Residents complain of worst year ever as traveller encampments soar but council claims system is working "better than ever"

Conservative councillor Dawn Barnett said other councils responded tougher to illegal encampments as new figures show they have risen sharply in the city.

Residents described the past year as the worst ever but others said council and police working with travellers was “better than ever”.

The number of unauthorised encampments in Brighton and Hove rose by 71 per cent in 2014/15 with 89 in 12 months - an average of one every four days.

By comparison, Bristol had 25 encampments, Cornwall 67 and Portsmouth just three.

The rise has been blamed on sewerage works at the city's Horsdean transit site which has been operating at quarter capacity.

The number of unauthorised encampments are expected to rise again for 2015/16 with Horsdean closed for expansion works.

Cllr Barnett said: “We are too tolerant.

“They don’t stay very long in Shoreham or Worthing, they are moved immediately.

She added: "The cost of cleaning up after encampments has to come out of the parks department and the CityClean budget when they are already making lots of savings, it means they can’t do their jobs properly.

“Spend on travellers goes up year on year while other departments are cut."

Green councillor Pete West said the “merry-go-round” was just going faster with travellers moved on at an average of 6.6 days compared to 9.8 days in 2011/12.

But environment committee chairwoman Gill Mitchell said: “I think it’s working better than ever before, the joint working between council and police is exemplary.

“I think there has been a real sea change in approaching the issue over the last 12 years.”

The news comes as a study found the number of pitches in and around Brighton and Hove will have to double to meet the number of travellers in the city.

Resident Ruth White, an administration member for Facebook group Sussex Traveller Movements and News Update, said: “I think to residents it does feel like it’s worse than ever.

“It seems to be year round now, in the past we would see travellers coming in April and leaving in September.

“I think we will still get unauthorised encampments even when Horsdean opens, I’m not convinced it will make much of a difference."

Mrs White said residents felt “too much” taxpayers’ money was being wasted in clear-up costs and more should be spent on preventative measures such as barriers and bunds.

Cllr West said the council was “certainly not slow to respond” but had to work within the law.

He said: “The laws governing traveller welfare, repossession of land and eviction are complex and understandably it isn't always that obvious to residents how it all works.”

Emma Nuttall, from Brighton-based Friends, Family and Travellers, said there were very few spaces left for travellers with traditional centuries-old stopping places now blocked off.

She called for the council to follow Leeds City Council’s example of negotiated stopping at certain sites and lengths of time with traveller families.

Mrs Nuttall said: “They have saved £2,000 a week on unauthorised encampment costs which will be useful for Brighton and Hove City Council at a time when they have to make huge savings."

WARNINGS THAT PERMANENT SITE COULD ACT AS A ‘HONEY POT’ TO THE TRAVELLING COMMUNITY

The number of pitches in and around Brighton and Hove will have to double to meet the number of travellers in the city, a study has concluded.

Brighton and Hove will need 32 additional pitches over the next 15 years in addition to 33 becoming available at Horsdean next summer.

Conservative Councillor Dawn Barnett said that the city did not need any more traveller sites and called on other authorities along the South Coast to provide facilities.

Council officers warned the new permanent site at Horsdean could act as a “honey pot” and attract more travellers to the area.

The council spent £110,000 developing the 23-pitch transit site in 1999 while its ongoing expansion will cost more than £2.5 million.

The scheme is around 50 per cent over budget and took more than four years from first consultation but the council concedes its re-opening will not end traveller issues around the city at a stroke.

Cllr Gill Mitchell said: “It would be foolish to say there will be no unauthorised encampments when Horsdean re-opens.

“What we will see is that the council and police will have the full range of powers at their disposal.”

The Government has told the local authority it needs 19 extra pitches within the city’s urban boundary and 13 more within the city’s South Downs National Park area.

A search for a temporary transit site while Horsdean was closed explored eight possibilities including 39 acres off Ditchling Road, open space at Ladies Mile and Coldean Woods.

