Agenda item

To propose the establishment of a working group to consider criteria and options for the provision of Gypsy and Traveller sites in the district and to make recommendations for determination to the full Council to the full Council within 8 weeks.

The Director of Corporate and Customer Services introduced a report which proposed the establishment of a working group to consider criteria and options for the provision of temporary Gypsy and Traveller sites in the district and to make recommendations for determination to the full Council within the next 8 weeks.

At its meeting on 29 September 2016, the Council formally accepted its duties and responsibilities towards Gypsies and Travellers under housing and planning legislation. In particular the Council recognised its duties under Homelessness legislation towards a specific Traveller family, who had been resident within the district for many years, but who did not have a site on which they could legally place their caravans.

The report informed Members that since that time the Council had failed to provide either permanent or temporary sites within the District for use by this specific Traveller family. The most recent attempt to reach a decision on 28 July 2022 did not result in a definitive way forward, but rather a request for officers to take on board the feedback provided during a debate on 133 sites across the district and bring forward developed proposals for consideration by the Council.

The report went on to explain that the decision taken on 28 July 2022 did not rule in or rule out any of the 133 sites reported to that meeting. In the meantime, the Council continued to have a homelessness duty to the specific Traveller family who had been resident on Clifton Road Coach and Car Park in Ashbourne since the end of June 2022. Given that site’s location to amenities and residential properties the Council had received numerous complaints from local residents and visitors to Ashbourne.

During debate it was moved by Councillor Tom Donnelly and seconded by Councillor Stuart Lees that the Officer recommendations be agreed in addition to an amendment to include a further recommendation as detailed below:

“That, until such time as the working group has submitted its recommendations to an extraordinary meeting of the Council, the council owned land at Harrison Way, Northwood, be designated as a temporary site for a specific Traveller family with a local connection to the Derbyshire Dales to whom the authority has a statutory homelessness duty, and that officers be authorised to seek an eviction notice in respect of the encampment currently located on Clifton Road Coach and Car Park in Ashbourne.”

This was put to a recorded vote as follows:

For: 19, Councillors: Robert Archer, Jason Atkin, Richard Bright, David Chapman, Tom Donnelly, Graham Elliott, Steve Flitter, Chris Furness, Dawn Greatorex, Susan Hobson, David Hughes, Stuart Lees, Tony Morley, Dermot Murphy, Garry Purdy, Andrew Shirley, Peter Slack, Alasdair Sutton, Steve Wain.

Against: 6, Councillors: Matt Buckler, Alyson Hill, Peter O’Brien, Mike Ratcliffe, Mark Salt, Colin Swindell.

Abstention: 1, Councillor: Neil Buttle.

It was therefore RESOLVED

1. That a Gypsy and Traveller Site Provision Working Group be established with a remit defined within the Terms of Reference detailed in Appendix 1.

2. That the recommendations of the Gypsy and Traveller Site Provision Working Group be reported to an extraordinary meeting of the Council in October or November 2022.

3. That Political Group Leaders submit names of nominated Members to the Proper Officer by 7 October 2022 and those Members be appointed to serve on the Working Group according to the agreed entitlement of their political group.

4. That, until such time as the working group has submitted its recommendations to an extraordinary meeting of the Council, the council owned land at Harrison Way, Northwood, be designated as a temporary site for a specific Traveller family with a local connection to the Derbyshire Dales to whom the authority has a statutory homelessness duty, and that officers be authorised to seek an eviction notice in respect of the encampment currently located on Clifton Road Coach and Car Park in Ashbourne.

The Chairman declared the motion CARRIED.