammed shut in their faces.
Show organisers had decided at the last minute to stop any Travellers entering the showground after unsubstantiated reports of an alleged anticipated fight on site between rival families.
Despite protests from the family, backed up by bewildered horse stewards and show staff on the ground, the Smiths were turned away from the site.
A dismayed Mr Smith of Silk Close, Shepton Mallet said: "We spent all Saturday cleaning and grooming the horses and getting the carts ready as we have done for the show for the last 28 years.
"We were happily trotting down Cannards Grave Road on Sunday morning to enter the Showfield as usual when suddenly this great big tractor came steaming towards us and slammed into the gate to close it and prevent us from entering and left us out in the road in the middle of all the traffic. We started talking to people on the gates but they kept telling us 'No Travellers here'!'
"The horse stewards were backing us and protesting to the people stopping us coming in saying you can't leave the horses and carriages out there in the main road with all the traffic piling through – but we were just told to go away. We were devastated.
"We knew all the people on the gate and they were devastated too and didn't know why this was happening – none of us knew why this was happening. I had gone in earlier and paid the due entry fees and no-one said anything. They just said 'Thank you Mr Smith – we look forward to seeing you again...'
"Everyone was welcoming us and waving to us as we pulled in but suddenly the gate was slammed shut in our faces."
Mr Smith said he went into the showground and remonstrated with organisers and was reimbursed his entry fees.
Mr Smith called on the show organisers to apologise.
"I am just so embarrassed – we had friends and family and my work colleagues all waiting to see us and cheer us on in the ring – and now I can't face them. To get treated like that after all these years I just feel so bad – I don't know how I am going to go into work and face my work colleagues. I don't know if we all ever come to the show again."
Spokesmen for the show at first declined to comment. But sources said the action was taken after fears of a confrontation between rival families at the show – and the decision was made to protect show-goers in general.
In a statement on Monday the show chairman Ian Harvey said any complaint should be put in writing and would be discussed at the next meeting of the show's executive committee and a written response would be given. "Until then no comment will be made," he said.
Travellers can stay on 'death trap' site - Cornwall
From the Cornish Guardian
A FAMILY of six Travellers has moved onto a "death trap" derelict hotel site in Newquay, the Cornish Guardian has learnt.
The group, which includes two adults and four under-18s, set up camp at the former Cedars Hotel at the junction between Mount Wise and St George's Road last week.
Police and social services visited the "rat-infested" site on Tuesday to check on the youngsters' welfare, but decided no action was necessary.
The resort's police chief, Inspector Ian Drummond-Smith, said the landowners were aware of the Travellers and had not requested eviction.
Cornwall Council's environmental health team has advised the family it is unsafe to live on the site. It is understood they had intended to move on but one of their children developed an abscess on her foot and needed medical treatment in the resort.
Mr Drummond-Smith said police would continue to monitor the site, adding: "We have limited powers to move Travellers from land. We have contacted the landowners and are happy they are aware of the situation. At this time we have not received any request to remove the Travellers."
The news has sparked fresh calls for the eyesore site to be better secured, or even demolished, after children were spotted playing on bikes within the perimeter fence.
John Coltman, owner of the nearby Trelinda Hotel and vice-chair of Newquay Town Residents' Association, said: "We've had enough. This has been going on since 2003 and the place is a death trap. Are they waiting for someone to get killed in there?
"I'm paying rates here on my hotel and just up the road we've got a site that's infested with flies and rats. It looks like something out of Slumdog Millionaire. This isn't Bombay, it's the main tourist town in Cornwall. This is negligence in a big way by Cornwall Council."
Kevin Brader, the council's senior environmental health officer, said two enforcement notices had been served on the owners, aimed at securing the site and removing rubbish. Contractors have been on site this week.
"The building is in a state of disrepair," he said. "We want it secured and we will ensure this is carried out. Any costs incurred will be recovered from the landowner."
A structural assessment was carried out on the hotel which found the building was not in danger of collapsing.
Mr Brader said: "If it was likely to fall down we could insist it was demolished but it is structurally stable so that isn't required."
An application was lodged in August last year to build 35 residential flats on the site. The site owners, believed to be Cornwall-based Rockmount Developments Ltd, could not be contacted.
A FAMILY of six Travellers has moved onto a "death trap" derelict hotel site in Newquay, the Cornish Guardian has learnt.
The group, which includes two adults and four under-18s, set up camp at the former Cedars Hotel at the junction between Mount Wise and St George's Road last week.
Police and social services visited the "rat-infested" site on Tuesday to check on the youngsters' welfare, but decided no action was necessary.
The resort's police chief, Inspector Ian Drummond-Smith, said the landowners were aware of the Travellers and had not requested eviction.
Cornwall Council's environmental health team has advised the family it is unsafe to live on the site. It is understood they had intended to move on but one of their children developed an abscess on her foot and needed medical treatment in the resort.
Mr Drummond-Smith said police would continue to monitor the site, adding: "We have limited powers to move Travellers from land. We have contacted the landowners and are happy they are aware of the situation. At this time we have not received any request to remove the Travellers."
The news has sparked fresh calls for the eyesore site to be better secured, or even demolished, after children were spotted playing on bikes within the perimeter fence.
John Coltman, owner of the nearby Trelinda Hotel and vice-chair of Newquay Town Residents' Association, said: "We've had enough. This has been going on since 2003 and the place is a death trap. Are they waiting for someone to get killed in there?
"I'm paying rates here on my hotel and just up the road we've got a site that's infested with flies and rats. It looks like something out of Slumdog Millionaire. This isn't Bombay, it's the main tourist town in Cornwall. This is negligence in a big way by Cornwall Council."
Kevin Brader, the council's senior environmental health officer, said two enforcement notices had been served on the owners, aimed at securing the site and removing rubbish. Contractors have been on site this week.
"The building is in a state of disrepair," he said. "We want it secured and we will ensure this is carried out. Any costs incurred will be recovered from the landowner."
A structural assessment was carried out on the hotel which found the building was not in danger of collapsing.
Mr Brader said: "If it was likely to fall down we could insist it was demolished but it is structurally stable so that isn't required."
An application was lodged in August last year to build 35 residential flats on the site. The site owners, believed to be Cornwall-based Rockmount Developments Ltd, could not be contacted.
Clamp down on illegal encampments
From Communities and Local Government
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has called on councils to clamp down on illegal encampments and to stop unauthorised Traveller sites being set up.
New guidance has been sent to all council leaders advising how to act swiftly. The advice sets out the strong powers councils and landowners have to remove illegal and unauthorised encampments, such as Traveller sites, protest camps and squatter sites from both public and private land.
The guidance makes clear that councils should work with agencies, such as the police and Highways Agency, and make full use of the powers that can stop illegal camps ever starting.
Councils have seen a number of cases of people setting up unauthorised encampments at weekends, for example, and using that time to develop land illegally while council offices are closed.
Setting up camps during a weekend often means enforcement action needed to stop unauthorised camps and development - such as actions to stop the cutting down of protected trees or laying of concrete drives - is delayed or too late.
Eric Pickles said:
"I'm urging all councils to be on the front foot and ready to take action straightaway to stop illegal camps starting in the first place. This Government has strengthened councils' powers to take action, but I want councils to have the confidence to take decisive action. Too often councils and landowners feel powerless to stop unauthorised camps and development when in fact there are extensive powers to tackle this problem head on."
"Unauthorised development is totally unacceptable at any time but can often be more upsetting for local established communities when it happens while council offices are closed and people feel there is no one available to help them.
"There is never justification for people bypassing the planning rules that everyone else has to abide by and this guidance makes crystal clear what powers there are to stop unauthorised development before bigger problems arise."
Mr Pickles has urged councils to ensure planning officers are ready to take swift enforcement action and use the tough powers available to tackle rogue encampments. Powers that can be used include:
pre-emptive injunctions to protect vulnerable land from unauthorised encampments;
possession orders to remove trespassers from land;
police powers to order unauthorised campers to leave land;
temporary stop notices to stop work that breaches planning rules, allowing councils to decide whether further enforcement action is needed
powers of entry onto land so authorised officers can obtain information for enforcement purposes.
planning contravention notices to stop work on development if there appears to be a breach of planning rules or a council needs more information about the activities on the land;
enforcement notices to remedy a breach of planning rules;
ensuring sites have valid caravan or tent site licenses.
The Government is committed to protecting the nation's green spaces and this guidance will help protect Green Belt land and the countryside from illegal encampments.
The Government has already introduced new rights for Travellers who play by the rules. These include stronger tenancy rights on authorised council sites, incentives through the New Homes Bonus scheme for councils to build more authorised sites, and the abolition of Whitehall Planning Circulars on Travellers. It is spending £60million on helping local communities establish properly approved and planned sites and earlier this year published new planning policy on Traveller sites.
Notes to editors
The summary of powers can be found at: www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/unauthorisedencampments.
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has called on councils to clamp down on illegal encampments and to stop unauthorised Traveller sites being set up.
New guidance has been sent to all council leaders advising how to act swiftly. The advice sets out the strong powers councils and landowners have to remove illegal and unauthorised encampments, such as Traveller sites, protest camps and squatter sites from both public and private land.
The guidance makes clear that councils should work with agencies, such as the police and Highways Agency, and make full use of the powers that can stop illegal camps ever starting.
Councils have seen a number of cases of people setting up unauthorised encampments at weekends, for example, and using that time to develop land illegally while council offices are closed.
Setting up camps during a weekend often means enforcement action needed to stop unauthorised camps and development - such as actions to stop the cutting down of protected trees or laying of concrete drives - is delayed or too late.
Eric Pickles said:
"I'm urging all councils to be on the front foot and ready to take action straightaway to stop illegal camps starting in the first place. This Government has strengthened councils' powers to take action, but I want councils to have the confidence to take decisive action. Too often councils and landowners feel powerless to stop unauthorised camps and development when in fact there are extensive powers to tackle this problem head on."
"Unauthorised development is totally unacceptable at any time but can often be more upsetting for local established communities when it happens while council offices are closed and people feel there is no one available to help them.
"There is never justification for people bypassing the planning rules that everyone else has to abide by and this guidance makes crystal clear what powers there are to stop unauthorised development before bigger problems arise."
