Summit to confront issue of travellers in region
A SUMMIT on how the Midlands should deal with travellers is taking place this week in a bid to stop local parks being overrun again this summer.
Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said residents were becoming increasingly frustrated by the slow response to camps after scores of incidents over the past year.
Last summer saw a huge rise in both the number of illegal encampments in parks and open spaces and the number of caravans popping up.
Birmingham’s Selly Oak Park was targeted several times, leaving council staff with huge piles of rubbish to clear up afterwards.
Mr Jamieson has now invited councils from across the region, as well as resident groups and traveller representatives, to the meeting on Friday this week to ensure they share intelligence, nate action.
Currently, individual councils are taking different measures to deal with the problem, but the commissioner hoped they could pool knowledge to come up with an effective expertise and co-ordi- regional package. Walsall has taken on powers to issue 24-hour fast-track evictions from its parks, while Birmingham will bring in professional bailiffs to carry out evictions – protecting its overwhelmed staff from intimidation.
The city has also earmarked two car parks in Nechells as sites for official traveller camps. Processing evictions and cleaning up afterwards has placed a huge burden on councils and police forces, as well as blighting parks and playing fields.
Mr Jamieson said: “Effectively dealing with unauthorised traveller encampments is a really important issue that requires us all to work together. I organised this summit in response to calls from the public and to produce practical recommendations that will make a difference.
“I hope that best practice from across the region will be adopted, and that proposals for extra powers from the Government emerge.”
He said he was asking Midland councils to work together and avoided moving the travellers on to each other.