Supreme Court: Councils Can Ban Gypsies and Travellers on Short-Term Basis theepochtimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theepochtimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
High Court: Councils cannot blanket ban stopping travellers romfordrecorder.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from romfordrecorder.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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”.
Last modified on Wed 17 Mar 2021 04.08 EDT
Irish Travellers have described being banned from pubs, restaurants and holiday parks across the UK, as part of a devastating “campaign of discrimination” that is excluding them from public life.
The revelation this month by the i Paper that Pontins drew up a list of surnames designed to keep Irish Travellers out has been described as a “Me Too” moment by campaigners. They say it is just the tip of the iceberg of the racism faced by the community and expect more whistleblowers to come forward.
Debby Kennett, CEO of London Gypsies and Travellers, said: “This has been an important “Me Too” moment for the Traveller community. The exposure of Pontins’ blacklisting of Irish Travellers has resonated hugely with many people’s experiences of discrimination. It has made plain the racism that Gypsies and Travellers routinely face, but which has become so normalised that it is barely remarked on.”