By Richard Johnstone | 12 August 2013
Eric Pickles has urged councils to take immediate action to tackle illegal traveller sites after the Department for Communities and Local Government issued revised guidance on town hall powers to tackle such encampments.
The local government secretary said the guide, published on Friday, set out the ‘robust powers’ councils have to remove unauthorised traveller sites, as well as protest camps and squatters, from both public and private land.
The revisions follow a number of government reforms. These included scrapping the Equality and Diversity in Planning guidance, which Pickles said allowed planning rules to be applied differently, depending on their background of the individuals involved. This led councils not to take enforcement action against unauthorised travellers, he said.
The government has also given authorities the power to levy new Temporary Stop Notices, which give councils the power to fine owners of caravans in unauthorised sites, and remove them. Town halls are also able to apply for pre-emptive injunctions that protect vulnerable land in advance from unauthorised encampments, and to apply for possession orders to remove trespassers from land.
Pickles said this range of powers meant councils ‘merely need the political will to uphold the law’ to remove traveller sites. ‘I want all councils to be ready to take action straightaway to stop illegal camps and unauthorised sites starting in the first place. Decisive action early on saves money and unnecessary upset for local residents.
‘We’ve strengthened councils’ powers so they have the confidence to take decisive action. Too often, council officers wash their hands, and say nothing can be done. This is not the case.’
Responding to Pickles’ announcement, a Local Government Association spokesman said that councils across the country were providing authorised legitimate sites and services for travelling communities.
‘People who live nearby need to be given a say on whether land is appropriate for travellers, and that is precisely what the planning process is there to do.
‘Local authorities take swift and robust action against anyone who breaks the rules by setting up camp on land without permission.’
