Leicester mayor to step up search for possible city travellers' sites

“sonjel....thankyou !pages do open a new vista .
Mavbe The Mercury could print the map for all to see where sites are still possible.I am sure certain areas are not aware that they "could be next "!”

“Follow this link

http://tinyurl.com/a3z6o8e”

“Try this link

http://tinyurl.com/a3z6o8e”

“I still do not know how to access a page that lists all proposed sites and reason for not being suitable.Anyone help please ?
I do not know if the overgrown area on Rushey Fields,behind former cafe,close to Soar Valley is on the list,but it is/has been useless for years.
It must have a few plus points going for it .Nigel Vaz could get another photo shoot to welcome the decendents of the original travellers.Sneaky pete and Nigel could wallow in the votes it would generate and just think of how much house prices would raise.”

“I like sneaky petes comment that there is a "demonstrated need "for further sites.
From whom ?
I see a demonstrated need for hostels for the homeless,nursing homes,services for the elderly/disabled,services for the public,clean streets.Sneaky has an obviously different view.”

“Political correctness gets in the way of so many things these days, one example being genuine honest debate. Many are afraid now-a-days to express sincerely held beliefs they were brought up with for fear of being accused of being racist, or simply uncaring about others.
When I was young we regularly had gypsies (travelling people), visit the village where I lived. They would park their horse-drawn caravans on the grass verges in the lanes around the village, the verges providing grazing for the horses.
Some of the women would perhaps go round the village knocking doors to try and sell clothes pegs, or bundles of kindling wood. Some would offer to tell you your fortune, - if you were prepared to 'cross their palm with silver' -. The men might tour the village with a horse-drawn dray calling, "Any old rags o' bone, o' any old metal" ? Such items they would then sell on to a local scrap merchant. They would give the house-holder a few coppers - or sometimes even a silver sixpence or a shilling, all depending how much scrap had changed hands.
My mother would recite to us an old rhyme which went like this. "My Mother said I never should, talk to the gypsies in the wood: If I did she would say, naughty little boy to dis-obey". - Well, I did dis-obey and did talk to the gypsies, and never came to any harm.

What you may say, has all this to do with the topic of travellers and travellers sites ?

Simply this: The Gypsies I have referred to were genuine travellers,and genuine Gypsies. It was their way of life to travel, staying for a few days generally , maybe a week and then they would move on, perhaps only to the next village but they moved voluntarily and normally left the area they had used practically as clean as when they'd arrived.

Unfortunately society has changed tremendously since the times I have just referred to. In the main too many of today's 'travellers' do not have the same 'code of conduct' as used to be the case. Many of them will drive their motor-drawn caravans onto other peoples private property
with no regard whatever to any damage they are causing. Local authority land is seen as fair game worthy of no respect whatever.

Too many of today's 'travellers' , itinerants, or whatever title they wish to be addressed by, just do not do themselves or their peers any good at all. Many will move illegally onto a site, make a nuisance of themselves and try to take over the area as if it belongs to them. When they have finally been removed it then becomes an extremely costly job to clean up the site after they have gone. If a group of people conduct themselves in such manner, need one wonder why they are not welcomed by others.

It is not my normal practice to generalise, but on this occasion I do. Too many 'travellers' by their own behaviour have got themselves a bad reputation, whereby they all are distrusted and disliked. I have to agree with the sentiments expressed by 'Spanner'.”

“I like the idea that saint peter has close on half a million pounds for accomodation for people who pay nothing to the society they abuse on a daily basis at the same time charities are seeking money,food,accomodation for real people surviving within the City.”

“let them park in petes back yard if hes so keen to help”

“The thing that puzzles me about the so-called need for traveller sites is these people are travellers and have chosen this way of life. Mr. Soulsby says we should have facilities for 40 pitches for people who contribute absolutely nothing to society, they pay no taxes of any kind and think the world owes them somewhere to stay, not so, they are "travellers" so see them off and keep them travelling. It's as if, because we have the problem of unwanted travellers in our area the solution is to make that alright by providing them with somewhere to stay! Slightly twisted thinking.”

“HOW ABOUT SLATER STREET ?COUNCIL OWNED.NEAR SHOPS,SCHOOLS,PUBLIC TRANSPORT AND NOT OVERLOOKED.ALREADY HAS MAINS SUPPLIES AND DRAINAGE?
SNEAKY SAYS IT IS NOT SUITABLE AS IT IS IN A FLOOD PAIN.
SURELY NOT THE SAME FLOOD PLAIN AS THE SCIENCE PARK PROPOSAL?
" " " " " " " " SPACE CENTRE?
" " " " " " " " NEW HOUSING BEING BUILT?
" " " " " " " " PROPOSED NEW SUPERMARKET?”