Walsall Council urged to create transit traveller site
Walsall had 23 unauthorised traveller camps across the borough in the first six months of the year, a report has revealed.
The borough's Labour group has tabled a notice of motion at next week's full council meeting calling on the authority to introduce a transit site for travellers to stay in.
And the report going to the committee revealed that so far in 2019 there have been 16 unauthorised encampments on council-owned land and a further seven on private land.
The figures represent a drop in the number compared with the same period last year when there were 29 incursions, with 22 on local authority land and seven on private property.
Overall last year there were 59 unauthorised camps - the lowest number since 2014, when there were just 11 recorded incursions.
That number increased more than six times in 2015 when there were 57 incursions on council land and 11 on private land.
This increased even further in 2016 with 71 on council property and 29 on private, while in 2017 there was a small drop with 65 incursions on local authority property and 27 on private land.
If Walsall Council does introduce a temporary site it will be following the lead of Sandwell Council, which saw a 95 per cent drop in illegal camps after introducing a transit site and increasing security.
Dudley Council is also working to identify a suitable site after the previous plan to create one in Budden Road, Coseley, was scrapped.
Where would the site go?
In the report, Simon Neilson, Walsall Council's executive director for economy and environment, said work is ongoing to identify a suitable location for a transit site.
At a full council meeting back in January, Councillor Garry Perry, portfolio holder for community, said three potential sites across the borough were being considered.
The notice of motion, submitted by Labour group leader Aftab Nawaz, along with party colleagues Ian Robertson, Lee Jeavons, Tina Jukes, Hajran Bashir and Khizar Hussain, will be debated on Monday.
The motion read: "This council recognises the disruption, anxiety and fear caused to the residents of Walsall by the continuing instances of unauthorised encampments across the borough.
"This council acknowledges the loss of confidence of the residents of Walsall in Walsall Council's ability to deal with unauthorised encampments and the disruption, ASB, littering and general annoyance that they create.
"This council therefore calls upon the administration to consult local residents and councillors in order to designate, open and operate a traveller transit site in the borough of Walsall, based on the Sandwell model, and to do this urgently – within 3 months – to resolve this major issue for the people of Walsall."
Mr Neilsen said: "During 2018, a significant piece of work has been undertaken to identify land which may be suitable for building a transit site.
"Once a suitable site has been identified, it will be necessary to engage with the local community and a full planning application will need to be submitted.
"A transit site provides an opportunity to support families during the period on which they reside on the site as well as providing additional powers for the police to direct occupants of a unauthorised encampment to the site, negating the need to follow the current eviction process."