Mr Pickles has urged councils to ensure planning officers are ready to take swift enforcement action and use the tough powers available to tackle rogue encampments. Powers that can be used include:
pre-emptive injunctions to protect vulnerable land from unauthorised encampments;
possession orders to remove trespassers from land;
police powers to order unauthorised campers to leave land;
temporary stop notices to stop work that breaches planning rules, allowing councils to decide whether further enforcement action is needed
powers of entry onto land so authorised officers can obtain information for enforcement purposes.
planning contravention notices to stop work on development if there appears to be a breach of planning rules or a council needs more information about the activities on the land;
enforcement notices to remedy a breach of planning rules;
ensuring sites have valid caravan or tent site licenses.
The Government is committed to protecting the nation's green spaces and this guidance will help protect Green Belt land and the countryside from illegal encampments.
The Government has already introduced new rights for Travellers who play by the rules. These include stronger tenancy rights on authorised council sites, incentives through the New Homes Bonus scheme for councils to build more authorised sites, and the abolition of Whitehall Planning Circulars on Travellers. It is spending £60million on helping local communities establish properly approved and planned sites and earlier this year published new planning policy on Traveller sites.
Notes to editors
The summary of powers can be found at: www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/unauthorisedencampments.
Irish Traveller Movement in Britain Annual Conference:When the going gets tough
From the Irish Traveller Movement In Britain
The ITMB Annual Conference date is now announced! Make a note of the date. Thursday 15th November 2012, titled, When the going gets tough.
This year’s conference, When the going gets tough, will bring together a broad range of service providers, policy makers and community members in a dialogue to assess and review where and how Gypsies, Roma and Travellers are being included within the social, economic and equalities agendas. The conference will highlight the key issues affecting these communities, the impact of Government cuts and how we can protect and improve existing services. It will also bring to light models of good practice and how we can ensure the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities are not further excluded.
Early bird tickets are now available, with a 10% off the original price available until 11.30pm on Monday 3rd September. Tickets will then go on sale at full cost.
To find out more about ITMB’s annual conference, When the going gets tough, and to see the full brochure, click here
To book tickets for this event, follow this link; http://www.etickets.to/buy/?e=8694
The ITMB Annual Conference date is now announced! Make a note of the date. Thursday 15th November 2012, titled, When the going gets tough.
This year’s conference, When the going gets tough, will bring together a broad range of service providers, policy makers and community members in a dialogue to assess and review where and how Gypsies, Roma and Travellers are being included within the social, economic and equalities agendas. The conference will highlight the key issues affecting these communities, the impact of Government cuts and how we can protect and improve existing services. It will also bring to light models of good practice and how we can ensure the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities are not further excluded.
Early bird tickets are now available, with a 10% off the original price available until 11.30pm on Monday 3rd September. Tickets will then go on sale at full cost.
To find out more about ITMB’s annual conference, When the going gets tough, and to see the full brochure, click here
To book tickets for this event, follow this link; http://www.etickets.to/buy/?e=8694
Dale Farm travellers' pitch plan for Basildon - Essex
From the BBC
Fifteen families evicted from Dale Farm could be given a legal, permanent home under plans for a new caravan site.
The Irish Travellers Movement in Britain (ITMB) said it had submitted the planning application for pitches on a derelict site in Basildon in Essex.
Council bailiffs evicted 80 families from illegal pitches at Dale Farm, near Basildon, in October last year.
Basildon Council said it had received the application for Gardiner's Lane South.
ITMB said the permanent pitches would home "the most vulnerable families that still have nowhere to go after the eviction from the unauthorised Dale Farm traveller site".
Former residents of Dale Farm have been involved in the design, which includes a public children's play area, a community building, a site manager's office, trees, grassed areas and hedging.
ITMB hopes to make a successful bid for funding from the Homes and Communities Agency, which owns the plot of light industrial and commercial units, playing fields and vacant land.
'Severe health problems'
"About 80 homeless Travellers remain camped outside the evicted Dale Farm site," a spokesman said.
"They have no running water, no electricity and no sanitation.
"Many of the Travellers are vulnerable, are elderly and infirm, or with severe health problems and many are families with young children."
Michael Hargreaves, ITMB's planning and accommodation adviser, said it had consulted the council's planning department during the drafting of the application.
"This is not greenbelt land, this is unwanted land that has been vacant for many years," he said.
"If the plans are approved, it will provide a good quality site for 15 vulnerable Traveller families with nowhere else to go."
Travellers illegally camped on a track near Dale Farm have been served with eviction notices by the council.
Last year's clearance of 49 illegal pitches at Dale Farm was the culmination of a 10-year battle between travellers, who bought a former scrapyard on green belt land, and the council.
Fifteen families evicted from Dale Farm could be given a legal, permanent home under plans for a new caravan site.
The Irish Travellers Movement in Britain (ITMB) said it had submitted the planning application for pitches on a derelict site in Basildon in Essex.
Council bailiffs evicted 80 families from illegal pitches at Dale Farm, near Basildon, in October last year.
Basildon Council said it had received the application for Gardiner's Lane South.
ITMB said the permanent pitches would home "the most vulnerable families that still have nowhere to go after the eviction from the unauthorised Dale Farm traveller site".
Former residents of Dale Farm have been involved in the design, which includes a public children's play area, a community building, a site manager's office, trees, grassed areas and hedging.
ITMB hopes to make a successful bid for funding from the Homes and Communities Agency, which owns the plot of light industrial and commercial units, playing fields and vacant land.
'Severe health problems'
"About 80 homeless Travellers remain camped outside the evicted Dale Farm site," a spokesman said.
"They have no running water, no electricity and no sanitation.
"Many of the Travellers are vulnerable, are elderly and infirm, or with severe health problems and many are families with young children."
Michael Hargreaves, ITMB's planning and accommodation adviser, said it had consulted the council's planning department during the drafting of the application.
"This is not greenbelt land, this is unwanted land that has been vacant for many years," he said.
"If the plans are approved, it will provide a good quality site for 15 vulnerable Traveller families with nowhere else to go."
Travellers illegally camped on a track near Dale Farm have been served with eviction notices by the council.
Last year's clearance of 49 illegal pitches at Dale Farm was the culmination of a 10-year battle between travellers, who bought a former scrapyard on green belt land, and the council.
Outreach in Basildon - Essex
From the Travellers' Solidarity Network
After a slow and grumpy Monday morning start, with one man berating us even before the stall was up and running, the sun came out and we swung into action. Three security people contracted by Basildon Council hung around for a while but happily went on their way after we explained what we were doing and showed them the information on display.
This time we were publicising the threatened second eviction from Dale Farm, as well as the testing by the Environment Agency. The “before and after” photographs again proved good evidence for visitors to the stall. All were dismayed and upset when they saw the state of Dale Farm after its destruction by Basildon Council.
Lots of people stopped to talk with us, take leaflets and sign the petition, including at least two groups of Travellers who were not from Dale Farm. Some passers-by were not supporters but genuinely wanted to find out more, while some others just didnʼt want to know anything.
Leaflets were given only to people who wanted them, and about 25-50% of passers-by
took one. 30 more people signed the petition to Basildon Council supporting the Travellersʼ right to stop on land in Basildon; some people were so indignant about the Councilʼs treatment of the Traveller families that they marched over to sign it without the need for an invitation.
By lunch-time the office workers were out on the streets so we had a different type of audience. In all we handed out hundreds of leaflets and it was an interesting experience, as well as useful for informing and gauging public opinion; which is important at local council level.
The next stall will be in Basildon on Thursday 6th September 11:30-14:00- you’ll see our flags!
After a slow and grumpy Monday morning start, with one man berating us even before the stall was up and running, the sun came out and we swung into action. Three security people contracted by Basildon Council hung around for a while but happily went on their way after we explained what we were doing and showed them the information on display.
This time we were publicising the threatened second eviction from Dale Farm, as well as the testing by the Environment Agency. The “before and after” photographs again proved good evidence for visitors to the stall. All were dismayed and upset when they saw the state of Dale Farm after its destruction by Basildon Council.
Lots of people stopped to talk with us, take leaflets and sign the petition, including at least two groups of Travellers who were not from Dale Farm. Some passers-by were not supporters but genuinely wanted to find out more, while some others just didnʼt want to know anything.
Leaflets were given only to people who wanted them, and about 25-50% of passers-by
took one. 30 more people signed the petition to Basildon Council supporting the Travellersʼ right to stop on land in Basildon; some people were so indignant about the Councilʼs treatment of the Traveller families that they marched over to sign it without the need for an invitation.
By lunch-time the office workers were out on the streets so we had a different type of audience. In all we handed out hundreds of leaflets and it was an interesting experience, as well as useful for informing and gauging public opinion; which is important at local council level.
The next stall will be in Basildon on Thursday 6th September 11:30-14:00- you’ll see our flags!
'Futility' of ideas for Traveller sites - Somerset
From the Bath Chronicle
Council officials are to consider a further 27 sites as potential locations for Gypsy and Traveller developments.
The sites were suggested by members of public through Bath and North East Somerset Council's Gypsy and Traveller site consultation which ended last month and have been made public as the authority rejects a number of controversial choices.
The council has stressed that it has not investigated any of the 27 sites and is simply passing on the public's ideas at this stage.
But it has admitted that several are complete non-starters, including the Quarry Rock Gardens mobile home retirement park at Claverton Down, where the authority's former chairman Councillor Bryan Chalker lives.
Other suggestions which the council acknowledges are "not available" include the Crossways Caravan Site at Dunkerton, Newton Mill Caravan Park, Odd Down FC's ground, the ex-Courthouse filling station now set to be a Tesco Express, and the University of Bath's Sulis Club at Claverton Down.
Sites which might be given more serious consideration include one at Charlton Lane in Queen Charlton, land at Charmy Down, a plot at Hick's Gate near Keynsham, and the city's three redundant Ministry of Defence bases.
In a statement, B&NES said: "This is simply a list of sites suggested by members of the public.
"No assessments have been conducted to consider their suitability.
"The council is in the process of confirming exact site locations and ownership details. They will be assessed at the next stage of preparing the council's plan.
"Members of the public will be able to comment on the assessment of the suitability of these sites at a later stage of the preparation of the development plan."
Mr Chalker (Con, Lambridge) said he was still unhappy with the process: "This seems to have been done without any form of consultation.
"To pick on where I live, I will make Dale Farm look like a teddy bear's picnic.
"Whoever has come up with this, they have probably instigated a great inquiry from within. I won't be the only Mr Angry."
Councillor Dave Laming (Ind, Lambridge) said the sites should have been filtered before being published.
