Traveller sites: ‘don’t let price dictate decision’ - Sussex

From the Mid Sussex Times

DECISIONS on selling off Gypsy and Traveller sites should not be led by price alone, says Burgess Hill 
Town Council.

After hearing the views of local Gypsies and Travellers it is emphasising it wants West Sussex County Council experts to consider the quality of any sites when drawing up proposals.

The county council manages 113 Gypsy and Traveller pitches situated on 10 sites across the county.

It owns eight of the sites and the other two, at Bedelands and Fairplace Hill in Burgess Hill, are leased from other landowners.

The county said in a report: “All of the sites have been established for a considerable time and are generally well laid out with good-sized pitches and in locations that are well-landscaped. Over the years, substantial sums of money have been spent on improving and modernising them.”

Originally the county council had a statutory duty under the Caravan Sites Act 1968 to develop and maintain Gypsy and Traveller sites. However this responsibility was repealed by the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 and is now a non-statutory function.

Legislation now places the responsibility on districts and boroughs to undertake regular needs assessments and ensure the provision of accommodation. The county council says income has been insufficient to cover running costs such as staffing, grounds maintenance, repairs etc at the sites and more money needs to be spent on repairs and improvements.

It says supporting the Gypsy and Traveller community, running and managing what is, in effect, social housing, is not a core activity of the county council. The county council has started a consultation process to dispose of its sites to another organisation. And it says that “any disposal of the sites to be at the most beneficial price as long as this is consistent with their continued use by the Gypsy and Traveller community.”

In its reponse, Burgess Hill Town Council said: “Following consideration of the views of the resident Gypsies and Travellers on the sites in Burgess Hill, the council supported their view that if there had to be change then a registered social landlord was preferred to a private owner. In addition, a site manager or on-site warden would be welcomed.

It was hoped that the county council would look at quality of provision as well as price when making a decision. The county council proposal would have no impact on the town council’s services.