Fewer travellers found to be pitched illegally
MORE traveller caravans are arriving in the South West – but fewer are pitching up illegally, new figures have shown.
It comes despite a year that has seen a number of reported illegal encampments.
The figures come from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and give a snapshot of the number of gipsy, Roma and traveller caravans across the region.
In July this year, the agency counted 2,513 caravans in the South West, of which 380 were on unauthorised sites. In the previous year, there were 2,396 caravans, with 414 pitched illegally.
North Dorset, Plymouth and Sedgemoor saw the largest increase in traveller caravans, with a combined rise of almost 100 from 142 caravans to 237 this year. Those illegally pitched across the three areas went up from 12 to 43.
Dave Baxter, strategic housing manager at Sedgemoor District Council, said it had about 16 traveller designated sites in the district. He said planners understood the problem of the lack of places to go and the need to provide spaces for accommodation.
The council wants to create a transit site where caravans can temporally pitch up after its previous transit site at Middlezoy was sold off by the county council. A target has been set by the authority for 10 more caravan pitches in the area by 2020.
Councillor Simon Blackburn, of the Local Government Association, said local authorities had a duty to uphold the law when illegal encampments were set up.
He said: “Councils are committed to ensuring that their local communities are safe, inclusive and welcoming. They also know that the vast majority of travellers are law-abiding citizens and often contribute much to the communities they stay in.
“However, when encampments are clearly breaching the law and causing concern and inconvenience to communities, local authorities have a duty to take action to ensure the law is upheld, which they do working alongside the police and the court system.”
But groups representing travellers say the Government must do more to ensure councils provide sites for travellers.
A spokesman for Friends, Families and Travellers said: “Local authorities across the country have largely failed to identify land for gipsy and traveller families to stop in their local plans so many families are forced to pull up in public spaces and on private land.
“This means that many gipsy and traveller families are statutorily homeless and have interrupted access to basic water and sanitation, education and healthcare.”
He said there continued to be a “chronic national shortage” of gipsy and traveller sites in England.
Last month, travellers parked on Crickley Hill, near Cheltenham, forcing the closure of toilets and a cafe at the beauty spot. In July, Taunton Deane Borough Council had to serve notices to leave to travellers stationed at Quantock Road in Taunton.
Travellers also camped on the Kinston Stream open space in the town over the summer. More than 650 residents in Taunton signed a petition for “better preventative measures”.