Leicester Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby signals rethink over travellers’ sites
City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby has hinted he may rethink the council’s controversial plans for authorised gypsy and travellers sites in Leicester.
Three plots in the north of Leicester have been earmarked by the city council as potential managed camps and Sir Peter is finalising which, if any, should be developed.
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Leicester city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby
The managed sites are intended to reduce the number of illegal camps on private and public land.
Sir Peter said he was hoping to make a decision in the near future but revealed recent discussions with travellers’ representatives had influenced his thoughts on sites in Greengate Lane and Beaumont Way, both in Beaumont Leys; and Red Hill Way, in Mowmacre Hill.
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Sir Peter said: “They have argued for smaller sites, rather than the large multi-family family sites.
“They say smaller sites are easier to manage both for them and us.
“That is a very powerful argument.”
Sir Peter also suggested very short-term temporary camps could be set up, away from residential areas, to deal with seasonal demand such as when travelling families are moving for the fruit picking season in the summer.
He said: “There are three needs here. Firstly, there is the need for virtually permanent sites, for the travellers who do not move very much.
“They would need to be near services such as schools and shops.
“Secondly, there is a need for transit sites for those who move throughout the year and there is the third need for peak transit sites which could be very temporary, for a few weeks.
“Those could be further away from the services.”
He said there were potential council-owned sites for such plots.
A 700-name petition has been collected by the LE4 action group, made up of residents in Leicester and villages on its northern edge, who are against the existing plans.
Sir Peter said he understood the weight of residents’ concern but was frustrated by campaigners from outside the city and councillors from Charnwood Borough Council complaining about his plans.
He said: “Charnwood has far more opportunity to solve the problem than we do.
“I would hope they would spend less time complaining and more time looking for possible sites themselves.”
Charnwood Borough Council leader Councillor David Slater said: “Our travellers’ camps will come forward with our local development framework which we hope will be approved in the last quarter of 2013. As yet, we don’t know where they could be.
“I would be quite happy to join any consultation with Sir Peter. I would like to meet him and talk about the effects of concentrating travellers’ sites in one area right on the edge of Charnwood.”
Comments
by joe-bloggs
Wednesday, November 21 2012, 2:35PM
“C_G_Lee....where DID his votes come from ?”
by mark-et
Monday, November 12 2012, 7:50AM
“Having seen sups at Memorial Day ,yesterday,he seems to have adopted the consept of traveller dress sense .Maybe just came fron a Big Fat Gypsy Wedding !”
by kjannoyed
Thursday, November 08 2012, 5:58PM
“what a red arrow for stating facts....surely you can do better than that, lets think..hmmm maybe tell me i'm wrong??????”
by kjannoyed
Thursday, November 08 2012, 5:12PM
“what i like , is that he blames the people of the county..hmmm maybe if he had spoken to people to start with instead of bulldozing his way through it would never had got this far!!!
this is now a man with a problem..he has upset the city and county people and also the county council....wonder what friends and voters he has left....come on pete...how about a decsion on the issuse you said you were going to in sept...or is this the decsion ???”
by georgeisafish
Wednesday, November 07 2012, 8:02PM
“surely the cost of moving them on, is less than developing and continued management of a site?”
by Dazbot
Wednesday, November 07 2012, 1:30PM
“I'd like to hear whether the Mayor is going to take up Councillor David Slater's offer. Why hasn't a joint approach been taken before now? Surely combining resources between City and County makes more sense than trying to squeeze sites into the corners of the City's boundary?”
by jollybates
Wednesday, November 07 2012, 2:02AM
“LE4 Action has been against ALL sites for various reasons, the size, the closeness to residents, schooling, medical, LE4 Action has spoken to traveller groups, (which also said the camps would be a disaster) and they have been battling to be heard. However, SPS in his wisdom has now spoken to travellers. He now realises that they do not want the camps either! Why not speak to them in the first place? How much money would have been saved? Remember the nice booklets? (We paid for those)
Oh SPS I wish I was in you accounting dept! I would never have sanctioned those payments, and would have saved the people of Leicester lots of money, and therefore our council tax would not be as much next year.
LE4 Action are a strong group, is it because they bombarded the Mayors Office with questions, and demanded answers, that things have been in favour of the residents at the moment.
We KNOW there is a need for sites, but they need be be spread across the city.
Personally I don't care if they are in LE3. But I expect alot of people do. That is the attitude of all of Leicester! Ok, if not near me.
Well? Anyone feeling strong enough to set up other Action Groups?”
by Rajjan
Tuesday, November 06 2012, 11:07PM
“SPS you need a holiday and take some of your cabinet councillors with you. when you come back 12.000 signatures will be ready to rid of you .”
by kaison159
Tuesday, November 06 2012, 1:40PM
“he quietly tried to sneak these traveller sites through without too much fuss or objection, then people started to realise the scale of what he was proposing in a concentrated area well done to le4 action group for fighting this, but theres many people in leicester who will also be affected by his decisions in many different ways regarding many different proposals its time we all stood together & unite, & get the 12,000 people we need 2 call a referendum.”
by leicester
Tuesday, November 06 2012, 12:54PM
“Cathy_66...meet your councillor about your concerns.Hang on a minute... that's palmer !Sorry.Get some help for a petition from the LE4 group.”