From the Yorkshire Post
ITS Victorian Gothic spires and sprawling 250 acres of parkland will no doubt have been witness to the odd raucous high-society party over the centuries.
More recently, the venue has been used for weddings, game shoots and films and television dramas – including in 1994 as the backdrop for an episode of the Darling Buds of May.
But it is unlikely Carlton Towers will have seen anything quite like this.
The Yorkshire Post was yesterday granted access to the field where the Gypsy Light and Life Festival is taking place,
which is protected by a ring of security, and found it a sea of caravans, with hundreds of youngsters and animals scampering in between.
The main festival tent, which is adorned with a banner saying “God is love” where numerous preaching events to help “save” Travellers are being held throughout the week, has a seating capacity of 1,800, although organisers claimed up to 5,000 people could be attending.
A constant stream of cars, many of which sport personalised number plates, and overloaded flat-bed trucks stream into the site, while caterers, one of whom was recently evicted from Europe’s largest illegal Travellers site at Dale Farm in Essex, serve tea and bacon sandwiches.
The sheer scale of visitors means North Yorkshire police officers are hosting daily meetings with festival organisers to discuss security. But despite the fears of residents in the surrounding village, the force says it has not yet encountered any problems, although it has put on extra patrols.
Joe Boswell, a pastor of the Light and Life Church and one of the main ministers at the event, said the historic Yorkshire venue was discovered as a site to host this year’s festival partly through prayer.
“We are hear to preach the gospel to reach the lost,” he
said.
“We are evangelical and born in the spirit of God.
“We have had a lot more people than we thought, it is a good problem and a bad one as well. The roads are clear and we are working with police.
“We will be gone on Friday, I will be one of the last ones to leave the field and we will leave it the way we found it.
“There are skips, toilets, and staff here patrolling the road.
“If anyone has any fears that we are staying then that is not what we are here for.
“We are very pleased that
the landowners have received
us.
He added: “There are a lot of groups that are coming from the local area that are not staying on this field and we are responsible for anything that happens in the field area.
“But if we are aware of any problems then we can come and help.”
Tessa Lee, 25, another dedicated festival-goer whose father is a pastor in the church, said: “I have been saved for eight years.
“It means you can step away from your old life and are born again. I have been to this festival every year. In 20 years I have never missed one.”
In between preaching sessions, many of the youngsters stream outside into the village of Carlton and the neighbouring village of Snaith, where the parish council reportedly closed its offices after being inundated with requests to use the toilet.
Groups of boys and girls were gathering throughout the day outside Carlton’s shop, which yesterday was flanked by police community support officers, and on the village bandstand.
Despite many residents and businesses complaining of the influx, the beauty shop Dyenamix, which is situated outside Carlton Towers, was doing a roaring trade.
“There has been a big upturn in business and lots of the ladies have come to get their hair done,” said 21-year-old stylist Amy Williams.
“It is always fairly busy but I have never seen this amount of people before.
“People have been coming
for haircuts, blow-dries and getting their nails done; it is a good thing.”
She added: “Nobody has been rude to us or anything like that. It is only the young ones that are pests.”
However, not everyone in the village was as convinced by their new neighbours.
John Watson, 65, who was out walking with his dog, Flow, said: “I took the dog for a walk early in the morning and the road was covered with litter, but then somebody came and cleared it up.
“Apparently the fish and chip shop got two hours notice before they started turning up. A bit more of a warning would definitely have been welcome.
“I have lived here for six years and never seen anything like this before.
“I think everybody in the village will be sighing with relief when it is over.”
Tuesday 31 July 2012
Travellers move on to busy public car park in Emsworth - Hampshire
From the News
THE cat and mouse game between Travellers and the authorities took a new twist as 12 caravans moved on to a town centre car park.
The group moved on to Palmers Road car park in Emsworth, a place used by scores of shoppers every day.
Police threatened them with immediate eviction as the site is a busy public place and next to Brook Meadow, a protected nature reserve that is home to rare water voles.
It is the latest in a series of invasions this month which has cost the taxpayer more than £2,000 to pay for court evictions and cleaning up rubbish.
The encampment, which did not pay for parking, was not welcomed by nearby shopkeepers.
One business owner said: ‘The council needs to be more proactive to stop them.
‘It’s wrong. The car park should have barriers where you can’t get that sort of vehicle in there.’
The group came from Bourne Community College in Southbourne, where they had been staying since last week.
Council rangers said West Sussex County Council had given them 30 minutes’ notice and the Travellers had to find a place to stop.
Gary Morton, environmental ranger team leader, said police had given a warning under Section 61 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 to evict the Travellers.
However, this was not needed as the Travellers moved on in the direction of West Sussex at about 4pm yesterday.
He said: ‘We are protecting everything as much as we are able to.’
The latest encampment was dealt with in a matter of hours, but the same group caused disruption after camping near a cycle track off Havant Road, in Emsworth, for almost a fortnight.
Council leader Tony Briggs said: ‘As far as I am concerned the law needs to get to grips with this and give police the power to move them on without having to go through this palaver of going through the courts at great expense to the local taxpayer.
‘The problem is successive governments have pussyfooted round this issue instead of grabbing it by the neck and dealing with it. The time has come when the government needs to take a serious look at this and deal with it once and for all.’
Police are able to move on Travellers immediately if there are transit caravan sites locally.
But Cllr Briggs said: ‘At the moment there’s going to be great uproar from the local population. An urban area like Havant is not suitable.’
WHERE THEY’VE BEEN
· Bitterne Park, Leigh Park – play area camped on for six days until court eviction. Concrete barriers have now been installed.
· Barncroft Way, Bedhampton – public land next to Hermitage stream camped on for four days until court eviction.
· Havant Road, Emsworth – busy pedestrian and cycling route by A27 camped on for almost two weeks until court eviction. Police caution 45-year-old man after dog attacks PCSO.
· Bourne Community College – playing fields camped on for seven days.
THE cat and mouse game between Travellers and the authorities took a new twist as 12 caravans moved on to a town centre car park.
The group moved on to Palmers Road car park in Emsworth, a place used by scores of shoppers every day.
Police threatened them with immediate eviction as the site is a busy public place and next to Brook Meadow, a protected nature reserve that is home to rare water voles.
It is the latest in a series of invasions this month which has cost the taxpayer more than £2,000 to pay for court evictions and cleaning up rubbish.
The encampment, which did not pay for parking, was not welcomed by nearby shopkeepers.
One business owner said: ‘The council needs to be more proactive to stop them.
‘It’s wrong. The car park should have barriers where you can’t get that sort of vehicle in there.’
The group came from Bourne Community College in Southbourne, where they had been staying since last week.
Council rangers said West Sussex County Council had given them 30 minutes’ notice and the Travellers had to find a place to stop.
Gary Morton, environmental ranger team leader, said police had given a warning under Section 61 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 to evict the Travellers.
However, this was not needed as the Travellers moved on in the direction of West Sussex at about 4pm yesterday.
He said: ‘We are protecting everything as much as we are able to.’
The latest encampment was dealt with in a matter of hours, but the same group caused disruption after camping near a cycle track off Havant Road, in Emsworth, for almost a fortnight.
Council leader Tony Briggs said: ‘As far as I am concerned the law needs to get to grips with this and give police the power to move them on without having to go through this palaver of going through the courts at great expense to the local taxpayer.
‘The problem is successive governments have pussyfooted round this issue instead of grabbing it by the neck and dealing with it. The time has come when the government needs to take a serious look at this and deal with it once and for all.’
Police are able to move on Travellers immediately if there are transit caravan sites locally.
But Cllr Briggs said: ‘At the moment there’s going to be great uproar from the local population. An urban area like Havant is not suitable.’
WHERE THEY’VE BEEN
· Bitterne Park, Leigh Park – play area camped on for six days until court eviction. Concrete barriers have now been installed.
· Barncroft Way, Bedhampton – public land next to Hermitage stream camped on for four days until court eviction.
· Havant Road, Emsworth – busy pedestrian and cycling route by A27 camped on for almost two weeks until court eviction. Police caution 45-year-old man after dog attacks PCSO.
· Bourne Community College – playing fields camped on for seven days.
Action on Travellers in Batley - Kirklees
From Kirklees Council
Kirklees Council is continuing to work on the removal of a traveller encampment at Blakeridge Lane, Batley.
The Travellers have settled in a car park and the council is liaising with its partners to establish who owns the land so that action can be taken.
Cllr Shabir Pandor, Cabinet member for Resources and a ward member for Batley West, said: “We are doing everything we can to speed up the process.
“Officers are trying to establish who owns the car park and the council is committed to dealing with this issue quickly, for the benefit of local residents.
“North Kirklees has seen several encampments in recent weeks and we always work quickly to deal with them.
“I fully understand the disruption that Travellers can cause and I am determined that this will be kept to the minimum we can achieve.”
Kirklees Council is continuing to work on the removal of a traveller encampment at Blakeridge Lane, Batley.
The Travellers have settled in a car park and the council is liaising with its partners to establish who owns the land so that action can be taken.
Cllr Shabir Pandor, Cabinet member for Resources and a ward member for Batley West, said: “We are doing everything we can to speed up the process.
“Officers are trying to establish who owns the car park and the council is committed to dealing with this issue quickly, for the benefit of local residents.
“North Kirklees has seen several encampments in recent weeks and we always work quickly to deal with them.
“I fully understand the disruption that Travellers can cause and I am determined that this will be kept to the minimum we can achieve.”
50 caravans on west Hull site - Yorkshire
From the Hull Daily Mail
RESIDENTS have spoken of their alarm at the growing number of Travellers arriving on their doorstep.
The number of Travellers pitched up next to Kelvin Hall Secondary School, in Bricknell Avenue, west Hull, increased from 20 to about 50 caravans after they first moved on to the site two weeks ago.
Hull City Council is this week bidding to have them removed in a hearing at Hull Magistrates' Court.
The council is hoping to be granted an Immediate Possession Order (IPO) to remove the group from its land.
July 31 update: The group of Travellers has now moved from the Bricknell Avenue site. About 30 caravans have set up camp in east Hull.
Joanne Tonkiss, who lives close to the fields, off Appleton Road, said: "The caravans keep coming and we are up to about 50 of them now.
"About ten arrived on Friday and a similar number over the weekend.
"There are also more horses in the school playing fields but the travellers deny they belong to them.
"The situation is getting worse and no one seems to be able to do anything. It seems to be getting very overcrowded."
Mrs Tonkiss is concerned about the state of the playing fields, which have recently been renovated by the school to include a cricket pitch.
She said: "As well as horses, they are using quad bikes and motorbikes on the school fields. The noise is also bad."
Another concern for residents is the human excrement left by the travellers.
Mrs Tonkiss said: "There is a real sanitation problem.
"The Travellers just go to the toilet anywhere. It's disgusting."
Kelvin Hall and Wyke College took over much of the former William Gee School playing fields and have installed new drainage systems and provided cricket pitches. Travellers arrived on the same site two years ago, which residents claim was left in a mess.
"They have been coming here for the past three or four years," said Mrs Tonkiss.
"It costs the council thousands of pounds to tidy up.
"Last time, they were riding around on quad bikes and it's the coming and going of lorries and vans that is such a problem."
Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "Their numbers are growing. There are children on the playing fields but if my kids go on there, they are kicked off straight away.
"There are dogs all over the place.
"It's not fair and not right at all."
The council has confirmed it is seeking court permission to remove the Travellers from land.
An inspection will take place once the Travellers have left to survey any damage.
Nick Howbridge, assistant of service for property and assets at the council, said: "An Immediate Possession Order was issued last Thursday and a court hearing will take place this Wednesday to serve notice.
"As part of the process we will be inspecting the site once the Travellers have moved on."
The council has also been working with Kelvin Hall School, which has closed for the summer holidays.
Head teacher Sarah Smythe previously told the Mail: "We have been made aware that Travellers have moved on to the site and we are keeping in regular contact with the council to find out how the situation will be resolved."
Residents in the Boothferry Estate expressed similar concerns about caravans parked on council-owned land near Millport Drive earlier this month.
They claimed they were plagued by rubbish and noise after 30 caravans pitched up on a playing field close by.
They also said the horses, dogs and cockerels on the site kept them awake and some of the occupants defecated on the pavements.
The council successfully applied for an order to have them removed but most had already left.
The land had wooden stakes driven into the ground to stop vehicles from driving on to it but some of these were pulled out and others sawn away.
Local authorities cannot evict travellers immediately but must first assess their welfare and comply with the Human Rights Act, while proving they own the land.
Police will only get involved if there is criminal activity.
RESIDENTS have spoken of their alarm at the growing number of Travellers arriving on their doorstep.
The number of Travellers pitched up next to Kelvin Hall Secondary School, in Bricknell Avenue, west Hull, increased from 20 to about 50 caravans after they first moved on to the site two weeks ago.
Hull City Council is this week bidding to have them removed in a hearing at Hull Magistrates' Court.
The council is hoping to be granted an Immediate Possession Order (IPO) to remove the group from its land.
July 31 update: The group of Travellers has now moved from the Bricknell Avenue site. About 30 caravans have set up camp in east Hull.
Joanne Tonkiss, who lives close to the fields, off Appleton Road, said: "The caravans keep coming and we are up to about 50 of them now.
"About ten arrived on Friday and a similar number over the weekend.
"There are also more horses in the school playing fields but the travellers deny they belong to them.
"The situation is getting worse and no one seems to be able to do anything. It seems to be getting very overcrowded."
Mrs Tonkiss is concerned about the state of the playing fields, which have recently been renovated by the school to include a cricket pitch.
She said: "As well as horses, they are using quad bikes and motorbikes on the school fields. The noise is also bad."
Another concern for residents is the human excrement left by the travellers.
Mrs Tonkiss said: "There is a real sanitation problem.
"The Travellers just go to the toilet anywhere. It's disgusting."
Kelvin Hall and Wyke College took over much of the former William Gee School playing fields and have installed new drainage systems and provided cricket pitches. Travellers arrived on the same site two years ago, which residents claim was left in a mess.
"They have been coming here for the past three or four years," said Mrs Tonkiss.
"It costs the council thousands of pounds to tidy up.
"Last time, they were riding around on quad bikes and it's the coming and going of lorries and vans that is such a problem."
Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "Their numbers are growing. There are children on the playing fields but if my kids go on there, they are kicked off straight away.
"There are dogs all over the place.
"It's not fair and not right at all."
The council has confirmed it is seeking court permission to remove the Travellers from land.
An inspection will take place once the Travellers have left to survey any damage.
Nick Howbridge, assistant of service for property and assets at the council, said: "An Immediate Possession Order was issued last Thursday and a court hearing will take place this Wednesday to serve notice.
"As part of the process we will be inspecting the site once the Travellers have moved on."
The council has also been working with Kelvin Hall School, which has closed for the summer holidays.
Head teacher Sarah Smythe previously told the Mail: "We have been made aware that Travellers have moved on to the site and we are keeping in regular contact with the council to find out how the situation will be resolved."
Residents in the Boothferry Estate expressed similar concerns about caravans parked on council-owned land near Millport Drive earlier this month.
They claimed they were plagued by rubbish and noise after 30 caravans pitched up on a playing field close by.
They also said the horses, dogs and cockerels on the site kept them awake and some of the occupants defecated on the pavements.
The council successfully applied for an order to have them removed but most had already left.
The land had wooden stakes driven into the ground to stop vehicles from driving on to it but some of these were pulled out and others sawn away.
Local authorities cannot evict travellers immediately but must first assess their welfare and comply with the Human Rights Act, while proving they own the land.
Police will only get involved if there is criminal activity.
Travellers move to site off Saltshouse Road in east Hull - Yorkshire
From This Is Hull and East Riding
THE population of Travellers pitched up next to a west Hull school have moved on.
Around 50 caravans set up camp next to Kelvin Hall Secondary School in Bricknell Avenue.
The Travellers had been on the site for two weeks.
A hearing was due to take place at Hull Magistrates' Court tomorrow to grant the city council an Immediate Possession Order (IPO) to remove the Travellers from its land but the group moved off overnight.
Around 30 caravans have now set up on the site of the former Lambwath Primary School, Battersea Close, off Saltshouse Road, east Hull.
It is not clear at this stage if they are the same group.
Local authorities cannot evict Travellers immediately but first assess their welfare and comply with the Human Rights Act, while proving they won the land.
Police will only get involved if there is serious criminal activity.
THE population of Travellers pitched up next to a west Hull school have moved on.
Around 50 caravans set up camp next to Kelvin Hall Secondary School in Bricknell Avenue.
The Travellers had been on the site for two weeks.
A hearing was due to take place at Hull Magistrates' Court tomorrow to grant the city council an Immediate Possession Order (IPO) to remove the Travellers from its land but the group moved off overnight.
Around 30 caravans have now set up on the site of the former Lambwath Primary School, Battersea Close, off Saltshouse Road, east Hull.
It is not clear at this stage if they are the same group.
