The Leader of MK Council has announced that the local authority will formally start the process of seeking extra powers to combat unauthorised traveller encampments.
Some areas in Milton Keynes have seen an increase in travellers establishing camps on green open space in the city.
MKFM can now exclusively reveal that at the October Cabinet meeting MK Council will start the formal process of collecting evidence to try and obtain new powers to make it easier to deal with unauthorised encampments.
Legal advice obtained by MK Council states that the threshold for evidence to obtain such powers, which could include court injunctions or Public Space Protection Orders on specific sites with consistent problems, is high.
At the same time MK Council will also be writing to the Government to support a request made in a debate in Parliament yesterday to strengthen powers available to police and local authorities to tackle unauthorised encampments. The Conservative MP for South Bedfordshire claimed that local authorities are next to powerless to deal with a growing problem across the country.
Cllr Peter Marland, Leader of MK Council says, “MK Council is currently working hard with the local police to use all the powers we have available to us to tackle unauthorised encampments. In October we will bring proposals to start the process of collecting evidence to obtain further powers to prevent encampment on specific sites, if we can. ”
He continues, “I know people are frustrated. The fact is that we are currently using all the powers we currently have. I think people believe that we have far more powers than we do, and that public expectation does not match the powers we have available to us, something that even Conservative MPs outside MK and the Tory Police and Crime Commissioner agree with us on.
He concludes, “In October we will start the process to try and enhance our local powers, but it is a costly and time consuming process. We will also bring forward a clear action plan with clear timescales on all the other things we are doing on this issue. However the truth is local authorities need more powers to act and I hope our MPs and the Government will listen.”
Conservative Councillor Geetha Morla who has been leading the campaign for more action against travellers said: "We have been demanding action against unauthorised encampments since last February. The fact this has taken so long is just outrageous and a total slap in the face to Tattenhoe residents who have suffered a spring and summer of misery with still no end in sight. If it wasn't for the courage and persistence of the community this Council would have done absolutely nothing to support us. The Labour administration didn't want to pursue an injunction and now they are dragging their feet by starting evidence collection from October."
"We've been calling for injunctions on sites and on particular troublesome individuals from the travelling community for months. It's about time Labour got on with the job of defending the residents they serve rather than the travellers who have caused so much damage to our community."
