Travellers on move... but only across the town
■ A family of travellers have finally moved off the car park at Fishpond Meadow after more than six weeks – but then pitched up at another unauthorised site less than half a mile away
TOWN councillors have voiced their frustrations at the protection afforded to travellers after being told of the struggles faced by the district council in finding a permanent site for them.
Ashbourne’s mayor Sue Bull was reporting to the council on Tuesday last week in her capacity as a district councillor, following a meeting the night before in Matlock when it was agreed the family currently camped in Ashbourne could be moved to Matlock Bath.
She explained to fellow town councillors that the travellers have applied for homelessness status, which puts even more pressure on Derbyshire Dales District Council to find them a permanent place to settle.
She explained that the travellers felt they had been “pushed from pillar to post” because no permanent site has been identified, which is why they decided to apply for the homeless status.
Councillor Bull said: “They are fully backed by the law and everybody that’s behind them. They’ve got that much behind them that the district council is really treading very, very carefully to what they have to do.
“As far as we’re concerned, the district council feels that once we’ve offered [the Matlock Bath site at Tinti’s Yard] to them we will have done our duty as regards offering somewhere.
“Because we can’t move them off any unlawful encampment and just put them on the roadside any more, unfortunately. It’s a case that they have to have somewhere else to go.
“They are advised where they can go, but we cannot force them to go.
“So that’s about as much as I can give you on this. I can assure you, I did ask a lot of questions to say we keep offering these spaces, and they keep turning round and saying ‘no we don’t want to go there.’
“So I asked how long is this going on and how long will we have to keep doing this. And they said, we have to do it, full stop. We can’t get away with it.”
Councillor Denise Brown was the first to respond. She said: “I’m very sympathetic to the travellers, because I realise they have social care and health issues and nowhere to go, it must be terrible at this time of year to feel that everyone’s against you.
“And that you don’t have anywhere to go because of your way of life and I’m quite empathetic about that.
“But how does it stand if they’ve been offered somewhere and they keep turning it down? Because if somebody was offered a council house and turned it down, it used to be if you turned three down then that was it.” Councillor Bull replied: “The law covers them, because there are so many strict rules and regulations. I think there’s about eight different processes that they can go through. That’s why I asked that question.
“But unfortunately they can do it indefinitely, and go where they want, and not have to accept any council offers.”
Deputy Mayor Ann Smith also took part in the discussion.
She said: “I don’t share councillor Brown’s empathy, quite honestly, because they know exactly what they’re doing.
“I don’t doubt there are issues there, but they’ve got a gypsy liaison officer and they’ve got lawyers.
“It’s going to cost god knows how many thousands of pounds to appoint a consultant to sort this out.
“I realise the district’s hands are tied, as are the town council, but these travellers know exactly what they’re doing, they do.
“And I say again that it’s not them that are being discriminated against, it’s us that’s being discriminated against.”
It must be terrible for the travellers to feel that everyone’s against you. Cllr Denise Brown