Local authorities cannot evict Travellers immediately but first assess their welfare and comply with the Human Rights Act, while proving they won the land.
Police will only get involved if there is serious criminal activity.
Legal action planned to move Travellers from Aberdeen park
From the Evening Express
COURT action is to be taken this week against a group of Travellers camped at a popular Aberdeen park.
Two caravans and a white trailer van were spotted at Aberdeen’s Hazlehead Park.
Aberdeen council’s Gypsy Traveller liaison officer visited the site and has decided to take the matter to court on Thursday to move the Travellers from Hazlehead Park.
COURT action is to be taken this week against a group of Travellers camped at a popular Aberdeen park.
Two caravans and a white trailer van were spotted at Aberdeen’s Hazlehead Park.
Aberdeen council’s Gypsy Traveller liaison officer visited the site and has decided to take the matter to court on Thursday to move the Travellers from Hazlehead Park.
Pontypool Race Gypsy site extension proposed by Torfaen
From the BBC
A £3.6m plan to expand a Gypsy and Traveller site in Pontypool has been recommended for approval by Torfaen councillors.
Part of an unused football pitch at the Race would be used to expand the existing Shepherd's Hill site.
Replacement pitches would be offered to the football club.
Council leaders said they had a duty to address overcrowding at Shepherd's Hill, and claimed the plans provided best value for money.
Historical records
Pontypool is home to three Gypsy and Traveller sites, with census records showing they have lived in the area at least as far back as 1871.
Shepherd's Hill, run by the council, has more than 100 residents living on 26 permanent residential pitches for caravans and mobile homes and one transit pitch.
Local authority records for the site date back to 1974, with Torfaen taking control of it from the Gypsy Council in 2006.
A meeting of the full council on Tuesday will be asked to approve plans to provide caravan pitches on part of the neighbouring Race football field, out of use since the mid 1990s due to subsidence.
The extension would provide around 20 caravan pitches, enough for around 80 more residents.
The football club would be offered replacement facilities at nearby Coleg Gwent.
Shepherd's Hill, Pontypool Shepherd's Hill has been officially recognised as a Gypsy and Traveller site since 1974
The scheme would be financed from a mix of Welsh government grants, existing spending and future income from the new site.
Councillor Gwyneira Clark, Torfaen's executive member for housing, planning and public protection, said: "We have a duty to address overcrowding and want to improve conditions on the site.
"This proposal also offers the best value for money to do this, and meets our legal requirements to plan for future housing."
'Good relationship'
Mark Duggan, Gypsy and Traveller liaison officer for Torfaen council, said the plan was to provide more room for the Shepherd's Hill community, and relatives who may want to join them.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
I would like to think that both communities would come to realise that it's a positive thing for the area”
Mark Duggan Gypsy and Traveller liaison officer, Torfaen council
"This is about accommodating existing families in the area," he said.
"That's where the residents would like to remain."
Mr Duggan added that the lack of understanding between residents of Shepherd's Hill and the wider community was disappearing over time.
"The vast majority of people in the area have a good relationship with the Gypsy and Traveller community," he said.
"A lot of people in their 30s and 40s have been to school with them.
"I would like to think that both communities would come to realise that it's a positive thing for the area.
"It's giving the Gypsies and Travellers that have lived there for generations accessibility to a better site and a better standard of living."
If the proposals are backed, the council plans to re-open discussions with local Gypsies and Travellers, and the settled community in Cwmynyscoy, before taking a final decision at a later date.
A £3.6m plan to expand a Gypsy and Traveller site in Pontypool has been recommended for approval by Torfaen councillors.
Part of an unused football pitch at the Race would be used to expand the existing Shepherd's Hill site.
Replacement pitches would be offered to the football club.
Council leaders said they had a duty to address overcrowding at Shepherd's Hill, and claimed the plans provided best value for money.
Historical records
Pontypool is home to three Gypsy and Traveller sites, with census records showing they have lived in the area at least as far back as 1871.
Shepherd's Hill, run by the council, has more than 100 residents living on 26 permanent residential pitches for caravans and mobile homes and one transit pitch.
Local authority records for the site date back to 1974, with Torfaen taking control of it from the Gypsy Council in 2006.
A meeting of the full council on Tuesday will be asked to approve plans to provide caravan pitches on part of the neighbouring Race football field, out of use since the mid 1990s due to subsidence.
The extension would provide around 20 caravan pitches, enough for around 80 more residents.
The football club would be offered replacement facilities at nearby Coleg Gwent.
Shepherd's Hill, Pontypool Shepherd's Hill has been officially recognised as a Gypsy and Traveller site since 1974
The scheme would be financed from a mix of Welsh government grants, existing spending and future income from the new site.
Councillor Gwyneira Clark, Torfaen's executive member for housing, planning and public protection, said: "We have a duty to address overcrowding and want to improve conditions on the site.
"This proposal also offers the best value for money to do this, and meets our legal requirements to plan for future housing."
'Good relationship'
Mark Duggan, Gypsy and Traveller liaison officer for Torfaen council, said the plan was to provide more room for the Shepherd's Hill community, and relatives who may want to join them.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
I would like to think that both communities would come to realise that it's a positive thing for the area”
Mark Duggan Gypsy and Traveller liaison officer, Torfaen council
"This is about accommodating existing families in the area," he said.
"That's where the residents would like to remain."
Mr Duggan added that the lack of understanding between residents of Shepherd's Hill and the wider community was disappearing over time.
"The vast majority of people in the area have a good relationship with the Gypsy and Traveller community," he said.
"A lot of people in their 30s and 40s have been to school with them.
"I would like to think that both communities would come to realise that it's a positive thing for the area.
"It's giving the Gypsies and Travellers that have lived there for generations accessibility to a better site and a better standard of living."
If the proposals are backed, the council plans to re-open discussions with local Gypsies and Travellers, and the settled community in Cwmynyscoy, before taking a final decision at a later date.
Fury over village invasion of Gypsies for festival - Yorkshire
From the Yorkshire Post
THOUSANDS of Travellers have descended on a North Yorkshire village for a week-long evangelical festival on the grounds of the ancestral home of the Duke of Norfolk.
Residents say they had no warning whatsoever of the Light and Life Gypsy Church convention at Carlton Towers, a 17th century stately home in the village of Carlton, near Selby, before trucks and caravans started arriving.
Police have been patrolling the streets, while residents have complained of gangs of youths marching through the village and disturbing houses.
James Smith, the licensee of the Foresters Arms, claimed he was forced to work extra shifts over the weekend guarding the toilets at the back of his pub and was subjected to verbal abuse.
Yesterday the front door of the business was closed following police advice.
Now he is calling on the historic venue to foot the bill for any costs incurred by the festival – including the extra police patrols that are scheduled to take place until it comes to an end on Friday.
“I was abused with the sort of language I have never heard in my life,” he said. “Especially from the young girls.
“I have never seen anything here on this scale before and the village did not know anything about it.
“On Sunday I worked six or seven hours just to sit on the door.
“I had to shut the toilets three of four times, they were a total mess.
“This is affecting everybody’s life and the police have told us it will take four days to empty the site there are that many cars.
“I’m going to see the police inspector in charge next week to make sure the bill for the event is paid by Carlton Towers and not the taxpayer. We did not know anything about this, we should not have to pay for it.”
Residents said the first vehicles started arriving on Friday, with travellers coming from across the country and as far away as America and France.
It is expected at least 5,000 people are attending the festival, with hundreds of caravans parked on the Carlton Towers estate – which is home to Lord and Lady Gerald Fitzalan Howard and has been handed down through generations – for the duration of the event.
Coun Margaret Hulme, who lives in the village and represents the South Selby division on North Yorkshire County Council, said youths had been ringing on her electric gates on Sunday evening.
“They are not causing any criminal damage but they are intimidating people,” she said.
“They are also going into the neighbouring village of Snaith and the clerk of the parish council there said she had to close the offices because so many people were coming in and trying to use the toilets. Residents here are absolutely furious.”
The Yorkshire Post understands that on Sunday there were five individual calls to the police from concerned residents.
A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said: “The force is aware of a gathering of the Gipsy Light and Life Church at Carlton Towers in Selby District.
“It is an organised private event which has attracted a large number of people.
“The organisers liaised with the force prior to the event which has been held previously in other areas of the country without incident. Officers are present at the site, as they would be for any event of this size, and have not encountered any problems.
“Reassurance patrols will continue until the conclusion of the gathering on Friday.”
The events team at Carlton Towers were contacted yesterday by the Yorkshire Post, but were not available for comment.
THOUSANDS of Travellers have descended on a North Yorkshire village for a week-long evangelical festival on the grounds of the ancestral home of the Duke of Norfolk.
Residents say they had no warning whatsoever of the Light and Life Gypsy Church convention at Carlton Towers, a 17th century stately home in the village of Carlton, near Selby, before trucks and caravans started arriving.
Police have been patrolling the streets, while residents have complained of gangs of youths marching through the village and disturbing houses.
James Smith, the licensee of the Foresters Arms, claimed he was forced to work extra shifts over the weekend guarding the toilets at the back of his pub and was subjected to verbal abuse.
Yesterday the front door of the business was closed following police advice.
Now he is calling on the historic venue to foot the bill for any costs incurred by the festival – including the extra police patrols that are scheduled to take place until it comes to an end on Friday.
“I was abused with the sort of language I have never heard in my life,” he said. “Especially from the young girls.
“I have never seen anything here on this scale before and the village did not know anything about it.
“On Sunday I worked six or seven hours just to sit on the door.
“I had to shut the toilets three of four times, they were a total mess.
“This is affecting everybody’s life and the police have told us it will take four days to empty the site there are that many cars.
“I’m going to see the police inspector in charge next week to make sure the bill for the event is paid by Carlton Towers and not the taxpayer. We did not know anything about this, we should not have to pay for it.”
Residents said the first vehicles started arriving on Friday, with travellers coming from across the country and as far away as America and France.
It is expected at least 5,000 people are attending the festival, with hundreds of caravans parked on the Carlton Towers estate – which is home to Lord and Lady Gerald Fitzalan Howard and has been handed down through generations – for the duration of the event.
Coun Margaret Hulme, who lives in the village and represents the South Selby division on North Yorkshire County Council, said youths had been ringing on her electric gates on Sunday evening.
“They are not causing any criminal damage but they are intimidating people,” she said.
“They are also going into the neighbouring village of Snaith and the clerk of the parish council there said she had to close the offices because so many people were coming in and trying to use the toilets. Residents here are absolutely furious.”
The Yorkshire Post understands that on Sunday there were five individual calls to the police from concerned residents.
A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said: “The force is aware of a gathering of the Gipsy Light and Life Church at Carlton Towers in Selby District.
“It is an organised private event which has attracted a large number of people.
“The organisers liaised with the force prior to the event which has been held previously in other areas of the country without incident. Officers are present at the site, as they would be for any event of this size, and have not encountered any problems.
“Reassurance patrols will continue until the conclusion of the gathering on Friday.”
The events team at Carlton Towers were contacted yesterday by the Yorkshire Post, but were not available for comment.
Monday 30 July 2012
Travellers still occupying Radlett Road Playing Fields - Hertfordshire
From the Watford Observer
Travellers, who pitched up on fields in central Watford last week, are still there despite assurances to the council they would be gone by the weekend.
A small number of caravans remained on Radlett Road Playing Fields, following a well-attended funeral of a Traveller from Watford on Friday.
Two roads were closed in Watford a procession to North Watford Cemetery on Friday, when the mobile homes appeared on the playing fields.
Last week Watford Borough Council said it had been told the caravans would be moved over the weekend.
One resident who uses the field to walk his dog, and asked to remain anonymous, said he had called the council and been told the last caravans would be gone by Friday.
The resident added: "When they leave, will they leave rubbish and will the council have to pick it up?"
Travellers, who pitched up on fields in central Watford last week, are still there despite assurances to the council they would be gone by the weekend.
A small number of caravans remained on Radlett Road Playing Fields, following a well-attended funeral of a Traveller from Watford on Friday.
Two roads were closed in Watford a procession to North Watford Cemetery on Friday, when the mobile homes appeared on the playing fields.
Last week Watford Borough Council said it had been told the caravans would be moved over the weekend.
One resident who uses the field to walk his dog, and asked to remain anonymous, said he had called the council and been told the last caravans would be gone by Friday.
The resident added: "When they leave, will they leave rubbish and will the council have to pick it up?"
Challenge set for Torfaen Gypsy site plan - Monmouthshire
From the South Wales Argus
A TORFAEN councillor will mount a challenge tomorrow at the full council meeting about the recent cabinet decision to expand Gypsy and Traveller sites in the borough.
Cwmynyscoy Neighbourhood Action Group (CwmNAG) have the support of their local councillor Neil Waite, who will be challenging the decision, to allow more caravan sites in Cwmynyscoy.
Chair of CwmNAG, Adrian Bold, said: "The people of Cwmynyscoy are appalled that their ward is proposed to be the only area of Torfaen to have Gypsy and Traveller accommodation with over 100 caravans in Upper and Lower Race and none anywhere else.
"There are concerns that this high concentration of caravans will cause significant problems and CwmNAG believes that it is time that Torfaen council listened to the settled residents of Cwmynyscoy and properly and independently assessed the impact of these proposals upon the ward and the Pontypool area."
Cabinet members approved proposals for a £3.6 million expansion of the existing site based around the Shepherd’s Hill site in Pontypool.
Plans would also see part of the unused Race football pitch being used to accommodate further caravan pitches, and the privately owned Rose Cottage site would provide ten additional pitches to help alleviate Gipsy and Traveller housing needs.
Cllr Waite is challenging the decision for a number of reasons, including CwmNAG not being given sufficient time to respond to the council report about the expansion proposals of the site.
He will also tell Torfaen council that the objection to the inadequacy of the assessment of anti-social impacts was not taken into account properly and that Welsh Assembly guidelines are being ignored.
Mr Bold added: "It seems there might be a hidden agenda here - which keeps a difficult problem confined in a poor area of Torfaen and away from richer and more scenic parts of the borough. "It is likely that no settled resident in Torfaen wants a Traveller camp near them, including councillors, so there is an intention to concentrate caravans in one area and to ignore the resulting plight of the settled residents there.
"The people of Cwmynyscoy have lived alongside the Gypsy and Traveller community for many years. They know the social problems this brings and have tolerated them.
"But a significant increase in caravans will bring further issues making life much more difficult for the community."
A TORFAEN councillor will mount a challenge tomorrow at the full council meeting about the recent cabinet decision to expand Gypsy and Traveller sites in the borough.
Cwmynyscoy Neighbourhood Action Group (CwmNAG) have the support of their local councillor Neil Waite, who will be challenging the decision, to allow more caravan sites in Cwmynyscoy.
Chair of CwmNAG, Adrian Bold, said: "The people of Cwmynyscoy are appalled that their ward is proposed to be the only area of Torfaen to have Gypsy and Traveller accommodation with over 100 caravans in Upper and Lower Race and none anywhere else.
"There are concerns that this high concentration of caravans will cause significant problems and CwmNAG believes that it is time that Torfaen council listened to the settled residents of Cwmynyscoy and properly and independently assessed the impact of these proposals upon the ward and the Pontypool area."
Cabinet members approved proposals for a £3.6 million expansion of the existing site based around the Shepherd’s Hill site in Pontypool.
Plans would also see part of the unused Race football pitch being used to accommodate further caravan pitches, and the privately owned Rose Cottage site would provide ten additional pitches to help alleviate Gipsy and Traveller housing needs.
Cllr Waite is challenging the decision for a number of reasons, including CwmNAG not being given sufficient time to respond to the council report about the expansion proposals of the site.
He will also tell Torfaen council that the objection to the inadequacy of the assessment of anti-social impacts was not taken into account properly and that Welsh Assembly guidelines are being ignored.
Mr Bold added: "It seems there might be a hidden agenda here - which keeps a difficult problem confined in a poor area of Torfaen and away from richer and more scenic parts of the borough. "It is likely that no settled resident in Torfaen wants a Traveller camp near them, including councillors, so there is an intention to concentrate caravans in one area and to ignore the resulting plight of the settled residents there.
"The people of Cwmynyscoy have lived alongside the Gypsy and Traveller community for many years. They know the social problems this brings and have tolerated them.
"But a significant increase in caravans will bring further issues making life much more difficult for the community."
Travellers on Rossett site given stark ultimatum - Wrexham
From the Leader
TRAVELLERS have been given a stark message – get off the land or go to prison.
It has emerged one caravan remains at a site in Rossett, despite a court order for the people in it to move on.
A plot of land on Daisy Lane, Parkside, has been used by Travellers for the last four to five years.
During that time the occupants have been fighting eviction from the small five-plot yard and have been living there unauthorised after failing to get planning consent.
But last year an order was made giving 12 months for the site, owned by Traveller Owen Lee, to be cleared.
That time is now up, but one occupied caravan remains past the deadline, meaning the occupants may face prison.
