Green light for more than 750 new pitches for travellers as ministers try to avoid repeat of Dale Farm stand off

By
Mail On Sunday Reporter

Last updated at 11:45 PM on 7th January 2012

More than 780 new and improved pitches for traveller families were approved by the Government yesterday to avoid a repeat of the Dale Farm stand-off.

Ministers have finalised bids totalling £47 million from councils and other providers across England in the hope that agreeing more pitches will stop complaints about sites.

A decade-long dispute over the unauthorised site at Dale Farm, Essex, ended in violent clashes last October when the residents were evicted.

Not to repeat history: A decade-long dispute over the UK's largest unauthorised site at Dale Farm in Essex ended in violent clashes between police and protesters in October when the residents were evicted

Not to repeat history: A decade-long dispute over the UK’s largest unauthorised site at Dale Farm in Essex ended in violent clashes between police and protesters in October when the residents were evicted

The Government hopes that boosting
provision will
help defuse tensions between settled and traveller communities.

This is being carried out alongside action to tackle unauthorised encampments. 

Communities Minister Andrew Stunell said: ‘This funding will help provide sites in a way that reflects local need in consultation with the local community.

Decision: Communities Minister Andrew Stunell said: 'This funding will help provide sites in a way that reflects local need in consultation with the local community

Decision: Communities Minister Andrew Stunell said: ‘This funding will help provide sites in a way that reflects local need in consultation with the local community

‘It will assist hundreds of traveller families find sites where they want to live and foster better relations with the existing communities and councils.

‘We are ending the failed system where Whitehall attempted to dictate where sites went. Instead we have brought back fairness by ensuring that both travellers and the settled population are treated equally.

New authorised sites, with the support of local communities, will be treated on an equal footing as new bricks and mortar homes, with councils getting powerful financial benefits for building authorised sites where they are needed.”

In total 33 providers – 18 local councils and 15 housing associations – have been granted funding for 617 new and 167 improved pitches.

Here’s what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts,
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The comments below have been moderated in advance.

If the travellers travelled, there would be no problems. Unfortunately they appear to want all the benefits of living a settled life (benefits, education, running water, electricity etc) without the responsibilities of paying for them by working, paying income tax and council tax. And when they leave an area they leave filth and squalor behind which taxpayers have to pay to clear up

They are travellers, which means they travel, therefore why do they require sites?????
It beggars belief

Don’t the Government realise by trying not to offend the minority they are offending the majority. And it is still the majority vote that makes the next Government.

more travellers arriving in england then

That’s all that we need isn’t it even more sites. It’s ok though, we’ll pay for it all.

I just can’t believe that we stand for this nonsense, why don’t we just send them all home?

Sorry but do travellers pay income tax or council tax and if not why are we bending over backwards to provide more sites for them at a cost to government?

So once again the tax payer will have to pick up the tab so these people can be given somewhere to live. Does this mean they will start to pay taxes? Somehow I doubt it very much

Looking into my crystal ball and tea leaves. (what rhymes with tea leaves?)
You can bet your house (or caravan), that the green lights given for these sites won’t be anywhere near any of the people’s properties who approve them.
Nor will they be located anywhere near anyone rich!
Hope they put one near their dear friend Redgrave, as she was such a big fan and chum when Dale Farm was going on!
Easy to make decisions when they don’t detrimentally affect your life, but only others.
But that’s politicians, do-gooders, the establishment and the civil service for you!

Sorry, but why should we have to pay for this?? Are they going to buy me a house? No? Thought not.

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