Government childcare announcement: More Conservative chaos hurting families
Ian Shires
Liberal DEMOCRAT Activist Learn more
The case for a radical, liberal left
Blue light bill bombshell as emergency services face £144m fuel and insurance costs
Government childcare announcement: More Conservative chaos hurting families
The case for a radical, liberal left
Blue light bill bombshell as emergency services face £144m fuel and insurance costs
Just when you thought it was safe……
by Ian Shires on 14 September, 2017
We have just had notification of another unauthorised encampment, this time it’s on council land in Wolverhampton Street, Willenhall.
Currently there are seven caravans with a number of associated vehicles on the site.
Officers from Community Protection have attended the site and the formal legal process for removal has been started. There is a set procedure which the council has to adhere to. It can’t just rock up to the site and force the travellers off.
If the council does not follow the procedure as laid down by Government Legislation then it could be subject to a Judicial Review in the High Court. If it is found that the council has acted illegally then it would be very costly and damages would be awarded.
Follow the rules and the travellers get moved on within days. Don’t follow the rules and they get to stay on site for much longer and you end up paying not only for the clean up but for court costs and substantial damages.
“As the Cabinet member for Communities, I have the day to day responsibility for ensuring that unauthorised encampments are dealt with as swiftly as possible” said Lib Dem Cllr Ian Shires.
“Walsall Council has virtually exhausted all its powers under the current Government Legislation. It may be possible to shave a little more time off the process, if we had a transit site, something that all previous administrations have shied away from.
“The cabinet is actively seeking suitable land to set up a transit site and at a meeting of the West Midlands Combined Authority on Tuesday I spoke on the issue as a regional problem.
“What would be good right now would be if Walsall’s three MP’s were to raise the matter in Parliament. This is not just a Walsall problem. It is not just a West Midlands problem. It is a national problem and requires a review of the effectiveness of the the current legislation.”
2 Comments
Do we know why previous administrations have shied away from addressing this issue? Indeed, I thought that you were part of some previous administrations. Sandwell seem to be able to shift travellers in less than four hours. It would be good to know.
This administration is being accused of not doing enough by the town’s MP’s one of whom was in a position to do something about the problem when he was on the Cabinet. As regards to Sandwell they do have a transfer site which does make it easier up to a point. Walsall has had similar results this summer without a transit site as injunctions were still in place when the travellers moved back onto sites they had previously occupied. Even with transit sites there are still issues when the Police are needed to enforce injunctions. The numbers of incursions in the last 2 to 3 years coupled with continuing austerity measures has brought local authorities to the point where the current legislation is virtually exhausted. Our MP’s need to join with us and the West Midlands Combined Authority in calling for a review.