It seems that our district is becoming a magnet for “Travellers” lately and with it all the associated problems. Can you please tell me what you will be doing, if elected, to combat this problem.
It’s a difficult situation for councils because their legal powers are limited. However I would try to improve the situation by beefing up the planning enforcement team at Rochford – we only have two people in planning enforcement and have over 200 planning enforcement cases outstanding. I was pressing the point at Full Council this week but didn’t get any encouragement from the Conservatives.
Whether or not I am elected I will still pursue this but being elected will give me a higher profile and a bit more influence – and hopefully more sources of information.
As district or county councillors you are not able to change the situation much as your powers are so limited. With the General Election coming that is where pressure is needed to change the Law on Trespass and give Landowners greater power to move illegal occupation on . This does not solve the problem as it then becomes someone else’s . There is no other solution than providing municipal sites which should be sustainable and strictly regulated . With Brexit some of our Irish Brethren may have to go back if they have committed any infringement . So ask the question off your prospective parliamentary candidate . Any new law should incorporate legislation on flytipping as this often goes hand in hand ,this imposes huge costs on both Local Government and private Landowners asI know to my cost!
Even if there were sustainable / well regulated sites there would be a limited number of places – so the same old problems would still exist ( as they do now ). This notion that the old world “Travellers” still exist and need to
be catered for is a scam – we need rules on trespass / fly-tipping etc; to be enforced on those that do not conform
with modern society rules…….so the real issue is cuts in Council and Policing budgets ( not multi millions building Traveller sites ).
I see that the latest “thing” is to set fire to waste / rubbish that you have collected….look at the trailer on the lay-by on the A1245 near to the railway bridge. Now who could have done that…..
{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}
Session expired
Please log in again.
The login page will open in a new tab. After logging in you can close it and return to this page.
onlineFOCUS uses cookies to make the site run more smoothly for you.. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRejectRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Chris S and Chris B.
It seems that our district is becoming a magnet for “Travellers” lately and with it all the associated problems. Can you please tell me what you will be doing, if elected, to combat this problem.
I am very concerned about this.
It’s a difficult situation for councils because their legal powers are limited. However I would try to improve the situation by beefing up the planning enforcement team at Rochford – we only have two people in planning enforcement and have over 200 planning enforcement cases outstanding. I was pressing the point at Full Council this week but didn’t get any encouragement from the Conservatives.
Whether or not I am elected I will still pursue this but being elected will give me a higher profile and a bit more influence – and hopefully more sources of information.
As district or county councillors you are not able to change the situation much as your powers are so limited. With the General Election coming that is where pressure is needed to change the Law on Trespass and give Landowners greater power to move illegal occupation on . This does not solve the problem as it then becomes someone else’s . There is no other solution than providing municipal sites which should be sustainable and strictly regulated . With Brexit some of our Irish Brethren may have to go back if they have committed any infringement . So ask the question off your prospective parliamentary candidate . Any new law should incorporate legislation on flytipping as this often goes hand in hand ,this imposes huge costs on both Local Government and private Landowners asI know to my cost!
Even if there were sustainable / well regulated sites there would be a limited number of places – so the same old problems would still exist ( as they do now ). This notion that the old world “Travellers” still exist and need to
be catered for is a scam – we need rules on trespass / fly-tipping etc; to be enforced on those that do not conform
with modern society rules…….so the real issue is cuts in Council and Policing budgets ( not multi millions building Traveller sites ).
I see that the latest “thing” is to set fire to waste / rubbish that you have collected….look at the trailer on the lay-by on the A1245 near to the railway bridge. Now who could have done that…..