Conservatives criticise ‘cat and mouse’ games over traveller camps in Brighton and Hove

Conservative politicians have criticised the “cat and mouse” games being played when travellers are evicted from one site in Brighton and Hove and head straight to another.

They spoke out after a large group of travellers left Wild Park in Moulsecoomb and almost immediately occupied Preston Park, Stanmer Park and Black Rock in Madeira Drive.

They said that it was the second time that an unauthorised camp had set up in Preston Park in as many weeks.

Lee Wares, who is standing for the Conservatives in Preston Park ward in the local elections next year, said: “When I spoke with residents of the city using Preston Park, not one person was in favour of the encampments.

“They find it incomprehensible that in planning the eviction from Wild Park nobody thought to close the gates preventing caravan access to Preston Park.

“It is incompetency to not consider that dispersing such a large group from Wild Park would lead to Preston Park being targeted.

Councillor Geoffrey Theobald

“Without exception they feel that enough liberties have been taken and the council should stop wasting money on tolerating the situation.

“They feel that the police should equally start to consider the rights of local residents.

“It is also ridiculous that the council and police are now conducting a community impact assessment and welfare checks on the same group that were assessed when they first arrived at Preston Park several weeks ago, assessed again when they went to Wild Park and now for the third time as they return to Preston Park.

“What do the officers think will have changed?”

The leader of the Conservative group on Brighton and Hove City Council Geoffrey Theobald said: “There is a very simple solution for areas such as Preston Park and that is to designate them as sensitive sites.

“By doing so the police can evict immediately, nobody will suffer the disruption and money will not be wasted.”

Councillor Theobald added: “Unfortunately the simple solution is not possible because the Green and Labour parties have not supported the motion we put before the council twice in the last year or so asking for sensitive sites to be designated.

“It would seem that they are not as concerned as the residents that our parks, playing fields and other green spaces are subject to huge unauthorised encampments.”

Council leader Jason Kitcat said: “The council is working closely with the police to manage trespass by travellers at various sites around the city.

“We are operating within the parameters of the law and the local policy agreed by all parties.”

Councillor Kitcat said: “We understand there are pressures across the south east from travellers becoming increasingly desperate to access a small number of sites and stopping places and as we have increased site protection this has resulted in dispersal to additional areas.”