Rossett Cllr Hugh Jones said: “There was a High Court order for the site to be vacated by July 18 and all the structures to be removed by August 18.
“They were given until February next year to get rid of the septic tank and drainage and return the site to agricultural use.
“They failed to comply with the first part of that order.
“There is one family and two caravans still on the site. Only one of the caravans is occupied, but they were required to move all of the caravans by July 18.”
“The judge attached a penal notice to the order saying that if they did not comply they would be in contempt of court and liable to be sent to prison.
“The council is in the process of applying for that notice to be activated, so it’s either go to prison or move off the site. It’s that simple.”
He said the site was owned by a member of the travelling community, “but not necessarily the people living there”.
A local resident who did not want to be identified said: “There have been caravans there coming and going over the last four years. Sometimes it’s heaving, there have been up to 14 caravans.
“Most have filtered away over the last couple of weeks but there is still one family there, and the odd one or two have appeared now and again. There’s been speed boats, horse boxes, all kind of things.”
A spokesman for Wrexham Council said: “We can confirm an injunction was granted for the Rossett site. Residents had until July 18 to remove all caravans and mobile homes. One family continues to reside on site and we are currently seeking legal advice.”
No one at the site was available for comment at the time of going to press.
TRAVELLERS have been given a stark message – get off the land or go to prison.
It has emerged one caravan remains at a site in Rossett, despite a court order for the people in it to move on.
A plot of land on Daisy Lane, Parkside, has been used by Travellers for the last four to five years.
During that time the occupants have been fighting eviction from the small five-plot yard and have been living there unauthorised after failing to get planning consent.
But last year an order was made giving 12 months for the site, owned by Traveller Owen Lee, to be cleared.
That time is now up, but one occupied caravan remains past the deadline, meaning the occupants may face prison.
Rossett Cllr Hugh Jones said: “There was a High Court order for the site to be vacated by July 18 and all the structures to be removed by August 18.
“They were given until February next year to get rid of the septic tank and drainage and return the site to agricultural use.
“They failed to comply with the first part of that order.
“There is one family and two caravans still on the site. Only one of the caravans is occupied, but they were required to move all of the caravans by July 18.”
“The judge attached a penal notice to the order saying that if they did not comply they would be in contempt of court and liable to be sent to prison.
“The council is in the process of applying for that notice to be activated, so it’s either go to prison or move off the site. It’s that simple.”
He said the site was owned by a member of the travelling community, “but not necessarily the people living there”.
A local resident who did not want to be identified said: “There have been caravans there coming and going over the last four years. Sometimes it’s heaving, there have been up to 14 caravans.
“Most have filtered away over the last couple of weeks but there is still one family there, and the odd one or two have appeared now and again. There’s been speed boats, horse boxes, all kind of things.”
A spokesman for Wrexham Council said: “We can confirm an injunction was granted for the Rossett site. Residents had until July 18 to remove all caravans and mobile homes. One family continues to reside on site and we are currently seeking legal advice.”
No one at the site was available for comment at the time of going to press.
Travellers move on again - to a council car park - Hampshire
From the News
TRAVELLERS have set up camp in a council car park in Emsworth.
The 12 caravans moved on to the Palmers Road car park, at the back of Tesco Express, this afternoon.
Police and council officers are currently at the car park as they assess the Travellers’ needs.
Havant Borough Council has spent thousands of pounds evicting and clearing up after a group of Travellers who set up camps across the borough over the past five weeks.
Officers will try and establish if they are the same group who most recently were encamped at Bourne Community College, Southbourne, West Sussex.
TRAVELLERS have set up camp in a council car park in Emsworth.
The 12 caravans moved on to the Palmers Road car park, at the back of Tesco Express, this afternoon.
Police and council officers are currently at the car park as they assess the Travellers’ needs.
Havant Borough Council has spent thousands of pounds evicting and clearing up after a group of Travellers who set up camps across the borough over the past five weeks.
Officers will try and establish if they are the same group who most recently were encamped at Bourne Community College, Southbourne, West Sussex.
Travellers move after jail threat - Cambridgeshire
From cambridgenews.co.uk
Four Travellers have moved their caravans off illegal plots after being threatened with a prison sentence.
Adophus Buckley, Sherry Buckley, Elsie Holmes and Jess Forstick were told earlier this month they would be jailed for 28 days if they failed to leave The Oaks in Meadow Road, Willingham within three weeks.
The land was covered by a 2007 High Court injunction which banned its use for residential purposes without planning permission. Officers from South Cambridgeshire District Council inspected the land on Friday and confirmed it had been returned to its original state. The Travellers were also ordered to pay £18,840 in costs.
Cllr Ray Manning, who represents Willingham, said: “We know how much our residents value open spaces and I urge Travellers not to use unauthorised plots of land.”
Four Travellers have moved their caravans off illegal plots after being threatened with a prison sentence.
Adophus Buckley, Sherry Buckley, Elsie Holmes and Jess Forstick were told earlier this month they would be jailed for 28 days if they failed to leave The Oaks in Meadow Road, Willingham within three weeks.
The land was covered by a 2007 High Court injunction which banned its use for residential purposes without planning permission. Officers from South Cambridgeshire District Council inspected the land on Friday and confirmed it had been returned to its original state. The Travellers were also ordered to pay £18,840 in costs.
Cllr Ray Manning, who represents Willingham, said: “We know how much our residents value open spaces and I urge Travellers not to use unauthorised plots of land.”
Travellers moved on by police - Hampshire
From This Is Hampshire
TRAVELLERS who set up camp in an Andover industrial estate have been moved on by police.
Police used a power called Section 61 for the first time this year in the town to get rid of the group from the camp.
The Travellers moved onto the site of a small company in Walworth Industrial Estate on Monday, 16 July.
Officers received complaints about mess, nuisance and damage which led Ch Insp Simon Dodds to authorise a Section 61 Dispersal Notice. This gave the group until 5pm on Friday, 20 July to leave. There were no Travellers left on the site by 4.30pm that day.
Under Section 61 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, powers can be considered by police when there is significant nuisance or criminal behaviour, unacceptable levels of damage to land or property to gain entry or remain or a danger to Travellers from the chosen site, such as environmental health factors Ch Insp Dodds said: “This is the first time this year that a Section 61 Dispersal Notice has been issued in Andover. “I hope this swift action will convey to all sections of the community that a robust approach will be taken to any legal encampments.”
TRAVELLERS who set up camp in an Andover industrial estate have been moved on by police.
Police used a power called Section 61 for the first time this year in the town to get rid of the group from the camp.
The Travellers moved onto the site of a small company in Walworth Industrial Estate on Monday, 16 July.
Officers received complaints about mess, nuisance and damage which led Ch Insp Simon Dodds to authorise a Section 61 Dispersal Notice. This gave the group until 5pm on Friday, 20 July to leave. There were no Travellers left on the site by 4.30pm that day.
Under Section 61 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, powers can be considered by police when there is significant nuisance or criminal behaviour, unacceptable levels of damage to land or property to gain entry or remain or a danger to Travellers from the chosen site, such as environmental health factors Ch Insp Dodds said: “This is the first time this year that a Section 61 Dispersal Notice has been issued in Andover. “I hope this swift action will convey to all sections of the community that a robust approach will be taken to any legal encampments.”
Sunday 29 July 2012
Bournemouth council earmark additional £225k in budget to clean up after Travellers
From the Daily Echo
BOURNEMOUTH has been forced to increase the money it spends on Travellers, following a record number of illegal encampments this year.
An extra £225,000 will boost the council’s community action fund and help meet the costs of the 16 unauthorised incursions that have occurred on the town’s parks, playing fields, open spaces and car parks during the first half of this year.
Council leader John Beesley said that, if officer time was included, the large number of incursions had probably cost the public purse even more than this amount.
He said the council would also be allocating capital funding for extra preventative measures at some of the most vulnerable sites.
A report to Wednesday’s cabinet meeting said the Traveller incursions had placed ‘significant and extraordinary costs’ on front-line services.
It added that council departments were able to absorb some unplanned costs but the sheer number of incursions this year had put severe pressure on budgets.
Cllr Beesley and Poole’s deputy leader Cllr Mike White recently held a meeting with government minister Bob Neill to vent their frustration at the difficulties they face when trying to evict unauthorised encampments of Travellers.
They are calling for the court process for evictions to be made simpler and are also seeking clarification on whether individual councils are all required required to provide an authorised site.
As well as the 16 encampments in Bournemouth, there have also been a further eight on council-owned land in Poole and three on privately-owned land.
BOURNEMOUTH has been forced to increase the money it spends on Travellers, following a record number of illegal encampments this year.
An extra £225,000 will boost the council’s community action fund and help meet the costs of the 16 unauthorised incursions that have occurred on the town’s parks, playing fields, open spaces and car parks during the first half of this year.
Council leader John Beesley said that, if officer time was included, the large number of incursions had probably cost the public purse even more than this amount.
He said the council would also be allocating capital funding for extra preventative measures at some of the most vulnerable sites.
A report to Wednesday’s cabinet meeting said the Traveller incursions had placed ‘significant and extraordinary costs’ on front-line services.
It added that council departments were able to absorb some unplanned costs but the sheer number of incursions this year had put severe pressure on budgets.
Cllr Beesley and Poole’s deputy leader Cllr Mike White recently held a meeting with government minister Bob Neill to vent their frustration at the difficulties they face when trying to evict unauthorised encampments of Travellers.
They are calling for the court process for evictions to be made simpler and are also seeking clarification on whether individual councils are all required required to provide an authorised site.
As well as the 16 encampments in Bournemouth, there have also been a further eight on council-owned land in Poole and three on privately-owned land.
American Gypsies needs to catch up with the reality of Roma people's lives
From the Guardian
Reality shows feed on stereotypes and disdain for tribes other than one's own. Most people in the US know of Jersey Shore, which generated a debate around the representation of Italian-Americans on television. There are many more like it: The Littlest Groom (which plays on stereotypes about little people), My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé (overweight people) and, yes, the unfortunately and descriptively titled Black Mafia Family Wives.
Now comes National Geographic's new reality series, American Gypsies, launched on the heels of TLC's ongoing My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding, itself a spin-off of the UK's Channel 4's enormously successful Big Fat Gypsy Weddings. Sadly, this spate of exoticising voyeurism has nothing to do with genuine interest in Roma or Travellers, the two ethnic groups lumped together under the term "Gypsy" (a term considered derogatory by most Roma activists). Rather, it has everything to do with the chase for ratings, which is at the heart of the tabloidisation of television everywhere. Consequently, these shows are built on tried and true tropes: broad stereotypes, artificially constructed conflicts, unidimensional characters, set-up scenes and scripted lines.
Accuracy is beside the point: these shows are invested in reproducing a version of what it means to be a "Gypsy" that broadcasters believe to be most comfortable for their audience – Esmeralda-like headscarves, belly dancing, innate violence, gaudy parties, psychic healing parlours. The teaser for the series manages to cram all of those cliches into one minute, with time to spare. The response has been predictable: within a day, online comments were rife with racial slurs and no small number of sympathetic references to Hitler.
I have seen this dynamic before. I grew up in an atmosphere permeated by the kind of stereotypes about violent, dirty and scheming "Gypsies" that abound in Europe. I am ethnically Romanian and grew up in Romania, where Roma were enslaved until the 1860s and deported to extermination camps during the second world war. The few who remained nomadic were forcibly settled during communism. Then, many were chased out of villages during violent, deadly pogroms in the 1990s. To this day, Roma children are shunted into dead-end segregated schools which trap them in the vicious cycle of poverty and disenfranchisement.
Yet Roma continue to be blamed for living at the edge of society. Reality shows perpetuate this fiction of self-segregation by stressing difference and tradition, by recasting the viewers' ignorance as secrecy on the part of the Roma and by artificially presenting the preservation of ethnic identity as radically opposed to those elements that make up our common humanity: curiosity and learning, making new friends, falling in love. American Gypsies begins by pronouncing: "For over 1,000 years, Romany or Gypsy people have remained hidden from view. Until now" then proceeds to repeatedly flash info-cards on the fear of outsiders and the mating habits of Roma in their natural habitat. Fittingly, the tagline for this new show is "You Don't Know Gypsy." In the UK, the last season of Channel 4's Big Fat Gypsy Weddings was announced by billboards touting it as "Bigger. Fatter. Gypsier." Try that out with other minorities. Really, see how it feels.
These shows are especially harmful because Roma people do not have any alternative representations in the public's imagination. There is no Roma equivalent to Leonardo da Vinci or Joe DiMaggio, to Rosa Parks or Barack Obama. In the US, where there is very little awareness of Roma, My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding and American Gypsies will likely turn ignorance into all-out prejudice. In the UK, Big Fat Gypsy Weddings has already led to a spike in bullying of Roma and Traveller children. Elsewhere in eastern Europe, where it has been syndicated, the franchise will only fan the flames of violent racism by playing into the hands of skinheads and nationalists.
I know there are other, much more rewarding ways to treat the subject for a general audience. In 2006, I took a small crew to a tiny town in Transylvania to follow a group of Roma children who were taken out of a crumbling segregated school into a Romanian-led school, where they faced further rejection and humiliation. Over the course of five years, we worked with the conviction that audiences would be interested in connecting to the day-to-day lives of Roma and exploring the complexity of race relations. It paid off: in the 30 countries where we screened over the past year, sold-out rooms engaged with our film in lively discussions that sometimes stretched for hours. We found mainstream audiences thrilled to be thinking for themselves, open to exploring their own contribution to inequality, and moved by our shared humanity.
We should give ourselves more credit: we have shown that we can break through patterns of oppression several times over the course of history. Little by little, the way we treat and understand Roma will change, inexorably for the better. It is a shame that television will have to catch up to this, instead of leading the way.
Reality shows feed on stereotypes and disdain for tribes other than one's own. Most people in the US know of Jersey Shore, which generated a debate around the representation of Italian-Americans on television. There are many more like it: The Littlest Groom (which plays on stereotypes about little people), My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé (overweight people) and, yes, the unfortunately and descriptively titled Black Mafia Family Wives.
Now comes National Geographic's new reality series, American Gypsies, launched on the heels of TLC's ongoing My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding, itself a spin-off of the UK's Channel 4's enormously successful Big Fat Gypsy Weddings. Sadly, this spate of exoticising voyeurism has nothing to do with genuine interest in Roma or Travellers, the two ethnic groups lumped together under the term "Gypsy" (a term considered derogatory by most Roma activists). Rather, it has everything to do with the chase for ratings, which is at the heart of the tabloidisation of television everywhere. Consequently, these shows are built on tried and true tropes: broad stereotypes, artificially constructed conflicts, unidimensional characters, set-up scenes and scripted lines.
Accuracy is beside the point: these shows are invested in reproducing a version of what it means to be a "Gypsy" that broadcasters believe to be most comfortable for their audience – Esmeralda-like headscarves, belly dancing, innate violence, gaudy parties, psychic healing parlours. The teaser for the series manages to cram all of those cliches into one minute, with time to spare. The response has been predictable: within a day, online comments were rife with racial slurs and no small number of sympathetic references to Hitler.
I have seen this dynamic before. I grew up in an atmosphere permeated by the kind of stereotypes about violent, dirty and scheming "Gypsies" that abound in Europe. I am ethnically Romanian and grew up in Romania, where Roma were enslaved until the 1860s and deported to extermination camps during the second world war. The few who remained nomadic were forcibly settled during communism. Then, many were chased out of villages during violent, deadly pogroms in the 1990s. To this day, Roma children are shunted into dead-end segregated schools which trap them in the vicious cycle of poverty and disenfranchisement.
Yet Roma continue to be blamed for living at the edge of society. Reality shows perpetuate this fiction of self-segregation by stressing difference and tradition, by recasting the viewers' ignorance as secrecy on the part of the Roma and by artificially presenting the preservation of ethnic identity as radically opposed to those elements that make up our common humanity: curiosity and learning, making new friends, falling in love. American Gypsies begins by pronouncing: "For over 1,000 years, Romany or Gypsy people have remained hidden from view. Until now" then proceeds to repeatedly flash info-cards on the fear of outsiders and the mating habits of Roma in their natural habitat. Fittingly, the tagline for this new show is "You Don't Know Gypsy." In the UK, the last season of Channel 4's Big Fat Gypsy Weddings was announced by billboards touting it as "Bigger. Fatter. Gypsier." Try that out with other minorities. Really, see how it feels.
These shows are especially harmful because Roma people do not have any alternative representations in the public's imagination. There is no Roma equivalent to Leonardo da Vinci or Joe DiMaggio, to Rosa Parks or Barack Obama. In the US, where there is very little awareness of Roma, My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding and American Gypsies will likely turn ignorance into all-out prejudice. In the UK, Big Fat Gypsy Weddings has already led to a spike in bullying of Roma and Traveller children. Elsewhere in eastern Europe, where it has been syndicated, the franchise will only fan the flames of violent racism by playing into the hands of skinheads and nationalists.
