Village vote of no confidence in fight to stop Travellers site - Yorkshire

From the Yorkshire Post

VILLAGERS have accused a council of “riding roughshod” over their views after recording a vote of no confidence in the authority while battling controversial plans for a new Travellers site.

Residents of Burn, near Selby, have voiced anger amid accusations the tiny village is being ignored as it not seen as a key vote-winning area. Selby District Council has also been accused of reneging on a promise that it would not consider introducing another Travellers site on a former wartime airfield at Burn.

Burn Parish Council has recorded a unanimous vote of no confidence following an impassioned debate at a meeting in the village’s methodist chapel, which was attended by members of an existing Travellers site at the airfield.

The parish council’s chairman, Coun Chris Phillipson, claimed the district authority had “categorically promised” the airfield would not be considered for a new site. He accused the council of attempting to “steamroller” the proposals through before a long-term development blueprint for the Selby district, called the Local Plan, is adopted.

He said the parish council would be “using all the official channels available” and would call on Selby and Ainsty MP Nigel Adams to help in the campaign, and added: “The fight goes on. We as parish councillors can only do so much. Residents are now setting up their own action group to help – they are angry, upset and feel totally betrayed.”

The district council is looking to create 15 new pitches on Burn Airfield as part of a strategy to accommodate Travellers. Another part of the airfield already provides 15 pitches, although the parish council stressed the Travellers who already live there are “very well integrated” and have not caused any problems. Elsewhere in the district there are 12 pitches in Carlton, but the district council has a statutory requirement to meet additional demand.

A district council spokeswoman said national planning guidance dictates land has to be identified for Traveller pitches, otherwise the authority will not be able to “robustly defend” against illegal encampments. She stressed views had been sought from both Travellers and parish councillors, and the results of a public consultation which ended last month are now being considered before a planning application is submitted.