He said: "Why put out the ex-mayor's front garden, why put out the Tesco land at Windsor Bridge, knowing none of these were available?
"Senior officer time has been spent on this so we the taxpayers are paying for the futility of this."
The 27 sites will be reported to the council's cabinet at its next meeting on September 12.
Council officials are to consider a further 27 sites as potential locations for Gypsy and Traveller developments.
The sites were suggested by members of public through Bath and North East Somerset Council's Gypsy and Traveller site consultation which ended last month and have been made public as the authority rejects a number of controversial choices.
The council has stressed that it has not investigated any of the 27 sites and is simply passing on the public's ideas at this stage.
But it has admitted that several are complete non-starters, including the Quarry Rock Gardens mobile home retirement park at Claverton Down, where the authority's former chairman Councillor Bryan Chalker lives.
Other suggestions which the council acknowledges are "not available" include the Crossways Caravan Site at Dunkerton, Newton Mill Caravan Park, Odd Down FC's ground, the ex-Courthouse filling station now set to be a Tesco Express, and the University of Bath's Sulis Club at Claverton Down.
Sites which might be given more serious consideration include one at Charlton Lane in Queen Charlton, land at Charmy Down, a plot at Hick's Gate near Keynsham, and the city's three redundant Ministry of Defence bases.
In a statement, B&NES said: "This is simply a list of sites suggested by members of the public.
"No assessments have been conducted to consider their suitability.
"The council is in the process of confirming exact site locations and ownership details. They will be assessed at the next stage of preparing the council's plan.
"Members of the public will be able to comment on the assessment of the suitability of these sites at a later stage of the preparation of the development plan."
Mr Chalker (Con, Lambridge) said he was still unhappy with the process: "This seems to have been done without any form of consultation.
"To pick on where I live, I will make Dale Farm look like a teddy bear's picnic.
"Whoever has come up with this, they have probably instigated a great inquiry from within. I won't be the only Mr Angry."
Councillor Dave Laming (Ind, Lambridge) said the sites should have been filtered before being published.
He said: "Why put out the ex-mayor's front garden, why put out the Tesco land at Windsor Bridge, knowing none of these were available?
"Senior officer time has been spent on this so we the taxpayers are paying for the futility of this."
The 27 sites will be reported to the council's cabinet at its next meeting on September 12.
Dale Farm prosecutions abandoned by council - Essex
From the Guardian
A council will take no further action against protesters arrested during the clearance of Europe's largest illegal Travellers' site. The protesters were among those arrested as they clashed with police and bailiffs as travellers were removed from Dale Farm, Essex, last October.
Basildon council prosecuted two people successfully for obstructing a bailiff and issued cautions to 10 others. it announced it was dropping the prosecution of 14 more people.
Raj Chada, of solicitors Hodge, Jones Allen, which represented the protesters, said: "As well as the millions spent on the eviction itself, Basildon council sought to spend even more on a vindictive prosecution of a group of people who happened to disagree with them – and this at a time when local services are being slashed because of budget cuts. Thankfully for the clients, it is over."
Tony Ball, leader of Basildon council, said the decision had been taken after a district judge questioned the public interest in bringing the earlier prosecution. "This has been a finely balanced decision. I understand and respect the judge's comments about the time that has elapsed, the fact the site is cleared and any fines imposed would be low.
"I am concerned about the message this would send to the protesters, who caused the council to incur considerable extra expense, and to our residents, who have had to pick up the bill. However, there are a number of other factors to consider, including the time and cost for the police and the council and the court time that this is taking up."
The £7m clearance followed a 10-year row over unauthorised occupation of the 2.4-hectare site.
A council will take no further action against protesters arrested during the clearance of Europe's largest illegal Travellers' site. The protesters were among those arrested as they clashed with police and bailiffs as travellers were removed from Dale Farm, Essex, last October.
Basildon council prosecuted two people successfully for obstructing a bailiff and issued cautions to 10 others. it announced it was dropping the prosecution of 14 more people.
Raj Chada, of solicitors Hodge, Jones Allen, which represented the protesters, said: "As well as the millions spent on the eviction itself, Basildon council sought to spend even more on a vindictive prosecution of a group of people who happened to disagree with them – and this at a time when local services are being slashed because of budget cuts. Thankfully for the clients, it is over."
Tony Ball, leader of Basildon council, said the decision had been taken after a district judge questioned the public interest in bringing the earlier prosecution. "This has been a finely balanced decision. I understand and respect the judge's comments about the time that has elapsed, the fact the site is cleared and any fines imposed would be low.
"I am concerned about the message this would send to the protesters, who caused the council to incur considerable extra expense, and to our residents, who have had to pick up the bill. However, there are a number of other factors to consider, including the time and cost for the police and the council and the court time that this is taking up."
The £7m clearance followed a 10-year row over unauthorised occupation of the 2.4-hectare site.
New bid to move travellers from airfield - Suffolk
From EADP24
FOR the second time in a month, steps are being taken to remove a group of Travellers from land owned by Suffolk County Council.
The group initially set up camp opposite a playground on Aubrey Drive in Sudbury, and the county was forced to take legal action to get them to move.
The same group has now relocated to Chilton airfield just a mile away, and a case conference has been arranged to start the eviction process again.
The case coincides with a move by the Government to encourage local authorities to clamp down on illegal encampments. New guidance has been sent to all council leaders setting out the powers local authorities and landowners have to remove unauthorised encampments, from both public and private land.
The guidance also encourages councils to work with the police and highways departments to make full use of the powers they have to stop Travellers moving in, including pre-emptive injunctions to protect vulnerable sites, and possession orders to remove trespassers from land.
A county council spokewoman said they were aware of the community of Travellers on land on the edge of Chilton airfield and confirmed that a case conference was due to be held this Thursday. She said Suffolk already had an established and effective protocol for dealing with illegal encampments, and the new guidance simply collated powers already in force for local authorities to use.
She added: “Our Traveller liaison service will work with the travellers, and Suffolk police will monitor the (Chilton) site over the coming days.
“This is all part of an established protocol for managing unauthorised encampments in the county, which has been in place since 2008. The protocol has been used successfully in many cases to protect local communities while taking the rights of gypsies and travellers into account.”
Nationally, local authorities have seen an increase in the number of cases of Travellers taking over land, particularly during public holidays when council offices are closed.
However, the Suffolk spokeswoman confirmed: “This year has been particularly quiet with regards to unauthorised encampments in contrast with previous years, with approximately twenty county-wide in contrast to thirty or forty in previous years.”
The Government has already introduced measures such as stronger tenancy rights for travellers on authorised council sites. Earlier this year a new planning policy on traveller sites was also released.
FOR the second time in a month, steps are being taken to remove a group of Travellers from land owned by Suffolk County Council.
The group initially set up camp opposite a playground on Aubrey Drive in Sudbury, and the county was forced to take legal action to get them to move.
The same group has now relocated to Chilton airfield just a mile away, and a case conference has been arranged to start the eviction process again.
The case coincides with a move by the Government to encourage local authorities to clamp down on illegal encampments. New guidance has been sent to all council leaders setting out the powers local authorities and landowners have to remove unauthorised encampments, from both public and private land.
The guidance also encourages councils to work with the police and highways departments to make full use of the powers they have to stop Travellers moving in, including pre-emptive injunctions to protect vulnerable sites, and possession orders to remove trespassers from land.
A county council spokewoman said they were aware of the community of Travellers on land on the edge of Chilton airfield and confirmed that a case conference was due to be held this Thursday. She said Suffolk already had an established and effective protocol for dealing with illegal encampments, and the new guidance simply collated powers already in force for local authorities to use.
She added: “Our Traveller liaison service will work with the travellers, and Suffolk police will monitor the (Chilton) site over the coming days.
“This is all part of an established protocol for managing unauthorised encampments in the county, which has been in place since 2008. The protocol has been used successfully in many cases to protect local communities while taking the rights of gypsies and travellers into account.”
Nationally, local authorities have seen an increase in the number of cases of Travellers taking over land, particularly during public holidays when council offices are closed.
However, the Suffolk spokeswoman confirmed: “This year has been particularly quiet with regards to unauthorised encampments in contrast with previous years, with approximately twenty county-wide in contrast to thirty or forty in previous years.”
The Government has already introduced measures such as stronger tenancy rights for travellers on authorised council sites. Earlier this year a new planning policy on traveller sites was also released.
Group of Gypsies make fresh bid to stay in Meriden
From the BBC
A group of Gypsies has made a fresh bid to stay in the West Midlands after they were told to leave their illegal site.
A High Court judge rejected their appeal in April against a decision ruling their development on greenbelt land in Meriden was illegal.
They have now submitted an application to Solihull Borough Council for a temporary site at a nearby builders' yard on Eaves Green Lane.
A decision is expected to be made in October.
'Urgently needed'
The group originally put up eight caravan pitches on greenbelt land off Eaves Green Lane in April 2010.
In July 2010, Solihull Borough Council refused to give the Gypsies retrospective planning permission, a decision upheld by Secretary of State Eric Pickles in October 2011.
The travellers reached an agreement with the council to leave the site by the end of March 2013.
Last week, seven families submitted a temporary application to redevelop a builders' yard on Eaves Green Lane for eight caravans and timber sheds for toilets, showers and cooking facilities.
A supporting statement for the application said the site was "urgently needed" after efforts to make alternative arrangements had "drawn a blank".
see also The Birmingham Mail - Meriden fury as Travellers make new planning application in Gypsy camp battle
A group of Gypsies has made a fresh bid to stay in the West Midlands after they were told to leave their illegal site.
A High Court judge rejected their appeal in April against a decision ruling their development on greenbelt land in Meriden was illegal.
They have now submitted an application to Solihull Borough Council for a temporary site at a nearby builders' yard on Eaves Green Lane.
A decision is expected to be made in October.
'Urgently needed'
The group originally put up eight caravan pitches on greenbelt land off Eaves Green Lane in April 2010.
In July 2010, Solihull Borough Council refused to give the Gypsies retrospective planning permission, a decision upheld by Secretary of State Eric Pickles in October 2011.
The travellers reached an agreement with the council to leave the site by the end of March 2013.
Last week, seven families submitted a temporary application to redevelop a builders' yard on Eaves Green Lane for eight caravans and timber sheds for toilets, showers and cooking facilities.