I know there are other, much more rewarding ways to treat the subject for a general audience. In 2006, I took a small crew to a tiny town in Transylvania to follow a group of Roma children who were taken out of a crumbling segregated school into a Romanian-led school, where they faced further rejection and humiliation. Over the course of five years, we worked with the conviction that audiences would be interested in connecting to the day-to-day lives of Roma and exploring the complexity of race relations. It paid off: in the 30 countries where we screened over the past year, sold-out rooms engaged with our film in lively discussions that sometimes stretched for hours. We found mainstream audiences thrilled to be thinking for themselves, open to exploring their own contribution to inequality, and moved by our shared humanity.
We should give ourselves more credit: we have shown that we can break through patterns of oppression several times over the course of history. Little by little, the way we treat and understand Roma will change, inexorably for the better. It is a shame that television will have to catch up to this, instead of leading the way.
Burwell Gypsy plan set for green light if East Cambs committee agree- Cambridgeshire
From the Ely Standard
A FORMER cold-store warehouse in Burwell looks likely to win consent to be converted into new plots for Gypsies and Travellers last night, despite concerns from villagers.
East Cambridgeshire District Council’s planning committee will be asked to approve the scheme despite objections from neighbours of the site and Burwell Parish Council.
Thomas Pateman wants to demolish the former cold store, on First Drove, and use the land for six new plots for caravans for his family.
Neighbours are unhappy and say the caravans will damage the visual amenity of the area, increase traffic and create excessive noise.
The parish council believes that approving the plans could result in the loss of a valuable industrial site.
But planning officer Alkis Riziotis says the site “is currently in a disused state, with derelict buildings and a frequent dumping ground.
“There would clearly be a significant improvement in the landscape of the
locality if the land were brought back into beneficial use.”
Mr Pateman says he will live on the first plot and manage the rest. Each plot will comprise a mobile home, touring caravan and a dayroom.
A FORMER cold-store warehouse in Burwell looks likely to win consent to be converted into new plots for Gypsies and Travellers last night, despite concerns from villagers.
East Cambridgeshire District Council’s planning committee will be asked to approve the scheme despite objections from neighbours of the site and Burwell Parish Council.
Thomas Pateman wants to demolish the former cold store, on First Drove, and use the land for six new plots for caravans for his family.
Neighbours are unhappy and say the caravans will damage the visual amenity of the area, increase traffic and create excessive noise.
The parish council believes that approving the plans could result in the loss of a valuable industrial site.
But planning officer Alkis Riziotis says the site “is currently in a disused state, with derelict buildings and a frequent dumping ground.
“There would clearly be a significant improvement in the landscape of the
locality if the land were brought back into beneficial use.”
Mr Pateman says he will live on the first plot and manage the rest. Each plot will comprise a mobile home, touring caravan and a dayroom.
Friday 27 July 2012
Gypsy families submit plans for Heath End Road site - Bucks
From the Bucks Free Press
TWO Gypsy families have submitted formal plans to move their caravans on to a derelict plant nursery in Flackwell Heath.
As reported by the Bucks Free Press last month, the families have been facing eviction from an unauthorised site in Walters Ash.
The group, which includes five adults and three children, wants to make a permanent home at 128 Heath End Road in order to access health and education services, their planning application says.
Some neighbours of the site have already indicated their opposition to the plan, after they noticed some metal gates had been erected at the entrance earlier this year.
WS Planning & Architecture, which is based in Surrey, has submitted the scheme on behalf of Travellers.
The application says two of the group, Gerard O'Connor and Patrick Murphy, breed horses and attend Gypsy fairs throughout the country.
It adds: “When they travel they take their touring caravans. When they are not horse trading/breeding they carry out landscaping works.
“They have tried living in bricks and mortar but it does not suit their lifestyle which involves travelling.
“They rent land elsewhere in the district for the grazing of horses although they have no formal tenancy for this land.”
The application says the Local Plan for the district fails to identify suitable locations for Traveller sites, adding there is a “backlog of unmet need”.
TWO Gypsy families have submitted formal plans to move their caravans on to a derelict plant nursery in Flackwell Heath.
As reported by the Bucks Free Press last month, the families have been facing eviction from an unauthorised site in Walters Ash.
The group, which includes five adults and three children, wants to make a permanent home at 128 Heath End Road in order to access health and education services, their planning application says.
Some neighbours of the site have already indicated their opposition to the plan, after they noticed some metal gates had been erected at the entrance earlier this year.
WS Planning & Architecture, which is based in Surrey, has submitted the scheme on behalf of Travellers.
The application says two of the group, Gerard O'Connor and Patrick Murphy, breed horses and attend Gypsy fairs throughout the country.
It adds: “When they travel they take their touring caravans. When they are not horse trading/breeding they carry out landscaping works.
“They have tried living in bricks and mortar but it does not suit their lifestyle which involves travelling.
“They rent land elsewhere in the district for the grazing of horses although they have no formal tenancy for this land.”
The application says the Local Plan for the district fails to identify suitable locations for Traveller sites, adding there is a “backlog of unmet need”.
Gypsy site could be expanded - Sussex
From the Rye and Battle Observer
A GYPSY site in Battle could be expanded as Rother tries to find nine new pitches for travellers in the district, it has been revealed.
A first draft of the shortlist of proposed sites identifies Greenacres at Loose Farm Lane as a potential location for an extra one or two pitches.
There are already two permanent pitches on the site.
The proposed shortlist also includes other potential locations for pitches across the district including on land at Westfield, Robertsbrigde, Ewhurst, Cripps Corner, Bexhill, Rye, Guestling Green and Flimwell.
Rother District Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee was due to discuss the initial shortlist, which has been drawn up by council officers, at a meeting on Monday (July 23).
But the committee has put back a discussion on the issue.
Instead, councillors will carry out site visits before deciding which sites should remain on the shortlist.
This final list will then be put out to public consultation.
There are currently 15 pitches for Travellers located across Rother - 11 of them with permanent planning permission.
Four other pitches, at Beeches Brook in Telham Lane, Battle, Bramble Farm in Ewhurst, Colharbour Farm at Dallington and Cherry Tree Nursery in Flimwell, currently have temporary planning permission.
The sites at Beeches Brook, Bramble Farm and Cherry Tree Nursery were featured on Rother’s initial shortlist and could be considered for permanent planning permission.
Another possibility identified by Rother would be adding an extra two or three pitches on land adjacent to the existing Travellers site at Redlands in Robertsbridge, just off the A21.
The site, which is overcrowded and has a waiting list, currently has eight permanent pitches.
The Cripps Corner Highway Depot, Guestling Green Depot, Chippings Depot at Rye, land east at Down Edge in Westfield and land south west of Moor Lane, also in Westfield, have been identified as potential locations, along with two sites in west and north Bexhill.
The final list, which could still be subject to change, was whittled down from an initial list of 850 sites.
A spokesperson for Rother District Council said: “The committee has decided to defer the consultation on the draft Gypsy and Traveller strategy until councillors have examined each of the proposed sites in more detail through site visits and have made further deliberations.
“Therefore the current draft strategy has been put on hold, pending revisions by councillors.
“Those locations identified in the paper put before Mondays night’s committee meeting may or may not feature in an updated document.
“It is important to remember that nothing has been decided as yet and the council wants to make sure it has got the draft strategy absolutely right before going out to consultation.”
A GYPSY site in Battle could be expanded as Rother tries to find nine new pitches for travellers in the district, it has been revealed.
A first draft of the shortlist of proposed sites identifies Greenacres at Loose Farm Lane as a potential location for an extra one or two pitches.
There are already two permanent pitches on the site.
The proposed shortlist also includes other potential locations for pitches across the district including on land at Westfield, Robertsbrigde, Ewhurst, Cripps Corner, Bexhill, Rye, Guestling Green and Flimwell.
Rother District Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee was due to discuss the initial shortlist, which has been drawn up by council officers, at a meeting on Monday (July 23).
But the committee has put back a discussion on the issue.
Instead, councillors will carry out site visits before deciding which sites should remain on the shortlist.
This final list will then be put out to public consultation.
There are currently 15 pitches for Travellers located across Rother - 11 of them with permanent planning permission.
Four other pitches, at Beeches Brook in Telham Lane, Battle, Bramble Farm in Ewhurst, Colharbour Farm at Dallington and Cherry Tree Nursery in Flimwell, currently have temporary planning permission.
The sites at Beeches Brook, Bramble Farm and Cherry Tree Nursery were featured on Rother’s initial shortlist and could be considered for permanent planning permission.
Another possibility identified by Rother would be adding an extra two or three pitches on land adjacent to the existing Travellers site at Redlands in Robertsbridge, just off the A21.
The site, which is overcrowded and has a waiting list, currently has eight permanent pitches.
The Cripps Corner Highway Depot, Guestling Green Depot, Chippings Depot at Rye, land east at Down Edge in Westfield and land south west of Moor Lane, also in Westfield, have been identified as potential locations, along with two sites in west and north Bexhill.
The final list, which could still be subject to change, was whittled down from an initial list of 850 sites.
A spokesperson for Rother District Council said: “The committee has decided to defer the consultation on the draft Gypsy and Traveller strategy until councillors have examined each of the proposed sites in more detail through site visits and have made further deliberations.
“Therefore the current draft strategy has been put on hold, pending revisions by councillors.
“Those locations identified in the paper put before Mondays night’s committee meeting may or may not feature in an updated document.
“It is important to remember that nothing has been decided as yet and the council wants to make sure it has got the draft strategy absolutely right before going out to consultation.”
Firm seeks court order to remove Travellers from Riverside Business Park -Tayside
From the Courier
Last week a gathering of caravans set up in the former Scottish Water site immediately west of Dundee Airport. The next day sheriff officers served notice on the Travellers, but they remained.
Now the managing agent for the site, DTZ, which is spearheading the legal action, wants to obtain a court order to remove the group.
Councillor Fraser Macpherson has been keeping a close eye on the issue and has been in discussions with the airport manager as well as with DTZ.
''Being right next to the airport, the fact that the Travellers have set up camp here is a concern given the mess that was left last time there was an occupation at this site,'' continued the Liberal Democrat councillor.
''Rubbish blowing across the airport runway was a real worry the last time. I do hope the situation is resolved this week and am grateful to the site management company, DTZ, who have acted promptly to ensure that the necessary legal steps are being taken to get the matter swiftly resolved.''
Mr Macpherson added: ''I have asked the council officer who liaises with the travelling community to emphasise the availability of a properly serviced site for the travelling community at Balmuir Wood near Tealing.
The council provides this site for the travelling community so there is no excuse for this sort of occupation of privately owned ground.''
No one at the site would comment, but a spokesman for Dundee Airport said: ''The rubbish left on the ground poses an obvious risk to aircraft — not least from birds that are attracted to it.
''Contact has been made with the owners of the site and it is really in their hands. We routinely inspect the runway as a matter of course as well as carry out bird monitoring measures and as yet no flights have been affected.''
The same site was occupied in August 2010 when a considerable mess was left and concerns were raised about it blowing over the airport runway.
Last week a gathering of caravans set up in the former Scottish Water site immediately west of Dundee Airport. The next day sheriff officers served notice on the Travellers, but they remained.
Now the managing agent for the site, DTZ, which is spearheading the legal action, wants to obtain a court order to remove the group.
Councillor Fraser Macpherson has been keeping a close eye on the issue and has been in discussions with the airport manager as well as with DTZ.
''Being right next to the airport, the fact that the Travellers have set up camp here is a concern given the mess that was left last time there was an occupation at this site,'' continued the Liberal Democrat councillor.
''Rubbish blowing across the airport runway was a real worry the last time. I do hope the situation is resolved this week and am grateful to the site management company, DTZ, who have acted promptly to ensure that the necessary legal steps are being taken to get the matter swiftly resolved.''
Mr Macpherson added: ''I have asked the council officer who liaises with the travelling community to emphasise the availability of a properly serviced site for the travelling community at Balmuir Wood near Tealing.
The council provides this site for the travelling community so there is no excuse for this sort of occupation of privately owned ground.''
No one at the site would comment, but a spokesman for Dundee Airport said: ''The rubbish left on the ground poses an obvious risk to aircraft — not least from birds that are attracted to it.
''Contact has been made with the owners of the site and it is really in their hands. We routinely inspect the runway as a matter of course as well as carry out bird monitoring measures and as yet no flights have been affected.''
The same site was occupied in August 2010 when a considerable mess was left and concerns were raised about it blowing over the airport runway.
Travellers leave Mellows Park in Wallington after standoff - London
From This Is Local London
Travellers were evicted from Mellows Park yesterday after a standoff with police and bailiffs.
They were given their notice on Wednesday but yesterday they began putting their children in their caravans and chaining things up in the early afternoon.
There were 13 vans, 26 adults and numerous children and dogs that were supposed to leave at midday but did not leave until 4.30pm.
Two youngsters watched on and clapped as the last caravan left the park.
The Travellers have now moved to Beddington Park and the car park of Asda in Wallington. The council is beginning the legal process this morning.
Neighbours have reported music blaring late at night and Travellers using the park as a racing track. They left behind rubbish including beer cans and nappies.
Sutton Council has now put temporary mounds of mud in place around Mellows Park to prevent the caravans driving on.
This is the third time in two months that Travellers have come to Mellows Park.
Campaigner, Tracy Macheta, from Wallington, said: "They are just going from place to place.
"It's just the fact that it affects the enjoyment of the park.
"After being here the first time and being told to go they just keep going and coming back again.
"The residents involved in this will be taking part in the future with the Safer Neighbourhoods Committee.
"I'm pleased the council is taking action now - it’s just a shame it had to come to that.
"We appreciate the prompt response and hope the bunds [mounds of earth] are installed promptly.”
She added that she was grateful for the help of Bill Wyatt, assistant parks manager at Sutton Council.
Another park user, Katharyn Jones, from Wallington, said: "It does get used a lot by people.
"People come on and play cricket and football and have a picnic.”
She added that when the Travellers arrived a lot of people won't come to the park - especially the elderly.
Travellers were evicted from Mellows Park yesterday after a standoff with police and bailiffs.
They were given their notice on Wednesday but yesterday they began putting their children in their caravans and chaining things up in the early afternoon.
There were 13 vans, 26 adults and numerous children and dogs that were supposed to leave at midday but did not leave until 4.30pm.
Two youngsters watched on and clapped as the last caravan left the park.
The Travellers have now moved to Beddington Park and the car park of Asda in Wallington. The council is beginning the legal process this morning.
Neighbours have reported music blaring late at night and Travellers using the park as a racing track. They left behind rubbish including beer cans and nappies.
Sutton Council has now put temporary mounds of mud in place around Mellows Park to prevent the caravans driving on.
This is the third time in two months that Travellers have come to Mellows Park.
Campaigner, Tracy Macheta, from Wallington, said: "They are just going from place to place.
"It's just the fact that it affects the enjoyment of the park.
"After being here the first time and being told to go they just keep going and coming back again.
"The residents involved in this will be taking part in the future with the Safer Neighbourhoods Committee.
"I'm pleased the council is taking action now - it’s just a shame it had to come to that.
"We appreciate the prompt response and hope the bunds [mounds of earth] are installed promptly.”
She added that she was grateful for the help of Bill Wyatt, assistant parks manager at Sutton Council.
Another park user, Katharyn Jones, from Wallington, said: "It does get used a lot by people.
"People come on and play cricket and football and have a picnic.”
She added that when the Travellers arrived a lot of people won't come to the park - especially the elderly.
Councils counting the cost of when Travellers move in - Hampshire
From the News
THIS is the mess left behind by a group of Travellers after spending two weeks in a lay-by.
Havant Borough Council officers were left to clear up the mess on behalf of Hampshire County Council, which is responsible for Havant Road, in Emsworth, where the Travellers were camped out.
Industrial rubbish, rubble, and household waste was dumped at the site and it took six rangers and a local firm to clear it out at a cost of £700 which will be billed to the county council.
Court hearing and eviction notice costs have been put at £350 which will also be picked up by the taxpayer.
The area is a small cul-de-sac used by pedestrians and cyclists and links to an underpass beneath the A27.
The 12-strong group eventually left the site on Wednesday morning and moved onto playing fields at Bourne Community College, Southbourne, West Sussex.
Emsworth councillor Richard Galloway said: ‘When travellers stop illegally on sites the council’s hands are tied.
‘Councils can’t just take the law into their own hands and eject these people, they have to go through the due process of law which takes time, costs money and wastes resources which ultimately the rate payers have to pay for.
‘But the law allows them on these sites for as long as it takes to get them to move on and I don’t think the law is going to change any time soon.
‘The council does try and use barricades on sites to the best of their ability but unfortunately it does not always work.’
The group had spent more than a month playing cat and mouse games with Havant Borough Council.
They were originally on two separate sites, Bitterne Park, in Leigh Park and land off Barncroft Way, Bedhampton.
Clear up and eviction costs were then put at £1,000.
