Conservative Party consultation document - ‘Common sense on travellers’

Report: 11
Meeting: Metropolitan Police Authority
Date: 14 September 2000
By: Clerk

Summary

The purpose of this report is to advise members of a Conservative Party Consultation Document on travellers issues. The Authority is invited to consider the document, together with the views of the MPS on the issues, and agree any feedback it would like to give.

A. Supporting information

1. The Clerk has received a consultation document from the Conservative Party in relation to Travellers; this is attached at Appendix 1. The document has been sent for views to various bodies including police authorities, local councils and MPs.

2. The following are the key recommendations from the document:

• Tackling lawbreaking
  “We propose that open breaches of the law by travellers should not be tolerated”.
• Withholding benefits
  “We propose that travellers subject to eviction orders should lose their income support if they refuse to move”.
• Three month bans
  “We propose that legislation should be tightened to prevent new travellers moving onto a site which has been vacated, or to prevent travellers just relocating to a nearby site”.
• Caring for children
  “We propose that travellers’ children should be subject to proper educational supervision”.
• Fast track removals
  “We propose that a fast track, one stop legal procedure should be created to streamline evictions”.
• Compensation for damage
  “We propose that landowners should be able to claim compensation for damage to property.
• Planning for sites
  “We propose that public land near houses is not suitable for travellers’ sites and that greater efforts should be made to plan for permanent sites".

3. The Authority is under no obligation to offer a response to the document, but given the important role of the police in dealing with collective trespass or nuisance on land, members may wish to consider doing so. To assist them in their consideration, the MPS have provided a briefing note explaining their current role, a copy of which is given at Appendix 2. It will be seen from this that a number of recommendations in the conservative party document, e.g. on tackling lawbreaking, and fast-track removals, could, if implemented have significant implications for the present police role. The MPS do not themselves propose to respond to the document.

B. Recommendations

That the Authority consider the issues raised in the consultation document, in the light of the MPS briefing note, and agree any feedback it wishes to give to the Conservative Party

C. Financial implications

There are no financial implications arising from the report.

D. Review arrangements

There are no review arrangements proposed. However, members may wish to request an update on travellers issues or on the results of the Conservative Party Consultation.

E. Background papers

The following is a statutory list of background papers (under the Local Government Act 1972 S.100 D) which disclose facts or matters on which the report is based and which have been relied on to a material extent in preparing this report. They are available on request to either the contact officer listed above or to the Clerk to the Police Authority at the address indicated on the agenda.

• Conservative Party Consultation Document - ‘Common Sense on Travellers’

F. Contact details

The author of this report is Mike Robinson, Interim Head of Secretariat.

For information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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