A supporting statement for the application said the site was "urgently needed" after efforts to make alternative arrangements had "drawn a blank".
see also The Birmingham Mail - Meriden fury as Travellers make new planning application in Gypsy camp battle
Temporary Gypsy site set to be cleared - Cheshire
From the Knutsford Guardian
PICKMERE residents have welcomed a decision which will see a temporary Gypsy site in the village cleared by the borough authority.
The site on Spinks Lane in the village has been used as a temporary site by the Dolan family for the past four years.
The family applied to make it a permanent traveller site in 2009 but lost an appeal a year later, and decided to try again this summer.
But at a Cheshire East strategic planning meeting this month it was again rejected on the grounds the land was in the green belt and the scheme would damage the surrounding area.
Council leader Clr Michael Jones said: “We all know illegal Gypsy and Traveller sites are not good for residents, and the council is looking to enforce wherever it can with sound and robust policies.
“The council is looking to become known as representatives of the people and of communities, and for this reason we will be operating a robust enforcement culture at Cheshire East within accepted planning guidelines.
“We are keen to work alongside these families and fulfil our obligation to secure approved settlement sites, and we would urge the traveller community to work with us to find suitable locations.
“But until such time, the council will simply not stand by and allow an illegal gipsy and caravan site to remain on Spinks Lane in Pickmere.
“The occupied site also presents a risk to highways and spoils the character of the area, which is green belt.
“The families concerned are being given reasonable time to move off this land voluntarily.
“This is the second unsuccessful planning application submitted to the council for a gipsy and traveller site on this land.
“I have now personally written to Tatton MP George Osborne to highlight my concerns, and a response is anticipated in the very near future.”
Mr Osborne met with Clr Andrew Short, chairman of Pickmere Parish Council, and Clr Chris Tarrant to discuss their concerns regarding the application He said he was delighted to see that his Government’s new Localism Act has been used to tackle abuse of the planning system.
He said: “The public want to see fair play – everyone being treated equally and even-handedly in the planning process.
“This is a real example of local people making a difference and having their voice heard.”
PICKMERE residents have welcomed a decision which will see a temporary Gypsy site in the village cleared by the borough authority.
The site on Spinks Lane in the village has been used as a temporary site by the Dolan family for the past four years.
The family applied to make it a permanent traveller site in 2009 but lost an appeal a year later, and decided to try again this summer.
But at a Cheshire East strategic planning meeting this month it was again rejected on the grounds the land was in the green belt and the scheme would damage the surrounding area.
Council leader Clr Michael Jones said: “We all know illegal Gypsy and Traveller sites are not good for residents, and the council is looking to enforce wherever it can with sound and robust policies.
“The council is looking to become known as representatives of the people and of communities, and for this reason we will be operating a robust enforcement culture at Cheshire East within accepted planning guidelines.
“We are keen to work alongside these families and fulfil our obligation to secure approved settlement sites, and we would urge the traveller community to work with us to find suitable locations.
“But until such time, the council will simply not stand by and allow an illegal gipsy and caravan site to remain on Spinks Lane in Pickmere.
“The occupied site also presents a risk to highways and spoils the character of the area, which is green belt.
“The families concerned are being given reasonable time to move off this land voluntarily.
“This is the second unsuccessful planning application submitted to the council for a gipsy and traveller site on this land.
“I have now personally written to Tatton MP George Osborne to highlight my concerns, and a response is anticipated in the very near future.”
Mr Osborne met with Clr Andrew Short, chairman of Pickmere Parish Council, and Clr Chris Tarrant to discuss their concerns regarding the application He said he was delighted to see that his Government’s new Localism Act has been used to tackle abuse of the planning system.
He said: “The public want to see fair play – everyone being treated equally and even-handedly in the planning process.
“This is a real example of local people making a difference and having their voice heard.”
Gypsy site can stay for another three years - Sussex
From the Rye and Battle Observer
A GYPSY site can remain on land at Battle for another three years as Rother Council continues its search for permanent Traveller sites in the district.
Linda Smith has lived at Beeches Brook on Telham Lane since September 2007, but risked being ejected from the site by Rother District Council following a series of planning breaches.
Rother was due to take enforcement action against Linda in April 2010, but following an appeal the Government Planning Inspectorate granted permission for her to keep her mobile home on the site for another two-and-a-half years.
The extension was granted to allow time for Rother to find land for a new travellers site.
However the authority has yet to decide on a location.
Linda had applied for permanent planning permission, with Rother’s officers recommending the council approve the plans, subject to a number of conditions.
But yesterday (Thursday) Rother’s planning committee instead chose to renew the temporary planning permission for another three years.
An initial list of potential locations for traveller sites was revealed by Rother last month and included the pitch at Beeches Brook.
The list has since been withdrawn to allow councillors to conduct site visits to each potential site in Battle, Robertsbridge, Westfield, Ewhurst, Cripps Corner, Bexhill, Rye, Guestling Green and Flimwell.
Battle Town Council has always voiced strong opposition to the development at Beeches Brook.
The council argued that if a temporary permission is considered, this should be linked to the timetable for formally identifying permanent pitches.
But three petitions, with a combined total of almost 60 signatures, were submitted to Rother in support of the application.
Signatures were collected by parents of Battle and Langton School, regulars at The White Hart in Catsfield and Telham Cottage, the closest neighbouring dwelling to the site.
Two letters were written in support of the application, noting the site is kept clean and tidy and was an improvement on how it looked before Linda arrived.
Four letters of objection were received expressing concerns about the impact on the surrounding Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the risk of creating a precedent.
A GYPSY site can remain on land at Battle for another three years as Rother Council continues its search for permanent Traveller sites in the district.
Linda Smith has lived at Beeches Brook on Telham Lane since September 2007, but risked being ejected from the site by Rother District Council following a series of planning breaches.
Rother was due to take enforcement action against Linda in April 2010, but following an appeal the Government Planning Inspectorate granted permission for her to keep her mobile home on the site for another two-and-a-half years.
The extension was granted to allow time for Rother to find land for a new travellers site.
However the authority has yet to decide on a location.
Linda had applied for permanent planning permission, with Rother’s officers recommending the council approve the plans, subject to a number of conditions.
But yesterday (Thursday) Rother’s planning committee instead chose to renew the temporary planning permission for another three years.
An initial list of potential locations for traveller sites was revealed by Rother last month and included the pitch at Beeches Brook.
The list has since been withdrawn to allow councillors to conduct site visits to each potential site in Battle, Robertsbridge, Westfield, Ewhurst, Cripps Corner, Bexhill, Rye, Guestling Green and Flimwell.
Battle Town Council has always voiced strong opposition to the development at Beeches Brook.
The council argued that if a temporary permission is considered, this should be linked to the timetable for formally identifying permanent pitches.
But three petitions, with a combined total of almost 60 signatures, were submitted to Rother in support of the application.
Signatures were collected by parents of Battle and Langton School, regulars at The White Hart in Catsfield and Telham Cottage, the closest neighbouring dwelling to the site.
Two letters were written in support of the application, noting the site is kept clean and tidy and was an improvement on how it looked before Linda arrived.
Four letters of objection were received expressing concerns about the impact on the surrounding Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the risk of creating a precedent.
Gypsy pitch proposal is turned down by council - Suffolk
From the Bury Free Press
PLANS to establish a ‘Gypsy pitch’ in Bardwell have been turned down following a site visit by councillors.
The application, submitted in April last year, proposed using land in Glassfield Road, on the border of Bardwell and Stanton, to station a touring caravan and static mobile home to create a single Gypsy pitch for use by ‘Gypsies and Travellers’.
It also proposed building a stable block, with three loose boxes and a tack store, and a single-storey building to use as a dayroom, with a kitchen area and a bathroom.
Taking account of objections from Bardwell and Stanton parish councils and hundreds from residents expressing ‘a wide range of concerns’, last Thursday councillors from St Edmundsbury Borough Council’s development control committee carried out a site visit.
Officers had recommended that planning permission be approved, subject to a list of conditions.
But councillors have refused it.
A spokeswoman for the council said: “This application was refused on the grounds of the intrusive nature of the proposal on open countryside and the detrimental effect it would cause.”
Peter Sanderson, chairman of Bardwell Parish Council, said: “We’re very pleased at the decision of the council last Thursday but I think it’s very likely that the applicant will appeal so I don’t believe that we’re at the end of the situation by any means.
“It could be quite a long drawn out affair yet. We just have to wait and see what transpires.”
The applicant, Miss Oakley, was unavailable for comment.
John Hale, borough councillor for the ward concerned, said he believed the ‘right decision’ had been made as there were other sites within the borough more suitable for the proposed plans than ‘slap bang in the middle of the countryside’.
He also expected the decision to be appealed and said it remained a ‘sensitive issue’.
Kelvin McDonald, chairman of Stanton Parish Council, said: “It’s not the sort of development, it’s where it is - there should be consistency.”
An application which proposed changing the use of the same area of land was turned down in 2008 because of the ‘need to preserve the countryside character and appearance’.
PLANS to establish a ‘Gypsy pitch’ in Bardwell have been turned down following a site visit by councillors.
The application, submitted in April last year, proposed using land in Glassfield Road, on the border of Bardwell and Stanton, to station a touring caravan and static mobile home to create a single Gypsy pitch for use by ‘Gypsies and Travellers’.
It also proposed building a stable block, with three loose boxes and a tack store, and a single-storey building to use as a dayroom, with a kitchen area and a bathroom.
Taking account of objections from Bardwell and Stanton parish councils and hundreds from residents expressing ‘a wide range of concerns’, last Thursday councillors from St Edmundsbury Borough Council’s development control committee carried out a site visit.
Officers had recommended that planning permission be approved, subject to a list of conditions.
But councillors have refused it.
A spokeswoman for the council said: “This application was refused on the grounds of the intrusive nature of the proposal on open countryside and the detrimental effect it would cause.”
Peter Sanderson, chairman of Bardwell Parish Council, said: “We’re very pleased at the decision of the council last Thursday but I think it’s very likely that the applicant will appeal so I don’t believe that we’re at the end of the situation by any means.
“It could be quite a long drawn out affair yet. We just have to wait and see what transpires.”
The applicant, Miss Oakley, was unavailable for comment.
John Hale, borough councillor for the ward concerned, said he believed the ‘right decision’ had been made as there were other sites within the borough more suitable for the proposed plans than ‘slap bang in the middle of the countryside’.
He also expected the decision to be appealed and said it remained a ‘sensitive issue’.
Kelvin McDonald, chairman of Stanton Parish Council, said: “It’s not the sort of development, it’s where it is - there should be consistency.”