During their time at the Emsworth site one of the travellers was cautioned by police after his dog, a saluki lurcher, attacked a PCSO on patrol and ripped her coat.
West Sussex County Council issued a notice to leave the school by 10pm Wednesday under the Education Act.
The Travellers ignored the notice and are using facilities at the onsite
THIS is the mess left behind by a group of Travellers after spending two weeks in a lay-by.
Havant Borough Council officers were left to clear up the mess on behalf of Hampshire County Council, which is responsible for Havant Road, in Emsworth, where the Travellers were camped out.
Industrial rubbish, rubble, and household waste was dumped at the site and it took six rangers and a local firm to clear it out at a cost of £700 which will be billed to the county council.
Court hearing and eviction notice costs have been put at £350 which will also be picked up by the taxpayer.
The area is a small cul-de-sac used by pedestrians and cyclists and links to an underpass beneath the A27.
The 12-strong group eventually left the site on Wednesday morning and moved onto playing fields at Bourne Community College, Southbourne, West Sussex.
Emsworth councillor Richard Galloway said: ‘When travellers stop illegally on sites the council’s hands are tied.
‘Councils can’t just take the law into their own hands and eject these people, they have to go through the due process of law which takes time, costs money and wastes resources which ultimately the rate payers have to pay for.
‘But the law allows them on these sites for as long as it takes to get them to move on and I don’t think the law is going to change any time soon.
‘The council does try and use barricades on sites to the best of their ability but unfortunately it does not always work.’
The group had spent more than a month playing cat and mouse games with Havant Borough Council.
They were originally on two separate sites, Bitterne Park, in Leigh Park and land off Barncroft Way, Bedhampton.
Clear up and eviction costs were then put at £1,000.
During their time at the Emsworth site one of the travellers was cautioned by police after his dog, a saluki lurcher, attacked a PCSO on patrol and ripped her coat.
West Sussex County Council issued a notice to leave the school by 10pm Wednesday under the Education Act.
The Travellers ignored the notice and are using facilities at the onsite
Travellers pitch up again at Aberdeen’s Hazlehead Park
From the Evening Express
TRAVELLERS have again set up camp at Aberdeen’s popular Hazlehead Park.
About a month after Travellers previously stopped at Hazlehead, two caravans and a white trailer van were spotted in the car park.
Aberdeen City Council bosses confirmed they were aware of the Travellers’ presence and would be taking action.
TRAVELLERS have again set up camp at Aberdeen’s popular Hazlehead Park.
About a month after Travellers previously stopped at Hazlehead, two caravans and a white trailer van were spotted in the car park.
Aberdeen City Council bosses confirmed they were aware of the Travellers’ presence and would be taking action.
Travellers moved on - Kent
From the Kent Messenger
Park and ride users found themselves amongst caravans at the weekend when Travellers moved onto the site at Allington.
A number of Traveller families moved on to the London Road site on Friday evening. At one point there were 27 caravans in the area.
Throughout the weekend Maidstone council officers worked with the police, although the park and ride service was able to run on Saturday with a council presence on site, albeit with reduced parking spaces.
On Sunday, the council and police gave the group until noon on Monday to leave.
A spokesman said: "The service operated normally on Monday with a council attendant and a private security officer in attendance. All caravans left the site during the Monday morning, and Maidstone council quickly cleaned up the car park. New tamper proof fixings have been installed on the barrier."
Park and ride users found themselves amongst caravans at the weekend when Travellers moved onto the site at Allington.
A number of Traveller families moved on to the London Road site on Friday evening. At one point there were 27 caravans in the area.
Throughout the weekend Maidstone council officers worked with the police, although the park and ride service was able to run on Saturday with a council presence on site, albeit with reduced parking spaces.
On Sunday, the council and police gave the group until noon on Monday to leave.
A spokesman said: "The service operated normally on Monday with a council attendant and a private security officer in attendance. All caravans left the site during the Monday morning, and Maidstone council quickly cleaned up the car park. New tamper proof fixings have been installed on the barrier."
Kingsmead Travellers served a "direction to move" notice - Bucks
From the Bucks Free Press
TRAVELLERS at the Kingsmead ground in Loudwater have been served a "direction to move" notice.
Six caravans and other vehicles moved onto the site last Friday afternoon.
Wycombe District Council spokesman, Catherine Spalton, said: "Bucks and Oxon Gypsy and Traveller Service has today served a “direction to move” notice to the Travellers currently occupying Kingsmead, which gives a deadline to move within the next few days."
TRAVELLERS at the Kingsmead ground in Loudwater have been served a "direction to move" notice.
Six caravans and other vehicles moved onto the site last Friday afternoon.
Wycombe District Council spokesman, Catherine Spalton, said: "Bucks and Oxon Gypsy and Traveller Service has today served a “direction to move” notice to the Travellers currently occupying Kingsmead, which gives a deadline to move within the next few days."
Grant for Travellers' pitches on Cartridge Lane in Grappenhall given to housing firm - Cheshire
From This Is Cheshire
A GRANT that was given to pay for new pitches for Travellers in Warrington has been allocated to a housing association.
As reported in last week’s Warrington Guardian, plans have been submitted to extend a site on Cartridge Lane in Grappenhall from two pitches to 10.
But council bosses say the £500,000 Government cash will not be used for that project.
Peter Taylor, assistant director of development and public protection at the council said: “The Cartridge Lane land is privately owned by the Travellers and a further planning application has recently been submitted for the continued use of the site, and this will be processed in the usual way.
“With regards to funding we received this has been provisionally allocated to enable a local housing association to provide eight Travellers’ pitches and work to find a suitable site is ongoing.”
A GRANT that was given to pay for new pitches for Travellers in Warrington has been allocated to a housing association.
As reported in last week’s Warrington Guardian, plans have been submitted to extend a site on Cartridge Lane in Grappenhall from two pitches to 10.
But council bosses say the £500,000 Government cash will not be used for that project.
Peter Taylor, assistant director of development and public protection at the council said: “The Cartridge Lane land is privately owned by the Travellers and a further planning application has recently been submitted for the continued use of the site, and this will be processed in the usual way.
“With regards to funding we received this has been provisionally allocated to enable a local housing association to provide eight Travellers’ pitches and work to find a suitable site is ongoing.”
Thursday 26 July 2012
Travellers set up illegal camp in Central Park - Devon
From the Plymouth Herald
A GROUP of Travellers have pitched up illegally at Central Park.
Several caravans arrived at a prominent part of the city's 'green lung', just off Alma Road, early yesterday morning.
A 4x4 and around four caravans are among the vehicles to have set up camp among trees close to a popular skate park.
Dog walkers, visitors to the nearby Life Centre and others enjoying the sun-drenched park were eyeing the plot yesterday.
A Plymouth City Council spokeswoman said: "We have been made aware of the unauthorised encampment and have undertaken the required welfare checks.
"We are following our normal procedures for dealing with unauthorised encampments."
The council is forced to deal with around 25 illegal encampments every year, partly because there are no organised transit sites in Plymouth.
Strict legal guidelines mean each unauthorised encampment can take between ten days and four weeks to evict.
The only permanent Gypsy and Traveller camp in the city is at The Ride, next to Chelson Meadow.
A GROUP of Travellers have pitched up illegally at Central Park.
Several caravans arrived at a prominent part of the city's 'green lung', just off Alma Road, early yesterday morning.
A 4x4 and around four caravans are among the vehicles to have set up camp among trees close to a popular skate park.
Dog walkers, visitors to the nearby Life Centre and others enjoying the sun-drenched park were eyeing the plot yesterday.
A Plymouth City Council spokeswoman said: "We have been made aware of the unauthorised encampment and have undertaken the required welfare checks.
"We are following our normal procedures for dealing with unauthorised encampments."
The council is forced to deal with around 25 illegal encampments every year, partly because there are no organised transit sites in Plymouth.
Strict legal guidelines mean each unauthorised encampment can take between ten days and four weeks to evict.
The only permanent Gypsy and Traveller camp in the city is at The Ride, next to Chelson Meadow.
Consultation extended after email delays - Somerset
From the Somerset Guardian
The deadline for comments on plans for Traveller sites in Bath and North East Somerset was given a last-minute extension last week because of email problems at the council.
Campaigners fighting plans to create a traveller site on Bath Old Road, Radstock, contacted the Somerset Guardian just after we had gone to press last Wednesday to tell us they were having trouble sending their views by email to B&NES.
A spokesman for the council confirmed there was a problem because the generic planning email had reached the maximum allowance in the inbox and therefore emails sent by residents bounced back.
Andy Saxton, of Bath Old Road Action Group, said: "Bath Old Road do not accept that volume of emails received should be used as an excuse for lack of capacity.
"This has been the second event in a month when B&NES have been unable to receive emails. We are concerned that this again calls into doubt the consultation process."
B&NES extended the deadline by 24 hours to give people the chance to resubmit comments but opponents of the plans fear people may not have realised their email submissions had not been included.
Clarke Osborne, of the Stanton Wick Action Group, urged people who submitted emails on July 17 or 18 to resubmit them in case they have not been received.
Mr Osborne added: "This is not the first time B&NES email service has caused problems with this consultation process, but for it to happen on the day of deadline when it was obvious that scores of people would be sending their representations by email, is shocking.
"Many people may not check their email now, or realise it has not been received. It is further evidence of a process that's been completely flawed from the start and poorly executed throughout; it's appalling that the catalogue of errors now includes B&NES' inability to even effectively receive email submissions on the deadline day of a crucial consultation process."
The results of the consultation will be known in September.
The deadline for comments on plans for Traveller sites in Bath and North East Somerset was given a last-minute extension last week because of email problems at the council.
Campaigners fighting plans to create a traveller site on Bath Old Road, Radstock, contacted the Somerset Guardian just after we had gone to press last Wednesday to tell us they were having trouble sending their views by email to B&NES.
A spokesman for the council confirmed there was a problem because the generic planning email had reached the maximum allowance in the inbox and therefore emails sent by residents bounced back.
Andy Saxton, of Bath Old Road Action Group, said: "Bath Old Road do not accept that volume of emails received should be used as an excuse for lack of capacity.
"This has been the second event in a month when B&NES have been unable to receive emails. We are concerned that this again calls into doubt the consultation process."
B&NES extended the deadline by 24 hours to give people the chance to resubmit comments but opponents of the plans fear people may not have realised their email submissions had not been included.
Clarke Osborne, of the Stanton Wick Action Group, urged people who submitted emails on July 17 or 18 to resubmit them in case they have not been received.
Mr Osborne added: "This is not the first time B&NES email service has caused problems with this consultation process, but for it to happen on the day of deadline when it was obvious that scores of people would be sending their representations by email, is shocking.
"Many people may not check their email now, or realise it has not been received. It is further evidence of a process that's been completely flawed from the start and poorly executed throughout; it's appalling that the catalogue of errors now includes B&NES' inability to even effectively receive email submissions on the deadline day of a crucial consultation process."
The results of the consultation will be known in September.
Travellers move on to Holtspur Way playing field - Bucks
From the Bucks Free Press
IRISH travellers have moved their caravans on to a playing field in Holtspur today.
Police said they are liaising with the travellers and Beaconsfield Town Council, which owns the land in Holtspur Way.
One of the Travellers, Lisa, 40, did not want to give her surname, but told the Bucks Free Press this afternoon: “We are going to stay as long as we can.
“The council have come down and asked us to move but we know our rights as Travellers and they have to get a court order to get us off. If we are told by the courts to go, then we’ll go.
“We don’t cause any hassle and we keep our rubbish bagged up and put it in the bins. We keep ourselves to ourselves, we are not trouble causers.
“It’s our way of life to travel in the summer and that’s what we do. The residents don’t want us but we’ve given them no cause for concern.”
She said they had previously been living in Derbyshire, but were staying on the site of an old factory in Wooburn Green last week.
One neighbour of the playing field said: “We really don’t want them over there. The council and police have been up here but that was it – we don’t know how long they are going to be there.”
Another said: “Everyone is worried about it. But it’s just a case of waiting now and hoping that we don’t get any more.”
But another woman, who said her daughter’s dad was a Traveller, said she had been over to talk to the families and urged residents not to make judgements about them.
She added: “They aren’t causing any trouble but people have already got something to say about them. They are just like me and you, they just live in a different way....You’ve got to be a bit open minded and give people a chance.”
All the residents asked not to be named.
A separate group of Travellers remains at Kingsmead in Loudwater after moving there on Friday.
IRISH travellers have moved their caravans on to a playing field in Holtspur today.
Police said they are liaising with the travellers and Beaconsfield Town Council, which owns the land in Holtspur Way.
One of the Travellers, Lisa, 40, did not want to give her surname, but told the Bucks Free Press this afternoon: “We are going to stay as long as we can.
“The council have come down and asked us to move but we know our rights as Travellers and they have to get a court order to get us off. If we are told by the courts to go, then we’ll go.
“We don’t cause any hassle and we keep our rubbish bagged up and put it in the bins. We keep ourselves to ourselves, we are not trouble causers.
“It’s our way of life to travel in the summer and that’s what we do. The residents don’t want us but we’ve given them no cause for concern.”
She said they had previously been living in Derbyshire, but were staying on the site of an old factory in Wooburn Green last week.
One neighbour of the playing field said: “We really don’t want them over there. The council and police have been up here but that was it – we don’t know how long they are going to be there.”
Another said: “Everyone is worried about it. But it’s just a case of waiting now and hoping that we don’t get any more.”
But another woman, who said her daughter’s dad was a Traveller, said she had been over to talk to the families and urged residents not to make judgements about them.
She added: “They aren’t causing any trouble but people have already got something to say about them. They are just like me and you, they just live in a different way....You’ve got to be a bit open minded and give people a chance.”
All the residents asked not to be named.
A separate group of Travellers remains at Kingsmead in Loudwater after moving there on Friday.
Travellers return to Sutton just as councillors discuss preventative measures - London
From the Sutton Guardian
Travellers have returned to Sutton just as councillors and residents were exploring preventative measures.
Travellers were spotted in Roundshaw Park on Monday and the council took action to move them on.
On Tuesday evening councillors Colin Hall, Joyce Melican, Malcolm Brown and assistant parks manager Bill Wyatt met with campaigners to discuss preventative measures in Mellows Park, Wallington.
However, after their discussion in the park, an influx of Travellers pulled in – after being expelled from Roundshaw Park.
One of the campaigners, Tracy Macheta, said: “Two seconds after we walked away [the Travellers] drove on to the park.
“People are avoiding the park. People feel intimidated.
“The kids play park was full yesterday – there’s nowhere near as many today.”
At a meeting on July 5 councillors agreed funding for preventative measures to be taken to protect Mellows Park.
Councillor Colin Hall, deputy leader of Sutton Council, said: “The council took immediate action to move travellers on from Roundshaw and is doing the same in Mellows Park.
“We won’t tolerate illegal encampments and will always move people on as quickly as we can using byelaws or court orders. We are currently looking at preventative measures to prevent this from continuing into the future.”
Travellers have returned to Sutton just as councillors and residents were exploring preventative measures.
Travellers were spotted in Roundshaw Park on Monday and the council took action to move them on.
On Tuesday evening councillors Colin Hall, Joyce Melican, Malcolm Brown and assistant parks manager Bill Wyatt met with campaigners to discuss preventative measures in Mellows Park, Wallington.
However, after their discussion in the park, an influx of Travellers pulled in – after being expelled from Roundshaw Park.
One of the campaigners, Tracy Macheta, said: “Two seconds after we walked away [the Travellers] drove on to the park.
“People are avoiding the park. People feel intimidated.
“The kids play park was full yesterday – there’s nowhere near as many today.”
At a meeting on July 5 councillors agreed funding for preventative measures to be taken to protect Mellows Park.
Councillor Colin Hall, deputy leader of Sutton Council, said: “The council took immediate action to move travellers on from Roundshaw and is doing the same in Mellows Park.
“We won’t tolerate illegal encampments and will always move people on as quickly as we can using byelaws or court orders. We are currently looking at preventative measures to prevent this from continuing into the future.”
Travellers move on - Lancashire
From the Chorley Guardian
Travellers who set up camp on a Chorley industrial park have now been moved on.
The six caravans plus supporting vehicles arrived on private land at Chorley Business and Technology Centre on Saturday.
The site, which is opposite Runshaw Adult College on Central Drive in Buckshaw Village, was visited by officers from Chorley Council on Monday, who were in talks with the Travellers to move on.
One resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “Around seven caravans arrived on the site at some point on Saturday.
“There wasn’t any trouble.”
Councillor Terry Brown, who is responsible for the environment at Chorley Council, said: “As soon as we were notified about the encampment, we initiated the agreed protocol in conjunction with the police.
“The council has been on site with the police and other agencies to assess if any services are needed.
“The land is privately owned and we worked closely with the land owners to make sure the encampment moved on as quickly as possible.”
They moved at around 6pm on Tuesday evening.
Travellers who set up camp on a Chorley industrial park have now been moved on.
The six caravans plus supporting vehicles arrived on private land at Chorley Business and Technology Centre on Saturday.
