From the Evening Standard
Councils will be given stronger powers to stop illegal Travellers' sites being set up, Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles has announced.
Local authorities are currently constrained in taking immediate action against caravans used as a main residence which they suspect are in breach of planning rules, but Mr Pickles has said the regulations will be scrapped.
The move is aimed at preventing another Dale Farm, where a long-running legal battle was fought before bailiffs moved in to evict Travellers from the site in Essex.
Mr Pickles said: "Drawn-out cases like Dale Farm threatened to bring the legal system into disrepute: I'm determined that we do all we can to avoid situations like that in future.
"In breach of planning law, Travellers move in over a bank holiday weekend and it can take years for councils to remove them. Such episodes give the whole travelling community a bad name and fuel community tensions.
"But these new powers will stop those caravans in their tracks. By making these changes, we will stand squarely behind those who play by the rules and use the full force of the law against those who break them."
Under the changes, local authorities will be given greater freedom to issue "temporary stop notices", backed up by potentially unlimited fines, against Travellers who attempt to breach planning rules.
The new powers for councils in England will come into force once the current legislation is revoked, which the Department for Communities and Local Government said would happen "at the earliest opportunity".
see also: The Sun - Big fat Gypsy fines
The Telegraph - Town halls given new powers to combat Traveller camps
The Daily Star - NEW TRAVELLER SITE POWERS UNVEILED
Heart FM - New Traveller Site Powers Unveiled
The Independent.ie - New Traveller site powers unveiled
Gov.uk - Improving councils’ powers to tackle unauthorised development
Town and Country Planning (Temporary Stop Notice)(England) Regulations 2005
The Guardian - Councils to get tougher powers to tackle Traveller sites
The Western Daily Press - Extra power for councils to stop illegal Travellers' sites springing up
The Express - Illegal Gypsy camps to face £20,000 fines
The Western Morning News - New powers to tackle illegal Travellers' sites
The Mercury - Government crackdown to stop illegal Travellers
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