ENFORCEMENT
Illegal camps
Travellers and gypsies
have a long history of
living in, and passing
through, Ealing, but
how should the council
respond when there
are unauthorised
encampments? It is a
question often asked.
G
ypsy Corner on the A40 is
named in recognition of
the travelling communities
that used to stop at the
junction of Horn Lane and the A40
when making their way to and from
London. It is a visible reminder of the
borough’s history.
There is an official site for travellers
not far from Gypsy Corner, but
increasing numbers of unauthorised,
temporary sites have been set up in
the borough’s green spaces. When this
happens, a team pulling in expertise
from across the council responds
quickly, alongside local police and the
council’s contractors, Parkguard.
Councillor Ranjit Dheer, cabinet
member for community services and
safety, has seen increasing amounts
of council resources being devoted to
managing the issue over the last year.
He said: “Most travellers are peaceful
and law abiding. However, as in all
communities, there are those who fail
to respect their surroundings, or local
residents, or who are intent on criminal
behaviour. Indeed, we have had several
instances of commercial fly-tipping, with
tonnes of waste being dumped illegally.
“Ealing Council must act lawfully
and proportionately when any
encampment is set up. If we don’t,
we open ourselves up to legal
challenges, which could mean that it
takes even longer to regain possession
of the land.
“We must legally carry out education,
health and welfare checks on the
encampment’s residents and we aim to
do this within 24 hours of being notified.
“The encampment is always asked to
leave in the first instance. If they refuse,
then they are issued with a warning
around the behaviour expected of
them and the council will consider
how to regain possession of the land.
While this is happening, the site will be
closely monitored.
“If we do decide to evict, this usually
happens quickly. However, with the
Ealing Common in September
numbers of encampments increasing
in the last year, we share residents’
frustrations at the amount of council
and police resources diverted into
managing this issue.
“We are often asked why don’t
we just put barriers around all of the
parks, but we have to balance the
needs of all the users of our parks. In
Norwood Green, we have installed
large earth mounds to make it harder
for caravans to drive on to the green,
but this isn’t practical or affordable
everywhere.
“I would like to see a change in the
law to make it easier for the council
and other authorities to deal with
illegal camping. We have an authorised
camping site in the borough for people
to use and, as a council, we can ill
afford the hundreds of thousands
of pounds we have had to spend in
evicting several illegal encampments
over the past year.”
REPORT IT
Unauthorised encampments
should be reported to the
council’s safer communities team
on 020 8825 5994 or by emailing
[email protected]
around ealing October 2017
23