The site, which is opposite Runshaw Adult College on Central Drive in Buckshaw Village, was visited by officers from Chorley Council on Monday, who were in talks with the Travellers to move on.
One resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “Around seven caravans arrived on the site at some point on Saturday.
“There wasn’t any trouble.”
Councillor Terry Brown, who is responsible for the environment at Chorley Council, said: “As soon as we were notified about the encampment, we initiated the agreed protocol in conjunction with the police.
“The council has been on site with the police and other agencies to assess if any services are needed.
“The land is privately owned and we worked closely with the land owners to make sure the encampment moved on as quickly as possible.”
They moved at around 6pm on Tuesday evening.
Travellers leave Emsworth lay-by - Hampshire
From the News
TRAVELLERS have moved on almost two weeks after they first set up camp in a lay-by.
The 12 caravans were parked in Havant Road, Emsworth, from July 13. They are believed to have now moved on to playing fields at Bourne Community College, Southbourne, West Sussex after leaving Emsworth yesterday morning.
Havant Borough Council has been dealing with complaints about the Travellers for more than a month.
The group previously occupied two separate sites – Bitterne Park in Leigh Park and land off Barncroft Way, in Bedhampton.
Hampshire County Council owns the Havant Road lay-by but Havant took on the job of evicting the Travellers and will bill the county for all costs.
West Sussex County Council served a notice under the Education Act requiring them to leave by 10pm last night.
A council spokesman, said: ‘The council acted as soon as it was made aware that a group of travellers were parked on school land.’
TRAVELLERS have moved on almost two weeks after they first set up camp in a lay-by.
The 12 caravans were parked in Havant Road, Emsworth, from July 13. They are believed to have now moved on to playing fields at Bourne Community College, Southbourne, West Sussex after leaving Emsworth yesterday morning.
Havant Borough Council has been dealing with complaints about the Travellers for more than a month.
The group previously occupied two separate sites – Bitterne Park in Leigh Park and land off Barncroft Way, in Bedhampton.
Hampshire County Council owns the Havant Road lay-by but Havant took on the job of evicting the Travellers and will bill the county for all costs.
West Sussex County Council served a notice under the Education Act requiring them to leave by 10pm last night.
A council spokesman, said: ‘The council acted as soon as it was made aware that a group of travellers were parked on school land.’
Travellers moved on from Keephatch playing field - Berkshire
From Get Wokingham
Travellers have been forced to leave a playing field in Keephatch.
Five caravans moved onto land at the junction of Keephatch Road and Binfield Road on Tuesday evening.
The Travellers were handed an eviction notice by police on Wednesday demanding they leave the site by 8.30am today.
A police spokesman said: "Officers have checked the site twice this morning and found the area to be clear."
Travellers have been forced to leave a playing field in Keephatch.
Five caravans moved onto land at the junction of Keephatch Road and Binfield Road on Tuesday evening.
The Travellers were handed an eviction notice by police on Wednesday demanding they leave the site by 8.30am today.
A police spokesman said: "Officers have checked the site twice this morning and found the area to be clear."
Action on Travellers in Dewsbury - Kirklees
From Kirklees Council
Kirklees Council is taking action to remove two groups of Travellers from sites in Dewsbury.There is currently an encampment at Bywell Playing Fields, Leeds Road, while another group of Travellers has just arrived at Cliffe Street car park.
Cllr Shabir Pandor, Cabinet member for Resources, said: “As always we are taking these issues very seriously and we have wasted no time in starting the appropriate legal procedures.
“In the case of Bywell Playing Fields, we have already applied for a court hearing to secure a possession order for the land and to move the Travellers as quickly as possible. This is likely to be heard early next week.
“The Travellers at Cliffe Street only occupied the land on the evening of Tuesday July 24, but I ensured that council officers responded straight away and began the legal process the following morning.
“I am determined that disruption to local residents, as well as people who use the sites involved, will be kept to the minimum we can achieve. Any clean-up operations will also happen as soon as possible.”
A further group of Travellers has arrived in a car park at Blakeridge Lane in Batley.
This site is not local authority owned, but the council is working to assist the owners.
Kirklees Council is taking action to remove two groups of Travellers from sites in Dewsbury.There is currently an encampment at Bywell Playing Fields, Leeds Road, while another group of Travellers has just arrived at Cliffe Street car park.
Cllr Shabir Pandor, Cabinet member for Resources, said: “As always we are taking these issues very seriously and we have wasted no time in starting the appropriate legal procedures.
“In the case of Bywell Playing Fields, we have already applied for a court hearing to secure a possession order for the land and to move the Travellers as quickly as possible. This is likely to be heard early next week.
“The Travellers at Cliffe Street only occupied the land on the evening of Tuesday July 24, but I ensured that council officers responded straight away and began the legal process the following morning.
“I am determined that disruption to local residents, as well as people who use the sites involved, will be kept to the minimum we can achieve. Any clean-up operations will also happen as soon as possible.”
A further group of Travellers has arrived in a car park at Blakeridge Lane in Batley.
This site is not local authority owned, but the council is working to assist the owners.
Travellers blocked from Telscombe Tye - Sussex
From the Argus
Travellers set up camp next to a youth centre after being blocked from a beauty spot.
About 30 caravans were last night parked on East Sussex County Council owned playing fields near The Joff, off Roderick Avenue, Peacehaven.
The group are believed to have moved from Saltdean Oval to Telscombe Tye on Tuesday evening (July 24). But a local resident blocked the Tye’s gates ahead of their arrival.
He said he waved down a passerby, who blocked the Tye’s gate with their vehicle and the Travellers moved on. He added that by the time Sussex Police arrived, the caravans were already en route to Peacehaven.
The man said: “I thought that the likely place they would come to next would be Telscombe Tye.”
A spokesman for Sussex Police said: “Police have met with East Sussex County Council after 30 caravans belonging to Travellers arrived on land at The Joff in Roderick Avenue, Peacehaven , at 9pm on Tuesday.
The council, which owns the land, is seeking a eviction order to remove the Travellers from the site. Local police officers including the Traveller liaison officer have spoken to the Travellers and will be visiting residents.”
Travellers set up camp next to a youth centre after being blocked from a beauty spot.
About 30 caravans were last night parked on East Sussex County Council owned playing fields near The Joff, off Roderick Avenue, Peacehaven.
The group are believed to have moved from Saltdean Oval to Telscombe Tye on Tuesday evening (July 24). But a local resident blocked the Tye’s gates ahead of their arrival.
He said he waved down a passerby, who blocked the Tye’s gate with their vehicle and the Travellers moved on. He added that by the time Sussex Police arrived, the caravans were already en route to Peacehaven.
The man said: “I thought that the likely place they would come to next would be Telscombe Tye.”
A spokesman for Sussex Police said: “Police have met with East Sussex County Council after 30 caravans belonging to Travellers arrived on land at The Joff in Roderick Avenue, Peacehaven , at 9pm on Tuesday.
The council, which owns the land, is seeking a eviction order to remove the Travellers from the site. Local police officers including the Traveller liaison officer have spoken to the Travellers and will be visiting residents.”
Travellers at Mill Hill, Shoreham - Sussex
From the Shoreham Herald
A GROUP of 10 to 12 Travellers has arrived in Shoreham today (Thursday, July 26).
Adur District Council said the group arrived in the Mill Hill car park.
The council has begun legal proceedings and welfare checks were being carried out at the site this afternoon.
A message on the council’s Facebook page said: “Due to the location of this site, council in touch with the South Downs National Park on this encampment, however, responsibility for the car park remains with the council.”
Council officers have inspected the site and confirmed there is still visitor space at the car park.
A GROUP of 10 to 12 Travellers has arrived in Shoreham today (Thursday, July 26).
Adur District Council said the group arrived in the Mill Hill car park.
The council has begun legal proceedings and welfare checks were being carried out at the site this afternoon.
A message on the council’s Facebook page said: “Due to the location of this site, council in touch with the South Downs National Park on this encampment, however, responsibility for the car park remains with the council.”
Council officers have inspected the site and confirmed there is still visitor space at the car park.
Gypsies and Travellers look for more political clout
From the Guardian
A new pressure group that represents the views of Gypsies and the travelling community is hoping to lobby the main political parties at Westminster.
Representatives from a number of existing organisations are getting together to try to mobilise their community to use its votes at local and national elections, above all to protect their way of life.
Historically, the percentage of people within the community - which estimates its own size at a million or more - who register to vote and engage in the democratic process has been low. This has various causes but the prime one is that their nomadic lifestyle has made it difficult to register a permanent home address with electoral officers.
Now, as more Travellers live on designated caravan sites and others have permanent addresses, the barriers to engaging in the democratic process are coming down. Community leaders have taken note, and are working to make their voice heard and to prevent discrimination and laws that interfere with their way of life.
Alexander Thompson, of the Irish Traveller Movement in Britain, Charlie Cooper, for Roma Gypsies in the south and Billy Welch representing those in the north, have held talks and agreed to set up a website. They are also in talks with organisations such as the Gypsy Council and The UK Association of Gypsy Women.
Welch, from Darlington, says:
We are sick of being told where we can live and where we can't live. We are a recognised ethnic group. People think they can discriminate against Gypsies and Travellers and the authorities will do nothing about it.
We want the same rights as anyone else. If politicians believe there are votes at stake they will be more likely to listen to us. The government estimates that there are 350,000 Gypsies and Travellers in Britain. But that is the number still living a travelling lifestyle.
Counting everyone, we reckon we can muster a million votes or more. In local elections we would encourage our communities to vote for whoever promises to look after Travellers' rights.
Welch lists what the community consider as serious threats to their way of life, adding that members come across discrimination daily.
It's almost impossible to get planning permission for sites and there are just so many laws brought in to stop our young people working. Political parties pay us lip-service and patronise us because they think we don't vote. We need to wake up to the modern way and use the ballot box to protect our way of life."
He estimates that currently only some 10% of Gypsies and Travellers vote, and in recent years there has been only a solitary Gypsy/Traveller councillor in the UK, Candy Sheridan who sat as a Liberal Democrat on North Norfolk district council.
A new pressure group that represents the views of Gypsies and the travelling community is hoping to lobby the main political parties at Westminster.
Representatives from a number of existing organisations are getting together to try to mobilise their community to use its votes at local and national elections, above all to protect their way of life.
Historically, the percentage of people within the community - which estimates its own size at a million or more - who register to vote and engage in the democratic process has been low. This has various causes but the prime one is that their nomadic lifestyle has made it difficult to register a permanent home address with electoral officers.
Now, as more Travellers live on designated caravan sites and others have permanent addresses, the barriers to engaging in the democratic process are coming down. Community leaders have taken note, and are working to make their voice heard and to prevent discrimination and laws that interfere with their way of life.
Alexander Thompson, of the Irish Traveller Movement in Britain, Charlie Cooper, for Roma Gypsies in the south and Billy Welch representing those in the north, have held talks and agreed to set up a website. They are also in talks with organisations such as the Gypsy Council and The UK Association of Gypsy Women.
Welch, from Darlington, says:
We are sick of being told where we can live and where we can't live. We are a recognised ethnic group. People think they can discriminate against Gypsies and Travellers and the authorities will do nothing about it.
We want the same rights as anyone else. If politicians believe there are votes at stake they will be more likely to listen to us. The government estimates that there are 350,000 Gypsies and Travellers in Britain. But that is the number still living a travelling lifestyle.
Counting everyone, we reckon we can muster a million votes or more. In local elections we would encourage our communities to vote for whoever promises to look after Travellers' rights.
Welch lists what the community consider as serious threats to their way of life, adding that members come across discrimination daily.
It's almost impossible to get planning permission for sites and there are just so many laws brought in to stop our young people working. Political parties pay us lip-service and patronise us because they think we don't vote. We need to wake up to the modern way and use the ballot box to protect our way of life."
He estimates that currently only some 10% of Gypsies and Travellers vote, and in recent years there has been only a solitary Gypsy/Traveller councillor in the UK, Candy Sheridan who sat as a Liberal Democrat on North Norfolk district council.
Gypsy Council: Travellers next to Amazon will be on their way soon - Neath Port Talbot
From the South Wales Evening Post
GYPSY Council chiefs say they expect the Travellers who have set up home at Jersey Marine will be on their way soon.
Last week around 12 caravans parked illegally on land next to warehouse Amazon, which belongs to the Welsh Government.
Hughie Smith, president of the Gypsy Council, which is an organisation set up to represent Gypsies nationwide in all aspects of their needs, said he believed the Travellers may be just passing through and would soon move on.
"At the present time what we have suggested to Neath Port Talbot Council is these families may have permanent plots and perhaps are passing through," he said.
"I don't think they will be there long. They are just passing through."
Both authorised Traveller sites in Neath Port Talbot — Briton Ferry and Cae Garw, near Pyle — are currently full.
"Neath Port Talbot Council provides for 57 plots across its two sites," said Mr Smith. "The problem is with neighbouring authorities like Swansea which only has seven plots. Neath Port Talbot is a responsible authority as it is providing 57 plots. Bridgend and Merthyr have no sites."
A Swansea Council spokesman said the Traveller plots were allocated before unitary authorities and were originally designated by West Glamorgan.
He added: "At present, there is only one authorised Gypsy Traveller site, which is fully occupied. The need for a second site has been identified as part of the council's housing needs assessment. The council is continuing its work to identify a suitable location for the second site.
Residents have called on Neath Port Talbot Council and the Welsh Government to act on the encampment at Jersey Marine.
Head of property and regeneration Gareth Nutt said: "The council has had contact with the Welsh Government about the situation and understand that, as landowners, the matter is in Welsh Government's hands."
A spokesman for the Welsh Government said: "Any action on that site will be in line with the protocols and guidelines of existing Welsh Government guidance, with consideration given to the fact that the two Gypsy and Traveller sites in Neath Port Talbot are full."
Under the Housing Act 2004 all local authorities in Wales have to assess the accommodation needs of Travellers.
The existing authorised site in Swansea is at Pantyblawd Road, Llansamlet.
Travellers have also recently arrived at Millbrook Drive in Llansamlet.
A Swansea Council spokesman said: "We are aware of the matter and proceedings have been issued which will enable us to take back possession of the site."
Figures for July 2011 suggest there were a total of 793 Gypsy and traveller caravans in Wales — of which 120 caravans were on unauthorised sites.
GYPSY Council chiefs say they expect the Travellers who have set up home at Jersey Marine will be on their way soon.
Last week around 12 caravans parked illegally on land next to warehouse Amazon, which belongs to the Welsh Government.
Hughie Smith, president of the Gypsy Council, which is an organisation set up to represent Gypsies nationwide in all aspects of their needs, said he believed the Travellers may be just passing through and would soon move on.
"At the present time what we have suggested to Neath Port Talbot Council is these families may have permanent plots and perhaps are passing through," he said.
"I don't think they will be there long. They are just passing through."
Both authorised Traveller sites in Neath Port Talbot — Briton Ferry and Cae Garw, near Pyle — are currently full.
"Neath Port Talbot Council provides for 57 plots across its two sites," said Mr Smith. "The problem is with neighbouring authorities like Swansea which only has seven plots. Neath Port Talbot is a responsible authority as it is providing 57 plots. Bridgend and Merthyr have no sites."
A Swansea Council spokesman said the Traveller plots were allocated before unitary authorities and were originally designated by West Glamorgan.
He added: "At present, there is only one authorised Gypsy Traveller site, which is fully occupied. The need for a second site has been identified as part of the council's housing needs assessment. The council is continuing its work to identify a suitable location for the second site.
Residents have called on Neath Port Talbot Council and the Welsh Government to act on the encampment at Jersey Marine.
Head of property and regeneration Gareth Nutt said: "The council has had contact with the Welsh Government about the situation and understand that, as landowners, the matter is in Welsh Government's hands."
A spokesman for the Welsh Government said: "Any action on that site will be in line with the protocols and guidelines of existing Welsh Government guidance, with consideration given to the fact that the two Gypsy and Traveller sites in Neath Port Talbot are full."
Under the Housing Act 2004 all local authorities in Wales have to assess the accommodation needs of Travellers.
The existing authorised site in Swansea is at Pantyblawd Road, Llansamlet.
Travellers have also recently arrived at Millbrook Drive in Llansamlet.
A Swansea Council spokesman said: "We are aware of the matter and proceedings have been issued which will enable us to take back possession of the site."
Figures for July 2011 suggest there were a total of 793 Gypsy and traveller caravans in Wales — of which 120 caravans were on unauthorised sites.
Tuesday 24 July 2012
Council threatens second Dale Farm eviction for families with ‘nowhere to go’ - Essex
From the Traveller Solidarity Network
Basildon Council today began legal proceedings to evict families at Dale Farm made homeless by last October’s eviction. The dozens of families, who had moved on to a private road leading up to their former homes, have been given until August 29th to appeal.
