Pickles:'Powersarethere'

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Saturday August 10, 2013

bournemouthecho.co.uk/news

failing us all’

Jenny Awford

ROMANY travellers are calling for a permanent site in Dorset and say they feel “completely failed” by the council. Members from Kushti Bok, a Dorset traveller community group, said the unauthorised encampments are the outcome of council leadership’s failure to provide permanent sites. Romany traveller, 66-year-old Betty Smith, said: “For my people, for all the Romany, I feel the council have completely failed us and let all our people down. We are human beings, we need to stop the prejudice and have pitches where our people can follow their own culture.” Charity Director of Kushti Bok and motherof three, Caroline Smith, said her family had been travellers for generations. Her great-grandmother Betsy, pictured far left on the image (right) was a familiar face selling flowers in Bournemouth Square in the 1950s. Caroline added that a permanent site for travellers in Dorset was essential. She said: “The litter problems with encampments could have been completely avoided if the council had offered to provide skips and portaloos – the travellers would have paid to use them. “For the peace of mind of local residents and for our own freedom, we need at least one permanent site and several transit or temporary ones. I feel completely let down by the council.” The head of gypsy and traveller services at Dorset County Council has said there is truth to this as they are aware increased site provision helps to reduce illegal encampments. Dave Ayre, head of traveller services, said: “There is definitely an element of truth in what the travellers are saying as, so far this year, we have not had a temporary site and there has been a huge influx of travellers in unauthorised sites. “Yesterday alone, 14 unauthorised encampments were reported to Dorset council.” Dorset County Council has led a consultation to find potential sites as part of a joint development plan, but the earliest date for permanent site would be 2015. John Beesley, leader of Bournemouth Borough Council, said: “We feel it is absolutely right that if possible in the Dorset area there are transit sites made available to gypsy and traveller groups. However, it is clear that for sound planning reasons none of the sites included in the consultation for Bournemouth have been

HISTORY: Betsy Smith (far left) and family in Bournemouth in the 1950s and, below, Adnan Chaudry

appropriate to take forward to later stages of the process.” Jeff Morley, regulatory team manager for Borough of Poole, said: “We are working with Bournemouth and Dorset councils to assess the future needs, for both permanent and transit traveller site provision, throughout Dorset. “However, until such sites are in place, it is difficult to know the exact impact they would make on unauthorised encampments. We are keen to find a solution, which meets everyone’s satisfaction, as soon as possible.” Chief Officer of the Dorset Race Equality Council, Adnan Chaudry, has proposed a meeting between representatives from the council, residents and travelling community. He said: “The government is not offering solutions to the issue. We need to start the ball rolling and have a real dialogue and push ahead with plans for transit and permanent sites.”

CONTACT ME t: 01202 411282 e: jennifer.awford@ bournemouthecho.co.uk twitter: @jennyawford

depending on their background. Powers that can be used include temporary stop notices to stop and remove unauthorised caravans, pre-emptive injunctions that protect vulnerable land in advance from u n a u t h o r i s e d encampments and possession

NEWS

Caravans on play park SOME 15 travellers’ caravans moved onto a children’s play area in the south west corner of Turbary Common yesterday. At some point between 10am and 2pm the group gained entry through a gate in Canford Avenue. Neighbours said the gate was protected by a heavy rock – which had been rolled aside – but that the gate itself was unlocked. One long-term resident of the area, Kath Myland, 65, said: “I don’t know why the council couldn’t have locked the gate; the common itself is very well secured.” The group moved to the common from Haskells Rec, where the council was set to begin a clean-up operation yesterday.

Pickles:‘Powers are there’ ERIC Pickles has revoked Labour’s Equality and Diversity in Planning guidance, which he said told councils not to take enforcement action against unauthorised travellers and suggested planning rules should be applied differently to individuals

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orders to remove trespassers from land. Poole MP Robert Syms has written to Mr Pickles’ (pictured) department. He said: “I think this problem is getting worse rather than better and I think the police and local authority need more tools to deal with this problem, which causes disruption to my constituents every year.”

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