One Surrey MP has argued in favour of a change in the law to further deter illegal traveller encampments during a debate on Monday (October 9).
Powers to deal with illegal traveller and gypsy encampments are set to be examined, the housing minister has announced.
Alok Sharma told MPs the Government would consult on the “effectiveness of enforcement” against such sites, to see if current provisions can be used more effectively.
At a debate on Monday (October 9), both Conservative and Labour MPs urged ministers to take action, saying the current enforcement process was too slow and cost councils tens of thousands of pounds.
MPs, including one from Surrey, told stories from their constituencies of human waste and soiled nappies being left behind at illegal encampments.
The debate follows a summer of traveller difficulties for Surrey’s local authorities.
Elmbridge in particular saw groups of travellers consistently move onto public sites in areas such as Esher, Cobham and Weybridge.
Even this month, travellers set up an unauthorised encampment on Hollyhedge Road car park in Cobham.
A spokesman for Elmbridge Borough Council said there were four caravans in total and that the travellers left the site after they were issued a notice of direction to leave by the end of the day on October 5.
Opening the debate on travellers and local communities, Mr Sharma said ministers had reflected on views expressed in the Commons on the issue.
He said: “I can therefore announce that the Government intends to consult on the effectiveness of enforcement against unauthorised developments and encampments.
“And we want to seek views on whether there is anything that would ensure existing powers can be used more effectively.”
‘Descend and squat’
Sir Paul Beresford, MP for Mole Valley, was one of the MPs in a favour of a change in the law to deter travellers who move across the country and establish temporary encampments on public land.
“Surrey, and Mole Valley in particular, have had considerable and unpleasant experience of travellers,” he said.
“Those groups have been taking anything between one and 30 caravans, plus associated vehicles. They descend on the site and squat.
“Civil action to remove them can take between days and weeks, and is very expensive, especially for some of Surrey’s little parish councils.”
He added: “When they have eventually been removed by expensive bailiffs, the sites are generally disgusting, featuring everything from food waste to children’s soiled nappies and worse.”
Mark Francois, conservative MP for Rayleigh and Wickford, agreed “I believe we should now look to a solution across the Irish Sea and adopt the Irish government system of making such deliberate acts of trespass a criminal offence,” he told the Commons.
Shadow housing minister Tony Lloyd called for people not to “stigmatise” those from the traveller and gypsy communities, who he said faced the highest levels of prejudice and discrimination.
He said: “If we were talking about any other minority community… the idea we would stigmatise the majority because of the behaviour of an illegal minority would be unacceptable and atrocious – so we mustn’t stigmatise.
“We should act against those whose behaviour is unacceptable, illegal, but we shouldn’t stigmatise.”
He pointed to figures showing that 42% of British people would be unhappy about one of their family members having a relationship with somebody from the travelling community.
“That frankly does demonstrate the level of prejudice that still exists in this country.”
This post originally appeared in Get Surrey.
Keith Creswell says
The Get Surrey article seems to show our legislators are confused as to what they are complaining about and the language used clearly stigmatises travellers.
Surrey County Council has failed to provide any transit sites for travellers, so what choice do travellers, who have for generations been travelling through Surrey, have when looking for a temporary stop. The problem would be mitigated by the provision of such sites. Then we could rightly complain about the use of unauthorised temporary sites.
The issue of waste, excrement and the like on public land should absolutely be a punishable offence, which I understand it to be.
The issue of more permanent sites for the different traveller families and communities is dealt with under existing plannning laws which seem to me to be quite adequate although often compromised by the unfortunate whiff of prejudice.
Surely, as a supposedly enlightened community, we should accept different lifestyle choices as long as they do no harm to others.
A bit of focus on what the real issues are would help.
Tom says
Keith i am a Romany gypsy and I 100% agree.