The clearance of the illegal part of the Dale Farm traveller site is nearly complete. The work has been carried out without any undue interference, thank God, and an injunction is in place to prevent any illegal reoccupation of the site.
Unfortunately, this is likely to be only the latest phase in an ongoing story. Some of the travellers from the illegal site have moved onto the legal portion next door. The Council cannot allow protracted occupation of the legal part with a vastly increased population of caravans. This is for very practical reasons of fire and service access, and because it is downright dangerous. Caravan sites by their very nature have to especially guard against fire. There was a tragedy on the illegal part of Dale Farm for example. Too high a density of Caravans are simply too much of a hazard to the people in them.
There is also the matter of costs and other legal matters to conclude. The taxpayers of Basildon Borough expect the monies due to their Council to be recovered, and we will certainly be pursuing those who owe us.
Predictably, most of the traveller 'representatives' and 'supporters' appear to have moved on to other things. After years of giving the Dale Farm residents the worst possible advice and then throwing their own urine at the police another cause beckons I suppose.
That St. Paul's thing looks fun...
2 comments:
So as of Today (14th November) is the site clearance at Dale Farm basically over?
Is there any update on anybody from the council falling on their sword because of the mishandling of the whole situation?
Don't agree that anything was mishandled. The largest illegal Traveller site in Europe was cleared legally with a count of only 7 minor injuries among all parties. This despite a horrible, violent protest from outsiders, who have now moved on to the next fun protest of course. Has it taken a long time? Well, yes, because a Local Authority has to act within the law and within approved budgets. Slow and precise does not mean incompetent, it means legal and properly budgeted and planned for. Bear in mind that Traveller 'supporters' were gleefully telling us a clearance was impossible right up to the point that it started. Their advice to the Travellers useless and wrong as usual.
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