An application which proposed changing the use of the same area of land was turned down in 2008 because of the ‘need to preserve the countryside character and appearance’.
Councillors invited to Gypsy awareness event in Selby - Yorkshire
From the Press
COUNCILLORS in Selby have been asked to attend an awareness-raising event to find out more about the lives of the Gypsy and Traveller communities.
The invitation to the event comes only days after the council was criticised by the office of Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for not doing enough to provide new sites and housing for the travelling community.
A letter was sent from Coun Chris Metcalfe, the executive’s lead member for communities, on Tuesday, to every Selby district councillor requesting their attendance at the event, which will be held at the civic centre next month.
Coun Metcalfe said the event had nothing to do with the Government criticism, as research and planning for the event had been carried out for several months.
He said: “We have done a tremendous amount of research before we started to work with anybody on this. We need to understand a lot of issues that affect that community but they are very cautious about who they speak to and who they trust.”
Earlier this month, the council was criticised by the Government in a report into an appeal against an enforcement order relating to 20 caravans on land at Hillcrest Cafe, South Milford.
It said: “There has been a failure of policy by this council to address the needs of the traveller community and facilitate the Gypsy way of life.”
Coun Metcalfe said he hoped that by councillors engaging with Horton Homes, who manage two legal Traveller sites in Selby, and representatives from the Traveller community, a degree of integration and mutual respect could be achieved, to create a stronger relationship between the two groups.
He said: “It’s not about treating them differently, it’s about treating them the same.
“These people live in our community and the Government say we have to provide facilities for them in the same way we provide for the settled community, and this is our attempt to understand what makes them tick, and respond to that.”
Coun Metcalfe said every district councillor had been invited to the meeting, on September 11, but could not confirm how many had so far accepted the invitation.
COUNCILLORS in Selby have been asked to attend an awareness-raising event to find out more about the lives of the Gypsy and Traveller communities.
The invitation to the event comes only days after the council was criticised by the office of Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for not doing enough to provide new sites and housing for the travelling community.
A letter was sent from Coun Chris Metcalfe, the executive’s lead member for communities, on Tuesday, to every Selby district councillor requesting their attendance at the event, which will be held at the civic centre next month.
Coun Metcalfe said the event had nothing to do with the Government criticism, as research and planning for the event had been carried out for several months.
He said: “We have done a tremendous amount of research before we started to work with anybody on this. We need to understand a lot of issues that affect that community but they are very cautious about who they speak to and who they trust.”
Earlier this month, the council was criticised by the Government in a report into an appeal against an enforcement order relating to 20 caravans on land at Hillcrest Cafe, South Milford.
It said: “There has been a failure of policy by this council to address the needs of the traveller community and facilitate the Gypsy way of life.”
Coun Metcalfe said he hoped that by councillors engaging with Horton Homes, who manage two legal Traveller sites in Selby, and representatives from the Traveller community, a degree of integration and mutual respect could be achieved, to create a stronger relationship between the two groups.
He said: “It’s not about treating them differently, it’s about treating them the same.
“These people live in our community and the Government say we have to provide facilities for them in the same way we provide for the settled community, and this is our attempt to understand what makes them tick, and respond to that.”
Coun Metcalfe said every district councillor had been invited to the meeting, on September 11, but could not confirm how many had so far accepted the invitation.
Outcry as Travellers set up on car park in Bradeley - Staffordshire
From The Sentinal
Officers at Stoke-on-Trent City Council say they have been liaising with the landowners and police about the issue, but it is not yet known when the Travellers will be forced to leave.
Residents living near the site say they hope the caravans can be removed as soon as possible.
Janet Wrench, aged 70, of Moorland View, said: "They've been there about a week.
"The first I knew about it was when I saw the kids climbing up onto the roof just after the caravans arrived at the weekend.
"I don't like the fact that they're there, but I don't think there's anything we can do about it.
"Presumably they'll get moved on eventually.
"I'm not sure how they managed to get on there in the first place, as it had been secured.
"We've heard rumours that a supermarket is going to be built on that site, which I think would be very good for the area.
"We don't really have anything like that at the moment, and there's a lot of elderly people who live around here."
Her neighbour Jacqueline Reaney, aged 65, added: "That site's been empty for as long as I've been living here.
"Even without the gypsies it's an eyesore, so they really should do something about it."
Peter Harrison, of Moorland View, is also calling for something to be done with the site.
The 56-year-old said: "I don't have any particular problem with the Travellers being there myself, but they probably should be moved on.
"It would be nice to see something done with that site, but I'm not sure what."
The site was formerly occupied by Mr B's Furniture.
And it was last used as a showroom by Spas4fun.
In 2005 the shop was completely destroyed following an arson attack.
It is understood that the shop has been out of use ever since the fire, and a sign on the site says it is currently up for sale.
Councillor Janine Bridges, cabinet member for housing, neighbourhoods and community safety at the city council, said the authority was looking into the issue.
She said: "We have been in communication with the land owner and the police about the group.
"The land that this group of Travellers has set up on is privately owned and we will support the land owner where possible.
"At the moment no dates have been confirmed as to when the site will be unoccupied."
Officers at Stoke-on-Trent City Council say they have been liaising with the landowners and police about the issue, but it is not yet known when the Travellers will be forced to leave.
Residents living near the site say they hope the caravans can be removed as soon as possible.
Janet Wrench, aged 70, of Moorland View, said: "They've been there about a week.
"The first I knew about it was when I saw the kids climbing up onto the roof just after the caravans arrived at the weekend.
"I don't like the fact that they're there, but I don't think there's anything we can do about it.
"Presumably they'll get moved on eventually.
"I'm not sure how they managed to get on there in the first place, as it had been secured.
"We've heard rumours that a supermarket is going to be built on that site, which I think would be very good for the area.
"We don't really have anything like that at the moment, and there's a lot of elderly people who live around here."
Her neighbour Jacqueline Reaney, aged 65, added: "That site's been empty for as long as I've been living here.
"Even without the gypsies it's an eyesore, so they really should do something about it."
Peter Harrison, of Moorland View, is also calling for something to be done with the site.
The 56-year-old said: "I don't have any particular problem with the Travellers being there myself, but they probably should be moved on.
"It would be nice to see something done with that site, but I'm not sure what."
The site was formerly occupied by Mr B's Furniture.
And it was last used as a showroom by Spas4fun.
In 2005 the shop was completely destroyed following an arson attack.
It is understood that the shop has been out of use ever since the fire, and a sign on the site says it is currently up for sale.
Councillor Janine Bridges, cabinet member for housing, neighbourhoods and community safety at the city council, said the authority was looking into the issue.
She said: "We have been in communication with the land owner and the police about the group.
"The land that this group of Travellers has set up on is privately owned and we will support the land owner where possible.
"At the moment no dates have been confirmed as to when the site will be unoccupied."
Gypsy site in Essex village given the go ahead
From Dunmow Broadcast 24
Despite widespread opposition to the plans – 80 objection letters and a petition signed by 73 people – the planning committee approved plans for eight caravans on the site, which is currently used as a paddock off The Street.
The site will be occupied by the extended Gypsy families of Mr Jones, the applicant, who lives next door.
Nigel Brown, planning officer for the council, told the meeting the proposals address the shortfall of Traveller accommodation in the district.
However, the site has only been given approval on a temporary basis for four years, raising concerns from some.
Cllr Janice Loughlin said: “What concerns me is that in four years’ time, any families and especially children that would be living there, would then be wrenched up away from schools and other things.
“If they then refuse to go in four years’ time, we may have a mini Dale Farm on our hands.”
Takeley Parish Council raised its worries about the site being in the Countryside Protection Zone, as well as the possible loss of local amenities and problems with noise disturbance.
The application was approved conditionally, with 10 councillors voting for, two against and one abstaining.
Despite widespread opposition to the plans – 80 objection letters and a petition signed by 73 people – the planning committee approved plans for eight caravans on the site, which is currently used as a paddock off The Street.
The site will be occupied by the extended Gypsy families of Mr Jones, the applicant, who lives next door.
Nigel Brown, planning officer for the council, told the meeting the proposals address the shortfall of Traveller accommodation in the district.
However, the site has only been given approval on a temporary basis for four years, raising concerns from some.
Cllr Janice Loughlin said: “What concerns me is that in four years’ time, any families and especially children that would be living there, would then be wrenched up away from schools and other things.
“If they then refuse to go in four years’ time, we may have a mini Dale Farm on our hands.”
Takeley Parish Council raised its worries about the site being in the Countryside Protection Zone, as well as the possible loss of local amenities and problems with noise disturbance.
The application was approved conditionally, with 10 councillors voting for, two against and one abstaining.
Gypsies made to wait at show - Somerset
From the Shepton Mallet Journal
I am writing this letter to tell you about something that happened at the Mid Somerset Show this Sunday, and it would be nice to have it investigated.
I love this show, as it is local, agricultural feels small and welcoming and was no exception this year. We had a great time – we took a pony and horse for the driving class and we were welcomed (especially as I had a rather unusual "chariot" to drive).
But sadly, some Gypsy friends of ours were not allowed to come in with their horses and drays. They were kept outside, waiting – as they had driven from their homes in Shepton – it was really terrible. They had spent hours on the Saturday preparing their drays and horses – looking spectacular – yet they were stopped at the entrance and refused entry. I cannot understand it, and when questioning a steward, he mentioned that last year there was an "incident" and an argument. Well, if so, surely they should have been informed before the show and surely some amicable arrangement could have been arranged to ensure all sides were happy?
This needs to be sorted as it was so unfair to see them standing and waiting outside and then sent home.
They were the Smith family from Shepton – please can you look into this as it was such a lovely show, and it is horrible to see it marred by this action.
Fiona Bird
Duchy Road
Shepton Mallet
I am writing this letter to tell you about something that happened at the Mid Somerset Show this Sunday, and it would be nice to have it investigated.
I love this show, as it is local, agricultural feels small and welcoming and was no exception this year. We had a great time – we took a pony and horse for the driving class and we were welcomed (especially as I had a rather unusual "chariot" to drive).
But sadly, some Gypsy friends of ours were not allowed to come in with their horses and drays. They were kept outside, waiting – as they had driven from their homes in Shepton – it was really terrible. They had spent hours on the Saturday preparing their drays and horses – looking spectacular – yet they were stopped at the entrance and refused entry. I cannot understand it, and when questioning a steward, he mentioned that last year there was an "incident" and an argument. Well, if so, surely they should have been informed before the show and surely some amicable arrangement could have been arranged to ensure all sides were happy?
