Residents 'won't pay for privilege' of traveller site expansion
Local London Assembly Member Tony Arbour has called on the Mayor to resist Government plans to expand travellers’ sites across the capital.
At Mayor’s Question Time, Mr Arbour told Boris Johnson that,
“Londoners do not want an expansion in travellers' sites" and they “certainly don’t want to pay for the privilege".
Speaking afterwards he added, “People voted for Boris because they believed he would resist this kind of central government diktat and I called on him to resist this policy and to make sure that boroughs get to decide on this matter rather than being forced by Whitehall.”
Tony Arbour’s question comes as the result of a Government initiative for up to 768 new travellers’ pitches to be sited across London.
Boris Johnson announced plans to double the number of travellers' sites across London over the next few years in May. The proposals, which are part of City Hall’s housing strategy, will see the number of sites in Ealing borough almost double rising from the current 36 to 64.
Hammersmith & Fulham currently have no sites for travellers but will have six by 2017 should the plans be implemented. Hounslow however, is one of the boroughs where a cut is proposed reducing the number of sites from 20 to 15. According to a report in the Standard, councils will have to decide whether to expand sites or build encampments. If they do not comply, they could be taken to court by the Government.
Boris Johnson argued that he had been forced to improve traveller accommodation by central Government meaning that nearly 800 caravan pitches will be created in the next eight years.
Freda Schicker, director of the London Gipsy Traveller unit, told the Standard, "We have people who have been waiting lists for years and years and can only get rented housing. We would prefer to see smaller new sites as they tend to raise the least objection, preferably near services and shops and on quiet roads."
July 17, 2009