Dudley's Labour group slam opposition Conservatives over traveller camp move

The controlling Labour group want to introduce a range of measures ahead of the upcoming travellers season this summer.

The plans include bringing in a permanent travellers site, a borough wide injunction, concrete blocks on parks and 24/7 enforcement officers.

However those plans have been delayed after Dudley Council's place scrutiny committee, which is chaired by a Conservative councillor, called them in for scrutiny.

It comes after the controlling Labour group, which took control of Dudley Council in September, halted the Conservatives' own plans for tackling the issue.

This was to build a temporary travellers site in Budden Road, Coseley.

Labour council bosses deemed the plan 'unsuitable'.

Both parties in Dudley are split as to how best tackle the issue of illegal traveller camps.

It has become a political football in Dudley ahead of council elections in May.

Councillor Keiran Casey, cabinet member for housing and resident's welfare, said; "We have seen time and time again that the Conservatives on Dudley Council have been incapable of getting these proposals right.

"We had a situation where the previous administration wanted to spend nearly £300,000 of taxpayers hard earned money on a temporary site in Coseley which would not have solved the problems permanently, which is actually an identified housing site and therefore cannot be used in the long term, and one that had given no consideration at all or attempted to address the concerns of the local community around the site.

"Despite us now developing a plan which would solve these problems once and for all, looking at finding a more appropriate site whilst securing our local parks and having more enforcement with a team of Environmental Officers, the Conservatives have now delayed this even further, meaning that we aren't able to get on with securing our vulnerable sites which residents have told us they desperately want done straight away."

Councillor Matt Rodgers, chairman of the scrutiny committee, said there are a 'number of issues' that need addressing in Labour's plans.

These, he says, relate to the cost of the project, claiming the concrete blocks would cost £60,000 to install in Kingswinford and £70,000 in Withymoor.

"It would also make Dudley become a concrete jungle and will ruin our green spaces," he said.

He added: "Labour have said in two public meetings that they have found a site for a permanent travellers camp. But they won't reveal it until after the elections to stop losing votes."

Council leader Qadar Zada said: "We haven't identified a permanent site yet but identified a number of potential opportunities for one. We will announce the location in the next few weeks.

"We are looking at taking legal action after our plans were halted. If the plans wouldn't have been halted, we were hoping the concrete bollards could have been installed within four weeks."

Labour's plans will be discussed at the scrutiny committee on March 12.