This needs to be sorted as it was so unfair to see them standing and waiting outside and then sent home.
They were the Smith family from Shepton – please can you look into this as it was such a lovely show, and it is horrible to see it marred by this action.
Fiona Bird
Duchy Road
Shepton Mallet
Don't give us more gypsies, says Edenbridge Town Council - Kent
From the Edenbridge Courier
EDENBRIDGE cannot accommodate any more Gypsies, town councillors have said.
The town already has 22 caravans and one councillor warned that introducing any more would lead to an "unbalance" in the community.
Sevenoaks District Council has asked parish and town councils to suggest possible sites for Gypsies and Travellers after a report found it needed an extra 78 pitches by 2026.
But Edenbridge Town Council has sent back a no-nonsense statement saying it does not have space for any more and arguing that other towns and villages should take their fair share.
At a meeting on Monday, Councillor John Scholey said: "The site in Romany Way, that has recently been extended with planning permission, meets the needs of the community.
"Any more than that would see an unbalance in the community."
Edenbridge has two official sites for Travellers and Gypsies. The larger of these is at Romany Way, off Hever Road, where the district council provides 16 pitches.
It is currently full, with 31 people living there, and vacancies are quickly snapped up. The other one is privately run at nearby Seven Acre Farm, where all six pitches are taken. This site only has temporary planning permission, which expires next year.
A pitch is defined as accommodating one caravan.
The district council's report last year found there were about 500 Gypsies and Travellers living in the Sevenoaks district.
Due to a rising population, it concluded the district would need 44 more pitches in the next four years and a total of 78 by 2026.
It warned if the situation was not addressed, the costs of removing unauthorised sites could increase.
This problem was witnessed in Edenbridge last month when a group of Gypsies illegally camped on land beside the Eden Centre.
They left after two weeks, just before court action was taken.
In its official reply to the district, the town council argued: "In the past, this council has proposed that, to ensure a balanced mix of accommodation, additional accommodation should be spread across the district and county.
"The official site at Hever Road, Edenbridge already contributes to the supply."
Gypsy Council spokesman Joseph Jones said: "The town council can't really say that any increase in a particular minority is going to cause an unbalance in the community.
"Gypsies and Travellers are part of UK society. If the law were to be changed and UK minority citizens' movements restricted, that would include British Asian people, British Jewish people etc."
EDENBRIDGE cannot accommodate any more Gypsies, town councillors have said.
The town already has 22 caravans and one councillor warned that introducing any more would lead to an "unbalance" in the community.
Sevenoaks District Council has asked parish and town councils to suggest possible sites for Gypsies and Travellers after a report found it needed an extra 78 pitches by 2026.
But Edenbridge Town Council has sent back a no-nonsense statement saying it does not have space for any more and arguing that other towns and villages should take their fair share.
At a meeting on Monday, Councillor John Scholey said: "The site in Romany Way, that has recently been extended with planning permission, meets the needs of the community.
"Any more than that would see an unbalance in the community."
Edenbridge has two official sites for Travellers and Gypsies. The larger of these is at Romany Way, off Hever Road, where the district council provides 16 pitches.
It is currently full, with 31 people living there, and vacancies are quickly snapped up. The other one is privately run at nearby Seven Acre Farm, where all six pitches are taken. This site only has temporary planning permission, which expires next year.
A pitch is defined as accommodating one caravan.
The district council's report last year found there were about 500 Gypsies and Travellers living in the Sevenoaks district.
Due to a rising population, it concluded the district would need 44 more pitches in the next four years and a total of 78 by 2026.
It warned if the situation was not addressed, the costs of removing unauthorised sites could increase.
This problem was witnessed in Edenbridge last month when a group of Gypsies illegally camped on land beside the Eden Centre.
They left after two weeks, just before court action was taken.
In its official reply to the district, the town council argued: "In the past, this council has proposed that, to ensure a balanced mix of accommodation, additional accommodation should be spread across the district and county.
"The official site at Hever Road, Edenbridge already contributes to the supply."
Gypsy Council spokesman Joseph Jones said: "The town council can't really say that any increase in a particular minority is going to cause an unbalance in the community.
"Gypsies and Travellers are part of UK society. If the law were to be changed and UK minority citizens' movements restricted, that would include British Asian people, British Jewish people etc."
Birmingham Gypsy travelled 300 miles to slash her own niece over a wedding snub
From the Birmingham Post
A GYPSY from Birmingham is facing jail for slashing her teenage niece’s face the night before her wedding.
A court heard Philomena Doherty lashed out at Dimples McPhee, then just 17, with a blade she hid in her bra after becoming enraged when she was not officially invited to the service.
The teenager’s mum Anne said her daughter’s face “fell just fell off” after she was attacked with a Stanley knife, ripping her open from her hairline across her forehead and cheek to her earlobe.
Dimples McPhee outside court
Fearful her intended John Connor would dump her, Dimples insisted on going ahead with her wedding just four days later.
But she said she was in agony during what should have been the happiest day of her life.
Doherty, 31, known as Mena to her family, showed little emotion as she was convicted of assaulting Dimples and Anne at Hamilton Sheriff Court in Scotland on Wednesday.
She was refused bail and will be sentenced next month.
After the verdict, Dimples, of Cleland, Lanarkshire, said: “Mena robbed me of what was to be the best day of my life and I will never forgive her. Justice has been done in that court.
“She should have admitted it from the start.
“She could have killed me that night. I will have to live with the scars and I will never get my wedding day back.”
Anne’s arms were slashed by Doherty – her own sister – in the attack outside the family’s home last August.
She said: “Usually travelling people take matters like this into our own hands but we left it in the hands of the law and I feel justice has been served.
“You can’t give a reason for someone doing this, other than putting it down to pure evil.
“She premeditated this attack. She brought the knife all the way to Lanarkshire from Birmingham.
“What hurts me the most is that my own sister did this to my beautiful daughter.”
Doherty claimed Dimples’ dad, Billy McPhee, had caused the wounds and that she had been dragged around by her hair by Anne and Dimples.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, responsible for the prosecution of crime in Scotland, confirmed Doherty lived in Birmingham but would not reveal more details.
A GYPSY from Birmingham is facing jail for slashing her teenage niece’s face the night before her wedding.
A court heard Philomena Doherty lashed out at Dimples McPhee, then just 17, with a blade she hid in her bra after becoming enraged when she was not officially invited to the service.
The teenager’s mum Anne said her daughter’s face “fell just fell off” after she was attacked with a Stanley knife, ripping her open from her hairline across her forehead and cheek to her earlobe.
Dimples McPhee outside court
Fearful her intended John Connor would dump her, Dimples insisted on going ahead with her wedding just four days later.
But she said she was in agony during what should have been the happiest day of her life.
Doherty, 31, known as Mena to her family, showed little emotion as she was convicted of assaulting Dimples and Anne at Hamilton Sheriff Court in Scotland on Wednesday.
She was refused bail and will be sentenced next month.
After the verdict, Dimples, of Cleland, Lanarkshire, said: “Mena robbed me of what was to be the best day of my life and I will never forgive her. Justice has been done in that court.
“She should have admitted it from the start.
“She could have killed me that night. I will have to live with the scars and I will never get my wedding day back.”
Anne’s arms were slashed by Doherty – her own sister – in the attack outside the family’s home last August.
She said: “Usually travelling people take matters like this into our own hands but we left it in the hands of the law and I feel justice has been served.
“You can’t give a reason for someone doing this, other than putting it down to pure evil.
“She premeditated this attack. She brought the knife all the way to Lanarkshire from Birmingham.
“What hurts me the most is that my own sister did this to my beautiful daughter.”
Doherty claimed Dimples’ dad, Billy McPhee, had caused the wounds and that she had been dragged around by her hair by Anne and Dimples.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, responsible for the prosecution of crime in Scotland, confirmed Doherty lived in Birmingham but would not reveal more details.
Big Fat Gypsy Weddings to be axed by Channel 4
From the Guardian
Channel 4 is to axe Big Fat Gypsy Weddings, the series that provided an eye-opening and sometimes controversial insight into the Traveller and Gypsy communities, the network's biggest rating hit in many years.
Jay Hunt, chief creative officer at Channel 4, said the broadcaster was "close to drawing the line" on the show.
"I think we've quite naturally got to a point where we've started to look differently at that franchise," she said, speaking at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival on Thursday. "We have already evolved where we are [with it]. It is important to know when to draw the line, and we are close to drawing the line. I think it will come to a point where it is time to move on."
Hunt said Channel 4 had no plans to make another series of the programme. There will, however, be six Gypsy-themed one-off specials next year.
A spokesman confirmed that Channel 4 would not be making any more series, but would not be drawn on whether there might be further specials or spin-offs after next year.
Earlier this year the channel broadcast Thelma's Gypsy Girls, which attracted 2 million viewers.
Big Fat Gypsy Weddings has been a huge ratings winner for Channel 4, with 2011's first series attracting audiences of more than 7 million, and inadvertently making an unlikely star of Paddy Doherty.
Doherty went on to appear in Channel 5's Celebrity Big Brother, where he struck up an unlikely friendship with Sally Bercow. Never one to miss an opportunity, Richard Desmond's channel had the two live together in the spin-off When Paddy Met Sally.
However, Big Fat Gypsy Weddings also courted controversy with some in the Traveller and Gypsy communities unhappy with the portrayal of their lifestyle by Channel 4.
The London Gypsy and Traveller Unit lodged a complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority arguing that Channel 4's marketing of the show was offensive and racist.
The campaign earlier this year for the second series of the show – which used the line "Bigger. Fatter. Gypsier" printed over images of Gypsy women and children – was cleared of breaking the UK's advertising rules, although the watchdog admitted the ads "might not be to everyone's taste".
Gypsy Blood, a hard-hitting 90-minute documentary which provided an at times shocking insight into bare knuckle fighting, prompted more than 500 complaints to the television regulator Ofcom.
Hunt also defended the use of the title Undateables for its series on disabled people dating.
Mencap criticised the marketing tactic for reinforcing negative stereotypes.