Since October’s forced eviction families have been unable to move from Dale Farm due to a lack of plots in the area — they have lived in cramped conditions without running water, regular electricity as well as sewage problems [1]. In recent months council contractors have dug up asbestos.
Mary Sheridan, a mother living on Oak Lane, said “The council and the government still will not listen, we have nowhere else to go. Why would we believing with asbestos, no running water and sewage if we had some where else to go. We want a safe place to live where our kids can go to school, is that too much ask?”
Last month, the Traveller Solidarity Network [2], who have supported families over recent years, announced plans for a demonstration on the anniversary of last year’s eviction [3]. The anniversary action on the 19th October is set to target the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Jo McGuire, Dale Farm supporter and member of the Traveller Solidarity Network, claims “The message this time last year is still the same today, these families have nowhere else to go because the council have failed to authorise any pitches in the area. The council is choosing to evict before new planning applications have been considered. These families are trying to do everything they can to keep their kids in the local school, but it seems the council just wants to clear them from the area.”
[1] http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/video/2012/apr/20/dale-farm-eviction-video
[2] www.travellersolidarity.org
[3] http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/local_news/basildon/9767356.Eric_Pickles_faces_demo_outside_offices_on_anniversary_of_Dale_Farm_eviction/
Basildon Council today began legal proceedings to evict families at Dale Farm made homeless by last October’s eviction. The dozens of families, who had moved on to a private road leading up to their former homes, have been given until August 29th to appeal.
Since October’s forced eviction families have been unable to move from Dale Farm due to a lack of plots in the area — they have lived in cramped conditions without running water, regular electricity as well as sewage problems [1]. In recent months council contractors have dug up asbestos.
Mary Sheridan, a mother living on Oak Lane, said “The council and the government still will not listen, we have nowhere else to go. Why would we believing with asbestos, no running water and sewage if we had some where else to go. We want a safe place to live where our kids can go to school, is that too much ask?”
Last month, the Traveller Solidarity Network [2], who have supported families over recent years, announced plans for a demonstration on the anniversary of last year’s eviction [3]. The anniversary action on the 19th October is set to target the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Jo McGuire, Dale Farm supporter and member of the Traveller Solidarity Network, claims “The message this time last year is still the same today, these families have nowhere else to go because the council have failed to authorise any pitches in the area. The council is choosing to evict before new planning applications have been considered. These families are trying to do everything they can to keep their kids in the local school, but it seems the council just wants to clear them from the area.”
[1] http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/video/2012/apr/20/dale-farm-eviction-video
[2] www.travellersolidarity.org
[3] http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/local_news/basildon/9767356.Eric_Pickles_faces_demo_outside_offices_on_anniversary_of_Dale_Farm_eviction/
Travellers move onto building site in East Croydon - London
From the Croyden Guardian
Travellers have taken over land earmarked for a huge and controversial building project.
Residents on Cherry Orchard Road, East Croydon noticed two caravans appear on Sunday just after 3pm on fenced off empty land cleared by developers ahead of construction of a 55-storey towerblock The Menta Tower.
By Monday the land was occupied by more than six caravans with residents complaining a huge pile of construction waste has been dumped and children have been seen openly defecating.
A neighbour who did not want to be named, for fear of reprisal said: "This is not the first time there have been problems. "For years there were empty council blocks there filled with drunks and drug-using squatters. I hate to stereotype but when you see a huge pile of rubbish appear immediately you do think the worse. There are campsites out there so why are they here?"
At 3pm on Monday a truck was seen entering the secured site, with a group of children operating the gates.
The site, on the corner of Cherry Orchard Road and Oval Road, has been empty for a year after Menta were granted permission to build the controversial block of flats, which will be the tallest residential block in the country.
A fellow neighbour said he noticed the travellers move in but had not experienced any problems.
He said: "If I’m completely honest I’d rather they were there than Menta."
Craig Marks, chief executive of Menta, said: “We were alerted on Monday morning, I have spoken with our lawyers and we are taking advice on how best to move them on. “When we took over the site there were problems with vermin antisocial behaviour and vandalism. We made the site secure but no matter what precautions you put in place if someone is determined to break in we can’t stop them.”
Travellers have taken over land earmarked for a huge and controversial building project.
Residents on Cherry Orchard Road, East Croydon noticed two caravans appear on Sunday just after 3pm on fenced off empty land cleared by developers ahead of construction of a 55-storey towerblock The Menta Tower.
By Monday the land was occupied by more than six caravans with residents complaining a huge pile of construction waste has been dumped and children have been seen openly defecating.
A neighbour who did not want to be named, for fear of reprisal said: "This is not the first time there have been problems. "For years there were empty council blocks there filled with drunks and drug-using squatters. I hate to stereotype but when you see a huge pile of rubbish appear immediately you do think the worse. There are campsites out there so why are they here?"
At 3pm on Monday a truck was seen entering the secured site, with a group of children operating the gates.
The site, on the corner of Cherry Orchard Road and Oval Road, has been empty for a year after Menta were granted permission to build the controversial block of flats, which will be the tallest residential block in the country.
A fellow neighbour said he noticed the travellers move in but had not experienced any problems.
He said: "If I’m completely honest I’d rather they were there than Menta."
Craig Marks, chief executive of Menta, said: “We were alerted on Monday morning, I have spoken with our lawyers and we are taking advice on how best to move them on. “When we took over the site there were problems with vermin antisocial behaviour and vandalism. We made the site secure but no matter what precautions you put in place if someone is determined to break in we can’t stop them.”
Basildon Council prepares to take fresh action against Essex Travellers
From the Independent
A council is preparing to take fresh action after Travellers
removed from Europe's largest illegal site moved to a neighbouring
settlement.
Basildon Council today served enforcement notices on Travellers, some of whom had previously lived on Dale Farm in Crays Hill, Essex.
Many moved to the neighbouring Oak Lane legal site following last years mass eviction with some settling on the road approaching the site.
Basildon Council said they had exceeded Oak Lane's legal capacity while residents complained the clearance had only moved the travellers less than 100 metres down the road.
The council confirmed it had served notices on 19 caravans illegally parked on a track leading to the former Dale Farm site.
Leader Tony Ball said: "People know that Basildon Council is committed to upholding the law and will go through the relevant processes to ensure compliance with the law.
"In February we served planning contravention notices giving 21 days to respond to the notices and leave the area.
"Clearly this has not happened, and in this time, the council has been carefully considering the correct options and action available.
"It has taken time, but we have had to be certain that we are taking the right options in regards to this particular breach."
The Travellers have until August 29 to appeal. If no appeal is lodged and the Travellers do not move on, the council will take "appropriate action" to remove them.
Mr Ball said: "I still find it immensely frustrating that having cleared the illegal site last year, what appears to be a small minority of the original residents are persisting with this dangerous and disruptive behaviour.
"It is also apparent to us that many of those who are there illegally are new to the area and have nothing to do with the original illegal settlement."
There were violent clashes with Travellers and protesters as police officers and council employed bailiffs cleared the site in October last year.
The clearance followed a decade-long row over unauthorised plots on the six-acre site.
[I]see also:[/I]The Echo - Dale Farm: Council serves notices on Travellers
ITV - Dale Farm Travellers face second eviction
A council is preparing to take fresh action after Travellers
removed from Europe's largest illegal site moved to a neighbouring
settlement.
Basildon Council today served enforcement notices on Travellers, some of whom had previously lived on Dale Farm in Crays Hill, Essex.
Many moved to the neighbouring Oak Lane legal site following last years mass eviction with some settling on the road approaching the site.
Basildon Council said they had exceeded Oak Lane's legal capacity while residents complained the clearance had only moved the travellers less than 100 metres down the road.
The council confirmed it had served notices on 19 caravans illegally parked on a track leading to the former Dale Farm site.
Leader Tony Ball said: "People know that Basildon Council is committed to upholding the law and will go through the relevant processes to ensure compliance with the law.
"In February we served planning contravention notices giving 21 days to respond to the notices and leave the area.
"Clearly this has not happened, and in this time, the council has been carefully considering the correct options and action available.
"It has taken time, but we have had to be certain that we are taking the right options in regards to this particular breach."
The Travellers have until August 29 to appeal. If no appeal is lodged and the Travellers do not move on, the council will take "appropriate action" to remove them.
Mr Ball said: "I still find it immensely frustrating that having cleared the illegal site last year, what appears to be a small minority of the original residents are persisting with this dangerous and disruptive behaviour.
"It is also apparent to us that many of those who are there illegally are new to the area and have nothing to do with the original illegal settlement."
There were violent clashes with Travellers and protesters as police officers and council employed bailiffs cleared the site in October last year.
The clearance followed a decade-long row over unauthorised plots on the six-acre site.
[I]see also:[/I]The Echo - Dale Farm: Council serves notices on Travellers
ITV - Dale Farm Travellers face second eviction
Monday 23 July 2012
Gypsy applicant will keep trying - South Worcestireshire
From the Malvern Gazette
APPLICANTS for a Gypsy site just outside Upton will keep on trying, district councillors were told this week.
Leonard Finney had applied to Malvern Hills District Council for permission to create a site with five pitches at Hillbee Farm off the A4104 Welland Road.
The site had been previously used as a Caravan Club site for five caravans, which needed no permission. But local residents strongly objected to the plan. Among their worries is the hazards caused by vehicles turning on and off the road, which many say is dangerously fast.
Another worry is there is no footpath or pavement and occupants would be at risk from traffic.
At Wednesday’s meeting of MHDC’s southern area development control committee, the applicant’s son, Ken Finney, said the site was needed for members of his family to live on and there had never been an accident in the years it had been used by touring caravans.
He said: “If this planning application is not passed, one will be passed in the future. We’re not going anywhere, we will be there for ever.”
Upton deputy mayor Paul Bennett spoke on the residents’ behalf, saying people living in nearby West Bank feared that up to 10 families could end up living on the site.
He said the town council’s own housing survey revealed there was no local need for a Travellers’ site near Upton, whatever the need elsewhere in the district.
Councillors voted 11-4 with two abstentions, to refuse the application, following officers’ recommendations that the proposed access would be dangerous and there is no safe walking route for occupants to get to nearby bus stops and other facilities.
After the meeting Coun Bennett said: “Mr Finney said they will keep trying to get permission.”
APPLICANTS for a Gypsy site just outside Upton will keep on trying, district councillors were told this week.
Leonard Finney had applied to Malvern Hills District Council for permission to create a site with five pitches at Hillbee Farm off the A4104 Welland Road.
The site had been previously used as a Caravan Club site for five caravans, which needed no permission. But local residents strongly objected to the plan. Among their worries is the hazards caused by vehicles turning on and off the road, which many say is dangerously fast.
Another worry is there is no footpath or pavement and occupants would be at risk from traffic.
At Wednesday’s meeting of MHDC’s southern area development control committee, the applicant’s son, Ken Finney, said the site was needed for members of his family to live on and there had never been an accident in the years it had been used by touring caravans.
He said: “If this planning application is not passed, one will be passed in the future. We’re not going anywhere, we will be there for ever.”
Upton deputy mayor Paul Bennett spoke on the residents’ behalf, saying people living in nearby West Bank feared that up to 10 families could end up living on the site.
He said the town council’s own housing survey revealed there was no local need for a Travellers’ site near Upton, whatever the need elsewhere in the district.
Councillors voted 11-4 with two abstentions, to refuse the application, following officers’ recommendations that the proposed access would be dangerous and there is no safe walking route for occupants to get to nearby bus stops and other facilities.
After the meeting Coun Bennett said: “Mr Finney said they will keep trying to get permission.”
Future sites for Travellers? - Sussex
From the Bexhill On Sea Observer
PROPOSALS for an eight-week consultation, starting in September, over the establishment of 12 possible Gypsy and Traveller sites in Rother to meet future needs up to 2028 come before the district council’s scrutiny committee at Bexhill Town Hall on Monday next week, July 23.
The council must identify enough sites to meet accepted needs, and could have sites imposed upon it if it fails to do so. In Bexhill, two sites of two to three pitches each could be brought forward as part of any major development in the area.
Other locations shortlisted from an initial list of 850 potential sites include Beeches Brook and Loose Farm Lane, Battle; Cripps Corner; Bramble Farm, Ewhurst; Cherry Tree Nursery, Flimwell; Guestling Green highways depot; land next to an existing site at Robertsbridge; Chippings Depot, Rye, and land east of Down Edge and south-west of Moor Lane, Westfield.
Five pitches are needed by 2016, and six more before 2028. Of these, two pitches already have permanent planning permission. The council has stressed: “The identified sites are put forward for consultation purposes only, and do not represent council policy at this point.”
PROPOSALS for an eight-week consultation, starting in September, over the establishment of 12 possible Gypsy and Traveller sites in Rother to meet future needs up to 2028 come before the district council’s scrutiny committee at Bexhill Town Hall on Monday next week, July 23.
The council must identify enough sites to meet accepted needs, and could have sites imposed upon it if it fails to do so. In Bexhill, two sites of two to three pitches each could be brought forward as part of any major development in the area.
Other locations shortlisted from an initial list of 850 potential sites include Beeches Brook and Loose Farm Lane, Battle; Cripps Corner; Bramble Farm, Ewhurst; Cherry Tree Nursery, Flimwell; Guestling Green highways depot; land next to an existing site at Robertsbridge; Chippings Depot, Rye, and land east of Down Edge and south-west of Moor Lane, Westfield.
Five pitches are needed by 2016, and six more before 2028. Of these, two pitches already have permanent planning permission. The council has stressed: “The identified sites are put forward for consultation purposes only, and do not represent council policy at this point.”
Travellers appeal on camp near Staffordshire Hoard site - Staffordshire
From the Express and Star
Travellers who lost their bid to move their caravans on to a field bordering the site where the Staffordshire Hoard was discovered have lodged an appeal.
The Maughan family want to set up a camp and live on the site near Hammerwich. They bought the plot, on the border of Burntwood and Brownhills, at auction three years ago.
Lichfield District Council ruled a camp would be inappropriate development on the land, which is green belt.
But planning agent Alison Heine, representing the Maughans, insists there is room for manoeuvre.
She said: “The council had taken a very safe line. The fact that it involves green belt does not automatically rule out development. It’s all a balancing exercise.”
Both parties have until August 21 to submit statements containing their arguments. A hearing will be set as soon as practicable afterwards.
The plot, on the south side of Watling Street at Muckley Corner, is next door to the field where the Anglo-Saxon hoard of gold and silver was discovered in 2009.
Before Christmas, the district authority was forced to launch enforcement action when diggers moved in and work was carried out to level the ground and re-seed it.
The plot is owned by Terry Maughan who applied for planning permission on behalf of his estranged wife Bernadette Maughan and her sister Anne-Marie Maughan in February.
Mr Maughan and his family were previously based at the Fishpond Caravan Site in Featherstone. They applied to change the use of the Hammerwich land from agricultural to a site for six mobile homes on four plots with sceptic tanks and utility rooms.
Under government guidance, up to 15 plots are allowed on a site. “So this is relatively small,” said Ms Heine.
Travellers who lost their bid to move their caravans on to a field bordering the site where the Staffordshire Hoard was discovered have lodged an appeal.
The Maughan family want to set up a camp and live on the site near Hammerwich. They bought the plot, on the border of Burntwood and Brownhills, at auction three years ago.
Lichfield District Council ruled a camp would be inappropriate development on the land, which is green belt.
But planning agent Alison Heine, representing the Maughans, insists there is room for manoeuvre.
She said: “The council had taken a very safe line. The fact that it involves green belt does not automatically rule out development. It’s all a balancing exercise.”
Both parties have until August 21 to submit statements containing their arguments. A hearing will be set as soon as practicable afterwards.
The plot, on the south side of Watling Street at Muckley Corner, is next door to the field where the Anglo-Saxon hoard of gold and silver was discovered in 2009.
Before Christmas, the district authority was forced to launch enforcement action when diggers moved in and work was carried out to level the ground and re-seed it.
The plot is owned by Terry Maughan who applied for planning permission on behalf of his estranged wife Bernadette Maughan and her sister Anne-Marie Maughan in February.
Mr Maughan and his family were previously based at the Fishpond Caravan Site in Featherstone. They applied to change the use of the Hammerwich land from agricultural to a site for six mobile homes on four plots with sceptic tanks and utility rooms.
Under government guidance, up to 15 plots are allowed on a site. “So this is relatively small,” said Ms Heine.
York Travellers: A Horse With No Name - Yorkshire
From oneandother.com
e Travellers community in York, as with anywhere, is a subject of debate for the general public. Communities across the UK find the same difficulties of finding sites, work and living within established towns and cities without friction. The legal status of sites, even council controlled ones similar to the three in York, can cause divided opinion for the residents around them.
