Councillors seek to ensure police have ‘enough clout’ to move travellers on from certain locations such as village greens
A PROPOSED flexible approach to travellers stopping in the districts of Stratford and Warwick must still give police enough clout to deal with “unwelcome” arrivals, writes Andy Mitchell, Local Democracy Reporter.
That was the case made by Warwick district councillor Andrew Day (Con, Bishop’s Tachbrook) in response to the prospect of gipsies and travellers not automatically being moved on by councils.
As reported by the Herald last week, a report to inform the emerging South Warwickshire Local Plan has advocated a negotiated stopping policy. Such a move would see both councils allow travellers to remain on safe spots of land “for a limited period of time”, potentially providing them with amenities such as bins and toilets as long as they are in safe locations that do not cause disturbance. Such discretion would be subject to written agreements signed by the travellers.
The case has been made that such policies have worked well elsewhere and can save councils from the expense of providing transit sites that travelling families are often not keen to use.
The report, by independent researchers RRR Consultancy, said transit sites could still be used but that they were “likely to be ineffective” without the stopping policy. The policy is not yet in the pipeline but the advice will inform the new local plan which Cllr Day believes needs strength when it comes to handling issues related to travellers.
“My concern is not all of these families settle on verges, some arrive on the playing green in the middle of my village,” he said. “That can cause enormous disturbance and the police are curtailed in the way in which they can respond or encourage them to move elsewhere because we do not have alternate transit provision. My question is whether we are going to engage police so that wherever we settle on possible transit sites, police will be able to use their powers to enable them to leave [a] meadow.”
Tony Ward, senior planning officer at Warwick District Council replied: “When dealing with these instances in future, we will have to work very closely with those authorities.”
The deputy leader of Stratford District Council, Cllr George Cowcher (Lib Dem, Wellesbourne South) echoed Cllr Day’s sentiments on what he described as “a very emotive matter”.
“We already have informal travellers who come through but we also have people who are trying to circumvent planning policy as well, who are just using the land,” he said. “We have a number of instances of that type in Stratford-on-Avon district. What we need going forward is a robust plan that we can rely on.
“Clearly we need to consult and make sure we have the evidence but at the end of the day, we have to ensure this is a plan that will endure and that we can work in accordance with. That will give confidence, I think, to the rural parishes that get concerned about this particular matter.”
Cllr Day added: “My question was really about ensuring we work with police to effectively manage those who are not prepared to play by the rules to protect our communities, just as we would from any other disturbance of that sort.”