"No I don't think it was disrespectful," she said. "We discussed it with the participants and they were perfectly happy with it. The titling is quite out there, it is part of getting people to view it. In some respects my point of view is that we got 3 million people to watch a programme on disability and come away with something from it. I think the positioning of that show was absolutely right.
see also The Telegraph - Channel 4 axes My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding
The Sun - Big Fat Gypsy Weddings set for axe
The Mirror - The wedding's off! Channel 4 to scrap hit reality show My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding
Channel 4 is to axe Big Fat Gypsy Weddings, the series that provided an eye-opening and sometimes controversial insight into the Traveller and Gypsy communities, the network's biggest rating hit in many years.
Jay Hunt, chief creative officer at Channel 4, said the broadcaster was "close to drawing the line" on the show.
"I think we've quite naturally got to a point where we've started to look differently at that franchise," she said, speaking at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival on Thursday. "We have already evolved where we are [with it]. It is important to know when to draw the line, and we are close to drawing the line. I think it will come to a point where it is time to move on."
Hunt said Channel 4 had no plans to make another series of the programme. There will, however, be six Gypsy-themed one-off specials next year.
A spokesman confirmed that Channel 4 would not be making any more series, but would not be drawn on whether there might be further specials or spin-offs after next year.
Earlier this year the channel broadcast Thelma's Gypsy Girls, which attracted 2 million viewers.
Big Fat Gypsy Weddings has been a huge ratings winner for Channel 4, with 2011's first series attracting audiences of more than 7 million, and inadvertently making an unlikely star of Paddy Doherty.
Doherty went on to appear in Channel 5's Celebrity Big Brother, where he struck up an unlikely friendship with Sally Bercow. Never one to miss an opportunity, Richard Desmond's channel had the two live together in the spin-off When Paddy Met Sally.
However, Big Fat Gypsy Weddings also courted controversy with some in the Traveller and Gypsy communities unhappy with the portrayal of their lifestyle by Channel 4.
The London Gypsy and Traveller Unit lodged a complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority arguing that Channel 4's marketing of the show was offensive and racist.
The campaign earlier this year for the second series of the show – which used the line "Bigger. Fatter. Gypsier" printed over images of Gypsy women and children – was cleared of breaking the UK's advertising rules, although the watchdog admitted the ads "might not be to everyone's taste".
Gypsy Blood, a hard-hitting 90-minute documentary which provided an at times shocking insight into bare knuckle fighting, prompted more than 500 complaints to the television regulator Ofcom.
Hunt also defended the use of the title Undateables for its series on disabled people dating.
Mencap criticised the marketing tactic for reinforcing negative stereotypes.
"No I don't think it was disrespectful," she said. "We discussed it with the participants and they were perfectly happy with it. The titling is quite out there, it is part of getting people to view it. In some respects my point of view is that we got 3 million people to watch a programme on disability and come away with something from it. I think the positioning of that show was absolutely right.
see also The Telegraph - Channel 4 axes My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding
The Sun - Big Fat Gypsy Weddings set for axe
The Mirror - The wedding's off! Channel 4 to scrap hit reality show My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding
Is the High Court’s ruling on Gypsies just? - Sussex
From the Midworth and Petworth Observer
Two gypsy families are set to be thrown off their illegal encampment in the South Downs National Park after losing a vital High Court battle with communities and local government secretary Eric Pickles.
Jimmy and Christopher Searle had hoped Mr Justice Edwards-Stuart would quash Mr Pickles’ decision to make them leave land they have controversially occupied at Three Cornered Piece, East Harting, for nearly three years.
Instead the judge ruled the secretary of state was entitled to use his own ‘planning judgement’ to overrule a planning inspector’s recommendation that the families should be given a three-year temporary permission.
The Searles will now be given a year to get off the land while Chichester District Council has been told to be more vigorous in finding sites on which Gypsies can live.
The court ruling ends another chapter in the long-running saga which saw South Harting brought to a standstill earlier this year while police escorted a mobile home to the site.
Two gypsy families are set to be thrown off their illegal encampment in the South Downs National Park after losing a vital High Court battle with communities and local government secretary Eric Pickles.
Jimmy and Christopher Searle had hoped Mr Justice Edwards-Stuart would quash Mr Pickles’ decision to make them leave land they have controversially occupied at Three Cornered Piece, East Harting, for nearly three years.
Instead the judge ruled the secretary of state was entitled to use his own ‘planning judgement’ to overrule a planning inspector’s recommendation that the families should be given a three-year temporary permission.
The Searles will now be given a year to get off the land while Chichester District Council has been told to be more vigorous in finding sites on which Gypsies can live.
The court ruling ends another chapter in the long-running saga which saw South Harting brought to a standstill earlier this year while police escorted a mobile home to the site.
Essex Gypsy custody battle ends in court
From the Essex and Herts Observer
A JUDGE has been told how a former Felsted Gypsy wielded an axe during a feud between Essex Travellers, sparked by his brother’s kidnapping of two children.
Chelmsford Crown Court was told that Kerry Anne Mitchell, 20, was living in Littleport, with her two children when her former partner, Albert Buckley junior who is known as Quincy, snatched the children on March 26 last year.
She called police who gave chase and arrested Buckley and an accomplice near Junction 9 of the M11.
The court was told that the same night Buckley’s brother, Shane, formerly of Felsted and now of Woodham Road, Stow Maries, near Maldon armed himself with an axe and went to Kerry Anne's aunt's house in Cold Norton, Maldon.
Susan Barton, 34, said: “He was swinging what I later realised was an axe. I could see the sparks flying as it hit the concrete path.”
She confirmed a feud had developed between the families over custody of the two children and because the Buckleys thought Kerry Anne's family knew where she was hiding.
Albert Buckley junior 25, of Woodham Road, Chelmsford, and Tom Johnson, 19, of Cranham Hall caravan site, Little Waltham, Chelmsford, both pleaded to kidnap on .
Brother Shane has pleaded guilty to affray, threatening violence to Susan Barton and Roseanne Barton junior, 42.
A second brother David, 33, of Longbanks, Harlow, and sister Sylvia Buckley, 36, of Rockhampton Walk, Colchester, admitted using threatening behaviour.
Today (Wednesday, August 22) Judge Charles Gratwicke adjourned sentence until September 19 on the five defendants and released them on bail.
But he warned the two men facing the kidnap charge: “It's a serious matter. They should be under no illusion what the likely consequence is.”
A JUDGE has been told how a former Felsted Gypsy wielded an axe during a feud between Essex Travellers, sparked by his brother’s kidnapping of two children.
Chelmsford Crown Court was told that Kerry Anne Mitchell, 20, was living in Littleport, with her two children when her former partner, Albert Buckley junior who is known as Quincy, snatched the children on March 26 last year.
She called police who gave chase and arrested Buckley and an accomplice near Junction 9 of the M11.
The court was told that the same night Buckley’s brother, Shane, formerly of Felsted and now of Woodham Road, Stow Maries, near Maldon armed himself with an axe and went to Kerry Anne's aunt's house in Cold Norton, Maldon.
Susan Barton, 34, said: “He was swinging what I later realised was an axe. I could see the sparks flying as it hit the concrete path.”
She confirmed a feud had developed between the families over custody of the two children and because the Buckleys thought Kerry Anne's family knew where she was hiding.
Albert Buckley junior 25, of Woodham Road, Chelmsford, and Tom Johnson, 19, of Cranham Hall caravan site, Little Waltham, Chelmsford, both pleaded to kidnap on .
Brother Shane has pleaded guilty to affray, threatening violence to Susan Barton and Roseanne Barton junior, 42.
A second brother David, 33, of Longbanks, Harlow, and sister Sylvia Buckley, 36, of Rockhampton Walk, Colchester, admitted using threatening behaviour.
Today (Wednesday, August 22) Judge Charles Gratwicke adjourned sentence until September 19 on the five defendants and released them on bail.
But he warned the two men facing the kidnap charge: “It's a serious matter. They should be under no illusion what the likely consequence is.”
Gypsy site to be discussed at meeting - Wiltshire
From the Salisbury Journal
THE future of a Gypsy site that was refused planning permission will be discussed at a meeting on Thursday.
The Cooper family, who own the Hillbilly Acre site on Southampton Road, wanted permission for a four-pitch Gypsy site with eight mobile homes.
But residents in the neighbouring areas of Clarendon and Alderbury have fought the plans since April last year and were overjoyed in June when planning inspector Richard Clegg rejected the Coopers’ appeal following a lengthy planning inquiry.
Now Wiltshire Council ’s enforcement team must decide what action to take, as David Cooper and his family are already living on one of the plots and have already carried out some development.
A report will be presented to the southern area planning committee at its meeting in the City Hall tonight outlining the proposed action the council might take.
The council’s officers have undertaken further investigations of the site since the appeal decision and are seeking legal advice on six possible breaches of planning control.
THE future of a Gypsy site that was refused planning permission will be discussed at a meeting on Thursday.
The Cooper family, who own the Hillbilly Acre site on Southampton Road, wanted permission for a four-pitch Gypsy site with eight mobile homes.
But residents in the neighbouring areas of Clarendon and Alderbury have fought the plans since April last year and were overjoyed in June when planning inspector Richard Clegg rejected the Coopers’ appeal following a lengthy planning inquiry.
Now Wiltshire Council ’s enforcement team must decide what action to take, as David Cooper and his family are already living on one of the plots and have already carried out some development.
A report will be presented to the southern area planning committee at its meeting in the City Hall tonight outlining the proposed action the council might take.
The council’s officers have undertaken further investigations of the site since the appeal decision and are seeking legal advice on six possible breaches of planning control.
Three sites set to be dropped from BANES Gypsy and Traveller plans - Somesret
From the Bath Chronicle
The three most controversial sites being considered as Gypsy and Traveller settlements are likely to be dropped by Bath and North East Somerset Council.
The local authority had carried out a consultation looking at six plots which they believed had potential to be designated as official land for Travellers moving through the area.
However, in response to feedback from members of the public, it has said that it is “highly unlikely” that it will pursue the ones in Keynsham, Radstock and Stanton Wick.
The site in Keynsham had been opposed by Rosemary Collard, the owner of Snapdragons Nurseries, because she is opening a new centre on the adjacent land.
The move has been supported by former Keynsham Town Councillor Andy Wait and the chair of Saltford Parish Council Duncan Hounsell.
Mr Wait said: “I’m very pleased and relieved that the valid concerns of Keynsham residents over the Travellers site at Ellsbridge House have been recognised by B&NES. This shows the council has listened and I look forward to them bringing forward more sites in the future.”