Hangleton Bottom was recommended by officers but voted down by Labour and Conservative councillors leaving the city with no transit site.

When work is finished the Horsdean site there will be 12 new permanent pitches alongside 21 retained transit pitches.

The site is expected to be finished in June 2016.

Cllr Barnett said she would strongly oppose any revived proposal to use Hangleton Bottom as a traveller site which she said was not “suitable”.

She added: “We don’t need any more traveller sites in the city.

“If the Government says we need more, they’ll probably say we need three then four then five.

“If we build these new sites will it stop encampments in our parks? No I don’t think it will.”

Councillor Pete West, Green spokesman for environment, said that Waterhall and Hangleton Bottom were both considered suitable during the process that selected Horsdean and were likely to be recommended sites for any future provision.

He said: “It won’t be easy but it’s got to be done, the Government has asked us to find these sites to meet the identified need and reduce the impact on open spaces.”

Emma Nuttall, from Brighton-based Friends, Family and Travellers, said: “You are always going to get residents’ opposition from the vocal minority.

“The council has to grasp the nettle and go forward with a plan for the most appropriate location.”

A South Downs National Park Authority spokeswoman said changes to Government guidance earlier this year meant much of the work exploring potential sites may need to be re-evaluated.

She added: “We don’t yet have a timeline for when new sites may be considered in the Brighton and Hove area.”

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS WHEN REPORTS OF A TRAVELLER ENCAMPMENT ARE MADE?

What happens now if an unauthorised encampment is reported?

Council officers aim to visit the site with police within 24 hours.

Police officers can issue a section 62 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 to direct travellers away from the unauthorised encampment site to a nearby transit site.

Removal can also be carried out quickly under a s61 against trespassing encampments.

A more lengthy process for removal can be pursued through the courts through part 55 of the Civil Procedure Rules and section 77 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

Obtaining these court orders can take between a week to 10 days.

What new powers are being considered?

Brighton and Hove City Council is among a number of local authorities looking to use Public Spaces Protection Orders.

The orders can be used to remove individuals or groups committing anti-social behaviour including trespass in a public space within 12 hours.  An order can be issued if a group is judged to be having a detrimental effect on the quality of life of those in the locality, their impact is persistent or continuous or if their behaviour is unreasonable.

The orders can be enforced by a police officer, PCSO or council officer and breaching an order is a criminal offence which can be punished with a fixed penalty notice or fine of up to £1,000.

When will these powers be brought in to the city?

A three-month consultation on the new powers to move unauthorised encampments is set to launch at the end of the month.  If their use is approved, they are likely to come into force around the same time as the opening of the transit site in summer 2016.

SCHOOLS RAISE AWARENESS OF CULTURE

Schoolchildren are being taught about travellers and Gipsy culture in a bid to improve understanding in the city.

Traveller history and culture is now part of special assemblies and lessons as part of schools’ diversity programmes, according to a newly-released council report.

A total of 340 pupils and 15 staff in city schools have attended cultural awareness sessions discussing similarities of different communities with the use of a toy doll and illustrated books to promote understanding.

More than 1,950 children have also attended assemblies or lessons exploring and celebrating Gipsy, Roma and traveller culture.

The city’s pupils submitted 25 entries for the Gipsy, Roma and Traveller History Month national competition which was won by a pupil from Robertsbridge Community College.  The education programme is part of a wider policy within the city council to improve educational results for traveller children, which is currently the lowest in city schools.

While uptake of school places and pre-school resources for children living on the Horsdean traveller site has been on the rise, council officers admit there has been very little engagement with children living in unauthorised encampments because of trust issues and because they move around the city and beyond frequently.

Emma Nuttall, from Brighton-based Friends, Family and Travellers, said teaching and celebrating Gipsy, Roma and traveller culture could help improve understanding and appreciation between residents and traveller families.

She said: “It definitely does makes a difference.

“I know of a Brighton school where they had a traveller guy in to talk about his culture and his childhood.

“The school had some problems with verbal bullying but that went away after the visit.

“Education is definitely the way forward.”