Often (sadly) the reputation of travelling communities in one area is radically affected by the actions of travellers elsewhere and how these have been represented in the media, even though they may have no contact or relation to them or crimes. The difficulty in the press and media is that programmes such as ‘My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding’ have destroyed the frail trust that existed between select individuals and the Travellers. The way in which this minority has been represented in the media has been more often than not been imbibed with a hint of the freak-show, MBFGW bringing the cultural practices into the home for millions of people to gawp at. The show has become water cooler conversation, with people allowing this specific representation to become the blanket opinion of the society in which these people live. The result of this form of cheap television has made any criticism of the travelling lifestyle a difficult practice, the softly softly approach of not looking at the issues surrounding the communities has taken over. Discussing a minority is always a difficult task, especially when that minority is unrepresented and often unable to talk back through the same medium. The York Travellers Trust goes some way in righting the wrongs, trying to provide an outlet for information which can inform the way we think and talk about this. However, as with most things in Britain, the pub conversation tends to overrule any sensible discussion we have. Feelings and prejudices sneak into the calmest of people and the shrieking fear of the unknown manifests itself. On the other side, it is true to say that the denial of the exploration of the subject, often enforced by those who fear reproach, is as damaging as any uninformed diatribe. To not talk about it is as bad as airing one’s ignorance.
The problem in York has been drawn out again by the setting up of a new phone line for stray horses in the area. Osbaldwick Councillor Mark Warters suggested that the phone line could help the police deal with calls, reporting horses on roads, parks or tethered on council land. The focus of the argument for the hotline seems to be that council officers would be better suited to dealing with the problem, saving hours of police time and freeing up phone lines for emergency calls. Inundated with phone calls, even the RSPCA now has a different approach to the mistreatment of horses and dogs owned by Travellers, calling them ‘working animals’ which do not require the same standards of living and thus need not be dealt with by RSPCA animal welfare officers. What is clear from the establishment of this separate entity and phone line is that a new way of reporting and dealing with the problems caused by travellers’ horses is needed. The use of council officers instead of police clearly shows that Mark Warters believes that the mistreatment of animals is not a matter for criminal investigation. Where he suggests that the hotline is a necessity due to the “indifference” of York council, bearing in mind that horses have strayed onto roads in the York area a number of times in recent months, with two being killed when they were struck by vehicles, it seems like the least appropriate time to halt a criminal investigation into this matter.
The foundations of any discussion of Travellers must remember that no one is above the law, that though animal welfare is commonly dealt with through the charity of the RSPCA, repeated offences are subject to criminal law. The marginalisation of these communities needs to stop, however with this comes a respect of laws and codes of practice by which citizens are required to abide. With more openness and discussion comes better representation, with more education about and for new generations of the travellers in York there will be a better comprehension of how problems like this one can be solved.York Travellers: A Horse With No Name
e Travellers community in York, as with anywhere, is a subject of debate for the general public. Communities across the UK find the same difficulties of finding sites, work and living within established towns and cities without friction. The legal status of sites, even council controlled ones similar to the three in York, can cause divided opinion for the residents around them.
Often (sadly) the reputation of travelling communities in one area is radically affected by the actions of travellers elsewhere and how these have been represented in the media, even though they may have no contact or relation to them or crimes. The difficulty in the press and media is that programmes such as ‘My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding’ have destroyed the frail trust that existed between select individuals and the Travellers. The way in which this minority has been represented in the media has been more often than not been imbibed with a hint of the freak-show, MBFGW bringing the cultural practices into the home for millions of people to gawp at. The show has become water cooler conversation, with people allowing this specific representation to become the blanket opinion of the society in which these people live. The result of this form of cheap television has made any criticism of the travelling lifestyle a difficult practice, the softly softly approach of not looking at the issues surrounding the communities has taken over. Discussing a minority is always a difficult task, especially when that minority is unrepresented and often unable to talk back through the same medium. The York Travellers Trust goes some way in righting the wrongs, trying to provide an outlet for information which can inform the way we think and talk about this. However, as with most things in Britain, the pub conversation tends to overrule any sensible discussion we have. Feelings and prejudices sneak into the calmest of people and the shrieking fear of the unknown manifests itself. On the other side, it is true to say that the denial of the exploration of the subject, often enforced by those who fear reproach, is as damaging as any uninformed diatribe. To not talk about it is as bad as airing one’s ignorance.
The problem in York has been drawn out again by the setting up of a new phone line for stray horses in the area. Osbaldwick Councillor Mark Warters suggested that the phone line could help the police deal with calls, reporting horses on roads, parks or tethered on council land. The focus of the argument for the hotline seems to be that council officers would be better suited to dealing with the problem, saving hours of police time and freeing up phone lines for emergency calls. Inundated with phone calls, even the RSPCA now has a different approach to the mistreatment of horses and dogs owned by Travellers, calling them ‘working animals’ which do not require the same standards of living and thus need not be dealt with by RSPCA animal welfare officers. What is clear from the establishment of this separate entity and phone line is that a new way of reporting and dealing with the problems caused by travellers’ horses is needed. The use of council officers instead of police clearly shows that Mark Warters believes that the mistreatment of animals is not a matter for criminal investigation. Where he suggests that the hotline is a necessity due to the “indifference” of York council, bearing in mind that horses have strayed onto roads in the York area a number of times in recent months, with two being killed when they were struck by vehicles, it seems like the least appropriate time to halt a criminal investigation into this matter.
The foundations of any discussion of Travellers must remember that no one is above the law, that though animal welfare is commonly dealt with through the charity of the RSPCA, repeated offences are subject to criminal law. The marginalisation of these communities needs to stop, however with this comes a respect of laws and codes of practice by which citizens are required to abide. With more openness and discussion comes better representation, with more education about and for new generations of the travellers in York there will be a better comprehension of how problems like this one can be solved.York Travellers: A Horse With No Name
Darlington set to vote on £50,000 Travellers study - County Durham
From thebrag.tv
Darlington council are expected to vote on a ‘feasibility’ study for the extension of the travelling community.
The council has been given £1.5m from the Homes and Community Agency to create 20 new Gypsy and Traveller pitches in Darlington between 2013 and 2015.
The study- which will cost £50,000- will assess whether a number of sites in the Honeypot Lane and Neasham Road areas of Darlington need expanding, to accommodate the 35 plots deemed necessary from previous studies.
The study will assess the requirements necessary for site expansion, including any communal facilities needed, gas supplies and a play area at the two sites.
However, the controversial plans have been met with resistance before this proposal.
More than 500 people responded to the official consultation, while hundreds signed petitions against proposed individual sites for Travellers and Gypsies.
As expected, the plans have sparked fury amongst local residents, with the huge costs making the most common appearance in counter arguments.
Jaga* said of the proposed study:
“A quick look on Google Earth shows that there are possibilities for expansion at both sites.
“There is even a large area, currently with a redundant football stadium, available at Neasham Road. Can I have my £50k please?” [sic]
Another enraged Darlington dweller seethed:
“I will volunteer to find the sites at a cost of zero…why £50,000?
“Anyone can do this within a month so why the waste of cash? Darlington council fat cats wasting money again.”
If granted, the findings of the eventual feasibility study would be presented to the council’s cabinet
Any expansion to the sites will be subject to the regular planning approval process, which will undoubtedly also be met with hostility from local residents.
Darlington council are expected to vote on a ‘feasibility’ study for the extension of the travelling community.
The council has been given £1.5m from the Homes and Community Agency to create 20 new Gypsy and Traveller pitches in Darlington between 2013 and 2015.
The study- which will cost £50,000- will assess whether a number of sites in the Honeypot Lane and Neasham Road areas of Darlington need expanding, to accommodate the 35 plots deemed necessary from previous studies.
The study will assess the requirements necessary for site expansion, including any communal facilities needed, gas supplies and a play area at the two sites.
However, the controversial plans have been met with resistance before this proposal.
More than 500 people responded to the official consultation, while hundreds signed petitions against proposed individual sites for Travellers and Gypsies.
As expected, the plans have sparked fury amongst local residents, with the huge costs making the most common appearance in counter arguments.
Jaga* said of the proposed study:
“A quick look on Google Earth shows that there are possibilities for expansion at both sites.
“There is even a large area, currently with a redundant football stadium, available at Neasham Road. Can I have my £50k please?” [sic]
Another enraged Darlington dweller seethed:
“I will volunteer to find the sites at a cost of zero…why £50,000?
“Anyone can do this within a month so why the waste of cash? Darlington council fat cats wasting money again.”
If granted, the findings of the eventual feasibility study would be presented to the council’s cabinet
Any expansion to the sites will be subject to the regular planning approval process, which will undoubtedly also be met with hostility from local residents.
Gypsy culture is much more than dresses and make-up
From the Independent
Ask anyone in the street what the word “Gypsy” means to them and they will almost certainly come up with “Dale Farm” or Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. And the images the public link to Gypsies and Travellers at the moment? Big dresses, spray tans, skimpy outfits, and make-up slathered on with a trowel – as well as scruffy activists defending Travellers at Dale Farm on eviction day.
It’s a far cry from the world I’ve been visiting, on and off since 2006, when I first started reporting from Dale Farm for The Economist and met Mary-Ann McCarthy in her neat chalet, in which lovingly dusted Christian icons vied for space with flowers. Since then I have driven that 40 mile journey to Dale Farm more times than I can remember, getting to know members of the Dale Farm extended families, as well as the church people (and later activists) who supported them, and the politicians and local residents who wanted them gone.
I’ve watched horse dealing at Stow and Appleby Fairs, talked to the Gypsy evangelical priests who are spearheading a Pentecostalist revival throughout the Gypsy community and spent countless hours drinking tea with Irish Traveller and Gypsy women. I’ve also spent time with the anti Gypsy site campaigners, such as those spearheading Meriden Residents Against Inappropriate Development. Out of these encounters, and the many conversations about religion, education, fortune-telling, employment, politics, housing – and women’s stuff – I see a culture far deeper and richer than the voyeuristic version of these communities displayed on television.
There is, of course, a grain of truth in Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, and its spin off, Thelma’s Gypsy Girls. Some young Traveller girls do like to put on the Ritz, spray on tan and totter into town and back on high heels. Some aren’t used to education and employment (the statistics bear this out, with Gypsy and Traveller children lagging way behind in educational achievement) – but pinning a few radiant butterflies onto a board for the amusement of the British non-Gypsy public and claiming they are a representative sample – I just don’t think it’s cricket.
Go to Appleby or Stow Fair, where Britain’s nomads meet to exchange family news, to woo, to deal horses and buy china – and you will see some girls dressed to the nines, but absolutely not all. Many dress relatively modestly. Some are far more interested in riding their horses into the river than waxing and primping. And others are busy pursuing their careers – among them teachers, equestrians and healthcare assistants.
Talk to Gypsy elders and they splutter with indignation about the depiction of their culture on TV – and point out, for good measure, that almost all of those interviewed are Irish Travellers, not Romany Gypsies anyway. And yes, some do whisper, too, that Romany Gypsies see Irish Travellers as ‘gorgias’ – their word for ‘settled people’ and deny that the two cultures are one and the same. (It’s worth noting here that in America Irish Travellers and Gypsies live almost completely separate existences, rather than being considered as one grouping as they are in the UK.)
Almost all the Irish Traveller women I know from Dale Farm and further afield dress extremely modestly, in below the knee skirts, or plain trousers. They don’t have the money for spray tans – they are more concerned with cobbling together enough cash to take their kids to the leisure centre so they can give them a hot shower. The McCarthy sisters, who spearheaded the resistance to the site clearance at Dale Farm did take pleasure in dressing up for the final court appearances (and were even congratulated on their sartorial sense by one judge) but that was for a special occasion.
It would be funny, if it wasn’t so dangerous, this fixation with what Traveller women wear. You simply cannot reduce a whole culture to a few crystals, lipstick and a big skirt. The Irish Traveller Movement in Great Britain recently hosted a seminar on media reporting of Gypsy and Traveller matters at the Commons. Participants included Inspector Mark Watson, of Cheshire Police, who stressed the media’s responsibility to report on Gypsies and Travellers as fairly as possible, because most people never knowingly meet anyone from those communities. Many of those who gave evidence spoke of the negative backlash post Big Fat Gypsy Wedding on their lives or on those of their school-age children. News online comment threads were also mentioned. When I was reporting on the site clearance at Dale Farm for The Economist, I read (and reported for abuse) an online comment on another newspaper site that called for Travellers there to be gassed to death. Given what happened to European Roma in the Holocaust, this had awful historical resonance – and should never have been posted in the first place. Andy Slaughter MP, the Shadow Minister for Justice, said that discrimination for almost all racial groups had declined in the last few decades – except Gypsies and Travellers – and said that negative media coverage played a part in perpetuating that discrimination. He’s absolutely right.
I applaud anyone who wants to support young Gypsy and Traveller people into employment. But I’m not sure that turning them into a spectacle for the TV cameras is the way to further their careers. It makes good TV – but it isn’t good for those who are made objects of fun in the process.
Ask anyone in the street what the word “Gypsy” means to them and they will almost certainly come up with “Dale Farm” or Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. And the images the public link to Gypsies and Travellers at the moment? Big dresses, spray tans, skimpy outfits, and make-up slathered on with a trowel – as well as scruffy activists defending Travellers at Dale Farm on eviction day.
It’s a far cry from the world I’ve been visiting, on and off since 2006, when I first started reporting from Dale Farm for The Economist and met Mary-Ann McCarthy in her neat chalet, in which lovingly dusted Christian icons vied for space with flowers. Since then I have driven that 40 mile journey to Dale Farm more times than I can remember, getting to know members of the Dale Farm extended families, as well as the church people (and later activists) who supported them, and the politicians and local residents who wanted them gone.
I’ve watched horse dealing at Stow and Appleby Fairs, talked to the Gypsy evangelical priests who are spearheading a Pentecostalist revival throughout the Gypsy community and spent countless hours drinking tea with Irish Traveller and Gypsy women. I’ve also spent time with the anti Gypsy site campaigners, such as those spearheading Meriden Residents Against Inappropriate Development. Out of these encounters, and the many conversations about religion, education, fortune-telling, employment, politics, housing – and women’s stuff – I see a culture far deeper and richer than the voyeuristic version of these communities displayed on television.
There is, of course, a grain of truth in Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, and its spin off, Thelma’s Gypsy Girls. Some young Traveller girls do like to put on the Ritz, spray on tan and totter into town and back on high heels. Some aren’t used to education and employment (the statistics bear this out, with Gypsy and Traveller children lagging way behind in educational achievement) – but pinning a few radiant butterflies onto a board for the amusement of the British non-Gypsy public and claiming they are a representative sample – I just don’t think it’s cricket.
Go to Appleby or Stow Fair, where Britain’s nomads meet to exchange family news, to woo, to deal horses and buy china – and you will see some girls dressed to the nines, but absolutely not all. Many dress relatively modestly. Some are far more interested in riding their horses into the river than waxing and primping. And others are busy pursuing their careers – among them teachers, equestrians and healthcare assistants.
Talk to Gypsy elders and they splutter with indignation about the depiction of their culture on TV – and point out, for good measure, that almost all of those interviewed are Irish Travellers, not Romany Gypsies anyway. And yes, some do whisper, too, that Romany Gypsies see Irish Travellers as ‘gorgias’ – their word for ‘settled people’ and deny that the two cultures are one and the same. (It’s worth noting here that in America Irish Travellers and Gypsies live almost completely separate existences, rather than being considered as one grouping as they are in the UK.)
Almost all the Irish Traveller women I know from Dale Farm and further afield dress extremely modestly, in below the knee skirts, or plain trousers. They don’t have the money for spray tans – they are more concerned with cobbling together enough cash to take their kids to the leisure centre so they can give them a hot shower. The McCarthy sisters, who spearheaded the resistance to the site clearance at Dale Farm did take pleasure in dressing up for the final court appearances (and were even congratulated on their sartorial sense by one judge) but that was for a special occasion.
It would be funny, if it wasn’t so dangerous, this fixation with what Traveller women wear. You simply cannot reduce a whole culture to a few crystals, lipstick and a big skirt. The Irish Traveller Movement in Great Britain recently hosted a seminar on media reporting of Gypsy and Traveller matters at the Commons. Participants included Inspector Mark Watson, of Cheshire Police, who stressed the media’s responsibility to report on Gypsies and Travellers as fairly as possible, because most people never knowingly meet anyone from those communities. Many of those who gave evidence spoke of the negative backlash post Big Fat Gypsy Wedding on their lives or on those of their school-age children. News online comment threads were also mentioned. When I was reporting on the site clearance at Dale Farm for The Economist, I read (and reported for abuse) an online comment on another newspaper site that called for Travellers there to be gassed to death. Given what happened to European Roma in the Holocaust, this had awful historical resonance – and should never have been posted in the first place. Andy Slaughter MP, the Shadow Minister for Justice, said that discrimination for almost all racial groups had declined in the last few decades – except Gypsies and Travellers – and said that negative media coverage played a part in perpetuating that discrimination. He’s absolutely right.
I applaud anyone who wants to support young Gypsy and Traveller people into employment. But I’m not sure that turning them into a spectacle for the TV cameras is the way to further their careers. It makes good TV – but it isn’t good for those who are made objects of fun in the process.
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