Dan Collins, a newly elected Conservative councillor in Plymouth, placed an advertisement that said: “Travellers on the playing field – Conservatives would have taken action to prevent this. Remember the Labour council did nothing, when you vote at the local elections.”
Another advert, placed by Chris Nelson, who was elected police and crime commissioner in Gloucestershire, read: “Too many Travellers have exploited weaknesses in the law to act with impunity within our law-abiding communities.” The advert also noted that “many established Traveller communities were law-abiding”.
A spokesperson for the Traveller Movement said: “Politicians use Gypsies and Travellers as political footballs to gain votes and curry favour among the local electorate. This contributes to a climate of hostility which sees Gypsy and Traveller people used as scapegoats by their local politicians. We remind election candidates they have a duty to represent all of their prospective constituents
Last modified on Wed 12 May 2021 15.14 EDT
The high court has ruled that local authorities can no longer issue blanket bans on Gypsies and Travellers stopping on parcels of land, in a landmark case which campaigners have hailed a “victory for equality”.
A number of councils have used wide injunctions against “persons unknown” since 2015 to prevent Gypsies and Travellers from stopping on certain pieces of land, even if they are new to areas with no knowledge of the injunction.
Debby Kennett, chief executive of London Gypsies and Travellers, said the “catch-all injunctions effectively banned Gypsies and Travellers from stopping in large areas of the country”.
Covid-19: MP claims outrage at dropped charge for 150-guest funeral
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image copyrightTravllers News UK
image captionThe funeral included a procession in Kettering, with officers deployed and road blocks put in place, Northamptonshire Police said
An MP has highlighted widespread outrage over the failure to prosecute anyone over a funeral allegedly attended by up to 150 mourners.
The event took place at a church in Kettering, Northamptonshire, during the second lockdown in November.
A man was charged with a breach of Covid rules, but the case was this week dropped due to lack of evidence.
Speaking in Parliament, Kettering MP Philip Hollobone called it a clear and flagrant breach of regulations.
The leader of Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC) has welcomed plans by the government to criminalise unauthorised encampments in England. Under the proposals, announced on Monday, residing on public or private land without permission in vehicles which causes ‘significant’ distress to local communities would become an offence. It would be punished with up to a £2,500 fine, three months imprisonment, or both. Test Valley Borough Council previously wrote to the government to voice its support for such a move, and Councillor Phil North said the law would be “an additional weapon in our armoury”. He said: “We welcome this move by the government to make deliberate trespass a criminal offence, and indeed wrote to them to encourage them to take this action some months ago.