From the Royal Borough Observer
THE decision to fork out £350,000 of taxpayers’ money to help build a new Travellers’ site has been defended.
The Royal Borough has entered into a 99-year lease at £30,000 per year for land at Datchet Common Horton Road, to build a site for 10 new gypsy and Traveller pitches.
Windsor UKIP councillor Tom Bursnall questioned whether it was 'morally equitable’ to spend taxpayers’ money on the site at a full council meeting on Tuesday.
His question was to Cllr David Coppinger, the cabinet member for adult services which includes housing, who said: “We have a legal requirement to provide pitches.
“We have only one site available. The owner doesn’t want to develop it. I think it’s good value for residents’ money [given the legal requirement].”
Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Bursnall said: “He answered the question to be fair, but the obligation is to find the pitches, not to fund them.”
The Department for Communities and Local Government has called in the planning application for the site with a local inquiry to be held on a date yet to be set.
Bursnall: “There will be money being spent on it for four generations.”
At a meeting of Datchet Parish Council on Monday last week (2/12), Cllr Ewan Larcombe called for a parish poll on whether residents wanted the site, which was rejected on the grounds of cost though Cllr Larcombe has offered to fund the poll out of his own pocket.
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