This means that the three sites now due to move forward to the next phase of the process are the one in Twerton, on Lower Bristol Road, the one in Station Road, in Newbridge, and one in Whitchurch.
B&NES Council has said that there were no complaints about the Twerton plot, and only a small number of concerns about the other two.
Councillor Tim Ball, cabinet member for homes and planning, said: “We are listening very closely to the views of local communities. In response to feedback, the council intends to revise the criteria by which any proposed sites are selected for our Gypsy and Traveller site plan.
“As things stand and under these proposed new criteria, I believe it is almost certain that the three sites suggested at Stanton Wick, Ellsbridge House, and Radstock Infant School Canteen will not be included in our final plans.”
The opposition Conservative group has labelled the news a “u-turn”, but said it was pleased the ruling Liberal Democrats had seen sense.
Group leader Councillor Francine Haeberling said: “The fact that the Lib Dems have finally bowed to public pressure is great news for those communities and businesses which have been impacted by these ill-thought out proposals.
“It’s just a shame that the council has wasted so much time and money before arriving at this outcome.”
A paper about the issue will be presented to B&NES Council’s cabinet for approval on September 12.
The draft paper, which has not yet been made public, highlights a timetable which includes further consultation next February and June.
The three most controversial sites being considered as Gypsy and Traveller settlements are likely to be dropped by Bath and North East Somerset Council.
The local authority had carried out a consultation looking at six plots which they believed had potential to be designated as official land for Travellers moving through the area.
However, in response to feedback from members of the public, it has said that it is “highly unlikely” that it will pursue the ones in Keynsham, Radstock and Stanton Wick.
The site in Keynsham had been opposed by Rosemary Collard, the owner of Snapdragons Nurseries, because she is opening a new centre on the adjacent land.
The move has been supported by former Keynsham Town Councillor Andy Wait and the chair of Saltford Parish Council Duncan Hounsell.
Mr Wait said: “I’m very pleased and relieved that the valid concerns of Keynsham residents over the Travellers site at Ellsbridge House have been recognised by B&NES. This shows the council has listened and I look forward to them bringing forward more sites in the future.”
This means that the three sites now due to move forward to the next phase of the process are the one in Twerton, on Lower Bristol Road, the one in Station Road, in Newbridge, and one in Whitchurch.
B&NES Council has said that there were no complaints about the Twerton plot, and only a small number of concerns about the other two.
Councillor Tim Ball, cabinet member for homes and planning, said: “We are listening very closely to the views of local communities. In response to feedback, the council intends to revise the criteria by which any proposed sites are selected for our Gypsy and Traveller site plan.
“As things stand and under these proposed new criteria, I believe it is almost certain that the three sites suggested at Stanton Wick, Ellsbridge House, and Radstock Infant School Canteen will not be included in our final plans.”
The opposition Conservative group has labelled the news a “u-turn”, but said it was pleased the ruling Liberal Democrats had seen sense.
Group leader Councillor Francine Haeberling said: “The fact that the Lib Dems have finally bowed to public pressure is great news for those communities and businesses which have been impacted by these ill-thought out proposals.
“It’s just a shame that the council has wasted so much time and money before arriving at this outcome.”
A paper about the issue will be presented to B&NES Council’s cabinet for approval on September 12.
The draft paper, which has not yet been made public, highlights a timetable which includes further consultation next February and June.
Travellers set up 'unlawful' camp on St Helen's recreation ground - Swansea
From the South Wales Evening Post
TRAVELLERS have set up temporary home on a prime city site.
Six caravans are encamped on St Helen’s recreation ground on Mumbles Road.
It is the second time in as many months that travellers have set up illegal sites on land in the Swansea Bay area after caravans parked up in the grounds of Amazon’s huge Fabian Way base in July.
The latest travellers are thought to be from France with their cars carrying French number plates.
A spokesman for the Gypsy Council said: “Romany Gypsies, if that’s what they are, like to come over from the continent sometimes, the same as we go over there. We all like to travel. At least they brought some good weather with them.”
The camp, which is in full sight of the adjacent busy main road, has been set up days before the Tawe Fest, featuring Status Quo and Steps, is due to take place in nearby Singleton Park.
When approached by a Post reporter a man at the site politely declined an opportunity to comment saying that they had already spoken to the council.
As the land is owned by Swansea Council it is up to the authority to move any trespassers on.
A spokesman for Swansea Council said: “We are aware of the unlawful occupation by a number of caravans at the site. Environmental Health Officers have visited the site and the necessary inquiries are being undertaken to enable a decision on any further action.”
It is thought that a gate, which was supposed to secure the ground which is used for a series of events around the year as well as an overflow car park, was not secure.
“The gate providing access to the site has previously been forced open after it was secured,” said the council spokesman.
The council spokesman allayed fears that the camp would interfere with Park and Ride scheme to the Liberty Stadium on match days saying that the service was no longer running because of lack of demand.
Earlier this month more than 10 caravans camped outside the internet giant’s fulfilment centre in Jersey Marine, for several weeks, moved on before eviction action was started — leaving piles of waste and mess behind them. In this instance, as the land was owned by the Welsh Government, it was up to Cardiff Bay officials to move the travellers on.
TRAVELLERS have set up temporary home on a prime city site.
Six caravans are encamped on St Helen’s recreation ground on Mumbles Road.
It is the second time in as many months that travellers have set up illegal sites on land in the Swansea Bay area after caravans parked up in the grounds of Amazon’s huge Fabian Way base in July.
The latest travellers are thought to be from France with their cars carrying French number plates.
A spokesman for the Gypsy Council said: “Romany Gypsies, if that’s what they are, like to come over from the continent sometimes, the same as we go over there. We all like to travel. At least they brought some good weather with them.”
The camp, which is in full sight of the adjacent busy main road, has been set up days before the Tawe Fest, featuring Status Quo and Steps, is due to take place in nearby Singleton Park.
When approached by a Post reporter a man at the site politely declined an opportunity to comment saying that they had already spoken to the council.
As the land is owned by Swansea Council it is up to the authority to move any trespassers on.
A spokesman for Swansea Council said: “We are aware of the unlawful occupation by a number of caravans at the site. Environmental Health Officers have visited the site and the necessary inquiries are being undertaken to enable a decision on any further action.”
It is thought that a gate, which was supposed to secure the ground which is used for a series of events around the year as well as an overflow car park, was not secure.
“The gate providing access to the site has previously been forced open after it was secured,” said the council spokesman.
The council spokesman allayed fears that the camp would interfere with Park and Ride scheme to the Liberty Stadium on match days saying that the service was no longer running because of lack of demand.
Earlier this month more than 10 caravans camped outside the internet giant’s fulfilment centre in Jersey Marine, for several weeks, moved on before eviction action was started — leaving piles of waste and mess behind them. In this instance, as the land was owned by the Welsh Government, it was up to Cardiff Bay officials to move the travellers on.
Pickmere Gypsy site turned down - Cheshire
From the Northwich Guardian
PICKMERE residents have welcomed a decision which will see a temporary Gypsy site in the village cleared by the borough authority.
The site on Spinks Lane in the village has been used as a temporary site by the Dolan family for the past four years.
The family applied to make it a permanent Traveller site in 2009 but lost an appeal a year later and decided to try again this summer.
But at a Cheshire East strategic planning meeting at the beginning of August, it was once again rejected by members on the grounds that the land was in the green belt and that it would damage the surrounding area.
Council leader Clr Michael Jones said: “We all know that illegal Gypsy and traveller sites are not good for local residents and the council is looking to enforce wherever it can with sound and robust policies.
“The council is looking to become known as representatives of the people and of communities and for this reason we will be operating a robust enforcement culture at Cheshire East within accepted planning guidelines.
“We are of course are keen to work alongside these families and fulfil our obligation to secure approved settlement sites, and we would urge the Traveller community to work with us to find suitable locations.
“But until such time, the council will simply not stand by and allow an illegal Gypsy and caravan site to remain on Spinks Lane in Pickmere.
“The occupied site also presents a risk to highways and spoils the character of the area, which is green belt.
“The families concerned are being given reasonable time to move off this land voluntarily.
“This is the second unsuccessful planning application submitted to the council for a Gypsy and Traveller site on this land.
“I have now personally written to Tatton MP George Osborne to highlight my concerns and a response is anticipated in the very near future.”
Tatton MP George Osborne met with Clr Andrew Short, chairman of Pickmere Parish Council and Clr Chris Tarrant to discuss their concerns regarding the application Mr Osborne said he was delighted to see that his government’s new Localism Act has been used to tackle abuse of the planning system.
He said: “The public want to see fair play – everyone being treated equally and even-handedly in the planning process. This is a real example of local people making a difference and having their voice heard.”
PICKMERE residents have welcomed a decision which will see a temporary Gypsy site in the village cleared by the borough authority.
The site on Spinks Lane in the village has been used as a temporary site by the Dolan family for the past four years.
The family applied to make it a permanent Traveller site in 2009 but lost an appeal a year later and decided to try again this summer.
But at a Cheshire East strategic planning meeting at the beginning of August, it was once again rejected by members on the grounds that the land was in the green belt and that it would damage the surrounding area.
Council leader Clr Michael Jones said: “We all know that illegal Gypsy and traveller sites are not good for local residents and the council is looking to enforce wherever it can with sound and robust policies.
“The council is looking to become known as representatives of the people and of communities and for this reason we will be operating a robust enforcement culture at Cheshire East within accepted planning guidelines.
“We are of course are keen to work alongside these families and fulfil our obligation to secure approved settlement sites, and we would urge the Traveller community to work with us to find suitable locations.
“But until such time, the council will simply not stand by and allow an illegal Gypsy and caravan site to remain on Spinks Lane in Pickmere.
“The occupied site also presents a risk to highways and spoils the character of the area, which is green belt.
“The families concerned are being given reasonable time to move off this land voluntarily.
“This is the second unsuccessful planning application submitted to the council for a Gypsy and Traveller site on this land.
“I have now personally written to Tatton MP George Osborne to highlight my concerns and a response is anticipated in the very near future.”
Tatton MP George Osborne met with Clr Andrew Short, chairman of Pickmere Parish Council and Clr Chris Tarrant to discuss their concerns regarding the application Mr Osborne said he was delighted to see that his government’s new Localism Act has been used to tackle abuse of the planning system.
He said: “The public want to see fair play – everyone being treated equally and even-handedly in the planning process. This is a real example of local people making a difference and having their voice heard.”
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