Brighton and Hove is not exclusive in having tensions between residents and travellers.

There are sometimes confrontations when caravans are parked up on beauty spots and therefore Phelim MacCafferty is absolutely right when he says we need to move away from “digging trenches”.

But the solution is more likely to be found through the actions of the council and the provision of space than through talk.

The Horsdean site was not big enough for too long.

Whoever’s fault that is, the tensions will not be resolved until there is more space.

The police and the travellers need to have the same options that they do in other towns and cities. When they have a site that the travellers can choose to move to which has been democratically decided, the situation will be much better.

Coun MacCafferty’s Green council succeeded in pushing through plans for more space at Horsdean.

And like counciollor Pete West said at the time, “once built, the new site will give greater stability for travelling families and strengthen links with the local community.”

So at the moment it is a waiting game We can talk to eachother all night but if travellers have nowhere else to go in the city but for public parks, car parks and fields then what is there to discuss?

Talk is cheap but councillor MacCafferty and the rest of the Green administration did get some progress while they were still in charge. But only once there is enough space at Horsdean or at another site will the situation truly change.