'Dragging our feet' over council's Traveller sites decision - Somerset

From the Somerset Guardian

Planning officers have faced criticism that a decision on where Gypsy and Traveller sites should go in the district is taking too long.

Members of a scrutiny panel at Bath and North East Somerset Council are calling on the authority's cabinet to release a list of feasible sites and a timetable of when they plan to adopt the sites, as soon as possible.

Councillor Les Kew (Con, High Littleton) said: "We need to put a timeline on this. I find it rather strange that we seem to be dragging our feet. We're not getting the information I think we should."

The comments were made during a meeting of the Housing and Major Projects Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel where members of the Stanton Wick Action Group criticised the length of time it was taking the council to reveal a shortlist of potential sites.

Last September B&NES Council's cabinet agreed to provide a stock take on its allocation of sites for Gypsy, Travellers and showpeople.

Susan Osborne, from the action group which is fighting a scheme for a site in the village, criticised the lack of information in a report presented to the panel.

She said: "We believe the panel should not accept the recommendation to note progress but should scrutinise the members and officers and question the lamentable lack of progress in this key project."

The meeting was told by senior planning officers that work was currently being done on an assessment of a list of 29 potential sites in the district.

The council's divisional director for planning and transport David Trigwell said work was being done but the authority was not going to make public half-finished work.

He said: "It's very hard to make public something that is incomplete. This council has faced criticism on some of the information it has released and when you've had your hand in the fire you don't do it twice."

The officers said they were also waiting for information from neighbouring authorities.