Minutes:
Mr Abbott, an elector registered in the County, asked the Chairman the following questions under Standing Order 35:-
1.
Have
the police been formally consulted concerning the impact on police resources both
locally (the proposed site) and county-wide re the new powers the police
apparently have?
2.
If they
were consulted, who was consulted?
3.
What
action will be taken if Travellers refuse to pay fees for access to the Transit
Site? Will the Council require
“cash-up-front”?
4.
How
much will the Travellers be charged for access to the
site? Is this per person or per caravan
or something else? How has this charge
been calculated? How much is expected to
be generated through fees in the financial year?
5.
Is the
long-term aim that the Transit Site becomes self-financing?
6.
If an
illegal encampment that is larger than the available plots on the Transit Site
is “moved on”, how will Police/Council determine who gets the Transit Site
places? What happens to the others?
7.
What
action will be taken should Travellers intentionally damage, foul or otherwise
disrespect the provided transit site?
How does the Council propose that the offenders are identified and
prosecuted?
8.
What
action will the Council/Police take to ensure that the Transit Site does not
spread on to adjacent land?
9.
Can the
Council confirm that a Traveller Site will be capped at the proposed size and
not allowed to grow over time?
10.
What
hours will the site warden work? Will
the warden live on-site? What training
and support will the warden receive to ensure the Council’s duty of care to its
employees is fulfilled?
11.
What
will the warden be paid? Will they receive any enhancements to their
salary? (for example anti-social hours).
12.
What
action will be taken should the warden be abused or otherwise treated
disrespectfully?
13.
What
action would be taken if crime rates in the area of a Traveller Site rise above
normal levels
14.
Would
Neighbourhood Policing staff (both Officers and PCSO’s) be expected to go on to
the Traveller Site during their normal “beat”?
Will they provide a visible and reassuring policing presence to the
Travellers?
15.
Will
the objections of NWLDC be considered when arriving at a decision on the
placement of the Traveller Site?
16.
Do the
views of the local community carry sufficient weight to force a change of
heart?
17.
Will
the planning permission process be an open and transparent one despite the
Council effectively being judge and jury?
18.
Should
covenants be lifted to facilitate the placement of a Transit Site, will the
same flexibility be available to local residents wishing to lift/alter
covenants on their own property?
19.
What
impact would a Transit Site at Snibston have on the attraction for visitors to
the local St Mary’s Church?
20.
If, as
the FAQ suggests, property values would not be adversely affected by the
placement of a Transit Site, will the Council give an undertaking to compensate
home/business owners should values take an unexpected tumble?
21.
Will
the authorities (Council & Police) take steps to tackle both anti-social
behaviour and dangerous/nuisance animals with precisely the same effort as seen
in the rest of the local community?
22.
Will
CCTV be installed at the Transit Site?
23.
Should
damage, theft or dirt be an issue at the Traveller Site, how promptly would the
Council act to put things right?
24.
Should
crime occur that is traced to a resident on the Traveller Site, can the Police
enter the site and apprehend the individual(s) without a warrant?
25.
Will
the records of Travellers entering the site be retained for use in detecting
and preventing benefit fraud?
26.
If
information/data is retained concerning the Travellers, what other uses will
the data be put to?
27.
What
arrangements will be put in place to monitor both crime levels and community
tensions in the vicinity? How will this
data be used to benefit the “community cohesion” agenda?
28.
Does
the Council anticipate a growth in calls to the Single Non-Emergency Number (SNEN)
for low level nuisance attributable to the Traveller Site?
29.
If, as
it appears, the local tax payer will end up paying for refuse collection that
is not recycled, can the Council confirm that the Travellers will also have to
pay refuse charges and be provided with the correct boxes/bags to enable them
to recycle?
The Chairman replied as follows:-
Except in relation
to the following, the questions identify issues which have been addressed in
general terms only at this stage in relation to the application of the criteria
laid down by the County Council for the selection of suitable transit
sites. These are matters which will need
to be considered in far more detail once decisions have been made in relation
to grant funding and the development of a specific site when this has been
identified.
The following are
the replies to those questions which can be answered specifically at this
stage.
“1. & 2 The
Police Community Safety Bureau is a member of the Joint Officer Working Group
on Travellers and has been consulted on the Criminal Justice and Public Order
Act 1994 Sections 62A-E.
6. Those
Travellers with greatest assessed needs will be allocated any available
space. A detailed policy on these issues
will be developed having regard to the need to ensure that those travellers
with greatest assessed needs are dealt with appropriately.
15. All
objections will be considered.
16. All
views will be considered.
17. The
planning process is open and transparent."
Mr Abbott asked the following supplementary questions:-
a) In relation to questions 4 and 5 could the Chairman advise me of the cost likely to be borne by the County Council if the travellers using the site do not pay the required site charges?
b) In relation to questions 8 and 9 what arrangements will be put in place to prevent overspill to adjacent areas and will the size of the site be capped?
c) In relation to question 12, 13, 14 and 24 what consideration has been given to any enforcement action should the site warden be abused and will the Police take action to deal with any law breaking by site residents including, if appropriate, entry onto the site?
d) In relation to questions 19 and 20 what arrangements will the County Council put in place to compensate people whose properties have been blighted by these proposals?
The Chairman invited the Director of Corporate Resources to reply. The Director then replied as follows:
a) ‘The report to the Cabinet set out the costs likely to be incurred by the County Council. These were estimated at approximately £20,000 per annum. At this stage it was difficult to give a precise figure as more detail work would need to be done when a specific site had been identified.
b) These issues will be dealt with in detail when a specific site has been identified. Any site identified will be clearly marked and fenced.
c) The response of the Police to any incidents is a matter for the Chief Constable.
d) This will depend on any decision taken by the Cabinet on a specific site.’