Council could get more powers to close illegal traveller encampments
CREATING stopover locations could give South Gloucestershire Council more powers to shut down illegal encampments of gipsies and travellers.
Councillor Steve Reade said his initial stance was ‘drive them out’ when families pitch up unannounced.
But after speaking with gipsies and travellers he said he realised eviction merely displaces the issue, but a transit site – somewhere where they could stay for a set length of time while passing through – could be part of the solution.
No town or parish council asked was willing to accept a site in their area, so South Gloucestershire Council will have to evaluate the options, which could include it buying a piece of land.
Cllr Reade, who led a taskforce to look at the issue, told the Bristol Post:
“The attitude among councillors is variable. It depends on people’s experience.
“Severnside councillors have had some very bad experiences. They wouldn’t want gipsies and travellers anywhere near them. Some areas would rather close off the land.
“Once gipsies and travellers are served an eviction notice, they normally just move two miles down the road to the nearest gateway.”
Cllr Reade said a few years ago when a couple of families cut the padlocks on the gates and moved their caravans onto parkland in Siston, he went to speak to them to say they were causing concern.
He asked when they were likely to leave, and when they said they would only be there a few days, he decided to hold them to their word: he asked the community to leave the families alone as long as they left when they said they would and did not leave a mess.
“There was no sign they had been there – that’s a transit site,” said Cllr Reade.
“My initial stance was ‘drive them out’. Having carried out this study and spoken to a lot of people, I’ve changed my mind completely. We have to do something constructive.”
Cllr Reade admitted transit sites will not solve the issues completely, as there will always be economic migrants who do not comply with the rules.
But he said creating a site would give South Gloucestershire Council increased powers to move them on from illegal encampments.
Despite these benefits, the taskforce did not get a single favourable response from any town or parish council.
Cllr Reade said: “It was quite clear there was a lot of concern, a lot of it about those who want to work locally but don’t dispose of their waste through proper routes. They cause a lot of reputational problems. These are generalisations – there are no absolutes.
“The gipsies and travellers who are just passing through for weddings or funerals, are only here for a few days and then move on. They just want somewhere to stop, but the community immediately comes up in arms about it.
“If they knew the family was only going to be there for a few days, they wouldn’t leave any mess and won’t be antisocial, the acceptability would increase.
“My view is that, through the Local Plan, South Gloucestershire Council should identify and record the need for sites. A transit site doesn’t need all the facilities a permanent site does. It could simply be a field with hardstanding.”
One option would be the council buying land and establishing it as a transit site.
Cllr Reade said there is a farmer in Brean in Somerset who welcomes gipsies and travellers onto his land in this way.
He said a council-owned site would likely be locked to prevent unauthorised access and it would be empty for much of the year. He said Bristol City Council’s Avonmouth transit site is underused and another option would be for South Gloucestershire Council to direct gipsies and travellers there.
Cllr Reade added: “Whichever option is chosen will undoubtedly generate a large amount of objection – but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.
“If you simply keep on tightening the screw, you are trying to extinguish the gipsy/traveller community. That’s not my intention. It’s my intention to allow them to live the lifestyle they want to live without imposing the negatives on the rest of the community.”
Cllr Reade said gipsies and travellers would be able to stay at a transit site for a set amount of time, generally up to a week or 10 days. The facility would be locked when not in use.
Cllr Reade said council officers could operate an informal booking system for the transit sites – but would have to be cautious it does not “become a caravan park”.
The council’s cabinet members received a report from the taskforce last week. The director of planning, transportation and strategic environment will evaluate options for transit sites and look at how they could be delivered through the Local Plan and will report back to the scrutiny commission within six months.