"Get on with it" say Lib Dems as new recommendations on Gypsy and Traveller sites are proposed

Bedford Borough Liberal Democrats have responded to new proposals from the East of England Regional Assembly on Gypsy and Traveller caravan pitches by calling on the Council and Central Government to "get on with it" as one of a series of measures needed to tackle the problem of unauthorised encampments.

The revised plans recommend that Bedford Borough should provide 15 new caravan pitches. The plans were endorsed by the Regional Assembly's Planning Panel yesterday, before a final regional policy is submitted to the Government in January. The Government will not issue guidance to councils on the number of pitches they are to provide until Autumn 2009, however, and local Liberal Democrats are telling them to speed things up.

Commenting on the issue, Liberal Democrat Coun Charles Royden said:

"The provision of new gypsy and traveller sites is very important as one of a series of measures needed to reduce the problems we have had recently with unauthorised encampments. Any move towards the provision of new sites is welcome, but the timescales involved are of real concern. Local authorities will not be required to have the new pitches in place until 2011, with the government conducting another two consultations before finally issuing a decision on the number of pitches in autumn 2009. This is ridiculous. We've already had a public consultation on these plans, and now we need the council to get on with providing the new sites.'

"We must find a better solution for everybody than the merry-go-round of just moving travellers from one inappropriate site to another every few days. This serves nobody. In addition to new permanent and transit sites, we need to see a range of other measures including the police using their powers to the full, a change in the law to make it easier for councils to remove unauthorised encampments and new physical protection of public space where appropriate to minimise disruption in the most unsuitable areas."