Councillor: Little being done to dissuade camps on city parks
TRAVELLERS are becoming “more militant” in Birmingham – and residents who block sites from invasions should be supported, a veteran city councillor has claimed.
Cllr Mike Leddy, a member of the city’s licensing committee, highlighted incidents of violence, fly-tipping, damage and even ripping off electricity and water supplies by recent traveller groups and called for stiff council action to deal with them.
He also applauded the residents of Kingstanding who last week blocked the George Frederick Playing Fields despite threats as caravans tried to get onto the park.
His comments came as the council won new powers meaning travellers setting up camp on Perry Park, Selly Oak Park, Selly Park Recreation Ground and Hazelwell Park, in Stirchley, can be arrested on the spot for contempt of court and face imprisonment or have their caravans and vehicles seized.
It is the first time the council has secured this legal power and follows months of painstaking evidence gathering involving residents. Until now council bosses have generally issued 48-hour eviction notices.
The ruling made by the Honourable Mr Justice Morris sitting in the High Court in Birmingham bans travellers from setting up or joining encampments on any of those four sites and lasts until July 2019.
But Cllr Leddy (Lab, Brandwood) still felt the move was too little too late.
He said: “The travellers have got more militant. They have got harder, their dumping has got worse and their threatening behaviour towards our residents is getting totally unacceptable.”
Cllr Leddy told how a “totally innocent Muslim man” had been attacked by travellers in Billesley and said residents trying to protect Highbury Park were subjected to “homophobic, racist and bullying behaviour”. He added that travellers had tapped into water mains in Druid Heath this week and also taken a panel off a street light to tap into the electricity supply. He said he would support residents who took their own action to protect parks and open spaces. “As a frustrated councillor I will no longer attempt to calm down my local communities who are incensed over the way they are being treated. I’m fed up, because I don’t see any positive work being done to discourage traveller encampments,” he added. His view was echoed by Conservative spokesman Cllr Des Flood (Bartley Green) who said: “The friction between travellers and residents is only going to get worse if we don’t deal with this serious issue.”
Council officer Mark Croxford replied that there was difficulty in taking criminal cases as they have to prove beyond reasonable doubt that an individual was responsible for flytipping, criminal damage or threatening behaviour, rather than a general group.
He said: “Normal recourse to criminal law is not resolving the problems, which is why we are going for injunctions.”
A council composting plant under the M6 has now been earmarked as a legitimate traveller camp as the authority tries to end the game of cat and mouse as officials chase travellers from park to park, serving eviction notices.
The under-used recycling facility is at the end of Bromford Drive in Hodge Hill, next to the River Tame – 100 yards from the nearest homes.
Environmental health officer Mark Croxford unveiled the proposal to the council’s licensing committee, saying it was the only available site able to accommodate the larger camps of 20 to 60 caravans which have inundated the city this summer.
“Most people who we spoke to didn’t know it was there, so it’s quite remote,” he added.
The city has already earmarked two smaller sites on council-owned car parks in Nechells, but the largest of these can only fit up to 15 caravans and they have yet to be converted.
Opposition Conservatives criticised the move, saying the council should not “gift” land to travellers who have generally caused grief to residents, leaving a trail of fly-tipping and damage in their wake.
Conservative licensing spokesman Des Flood said the council should instead look to protect land from travellers and take swift action to remove them.
Their threatening behaviour towards our residents is getting totally unacceptable Cllr Mike Leddy