Agenda item

To update Community and Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee on encampments in the borough for 16/17 and 17/18 year to date.   

Simon Price, Category Manager Housing Operations, delivered an update on Unauthorised Encampments, outlining reductions in the number of encampments and the cost of clearing up during the preceding year.  He explained the process that was followed to deal with a camp and highlighted some of the issues that accompany the process, such as welfare issues and time taken for paperwork to be completed by the courts.  He went on to describe the close working relationship that the team had with the police and the pressure on the service due to the need to double team when visiting sites.

In answer to Member questions, Simon stated that, whilst not sufficient to address public perceptions of travellers completely, having clear and transparent policies and procedures on the Council website would help allay fears to a certain extent.  The process of moving a camp on could be expedited if a Section 61 order was imposed or if the site was in a vulnerable area such as a school playing field, but that the normal time period was approximately 2 weeks.  As part of the changes to processes coming from 21^st Century and as part of a Berkshire-wide protocol, it was hoped that officers would be empowered to assess sites and choose the most efficient and appropriate way of dealing with them.  A paper was being prepared that would cover all these issues and was due to be presented to the Executive in February 2018.

Shaun Virtue, Local Area Police Commander, outlined the types of issue that would lead to the exercising of a Section 61 order.  He stated that the force had a wide pool of police officers that could be summoned when needed, as had happened when a camp of 30 caravans landed in Bulmershe in July 2016.  He explained that data was used to identify hotspots of crime and anti-social behaviour and that this would identify any links between camps and incidences.

In response to Member questions regarding prevention, Simon stated that after each encampment incident there was a wash-up session during which suggestions were welcomed of how to improve the process.  Sites were assessed and methods of preventing access were used where appropriate.  He would speak to the Council’s Property Team about identifying sites and risk and pro-active measures that could be taken to avoid access.

In response to a specific question regarding clearing up on private land, Simon stated that the onus was on the landlord and that he would communicate with the Waste and Recycling Team regarding enforcement.  An invitation was extended to the Committee for Members to visit a site with an officer to see the assessment process in action.

RESOLVED That

1)    Simon Price be thanked for his report;

2)    Officers approach Property Services regarding pro-active preventative measures that could be taken;

3)    Officers approach Waste and Recycling to ascertain the process needed for enforcement of clearance on private land, and

4)    The information on the Council website regarding the procedure taken to deal with unauthorised encampments be reviewed and improved in terms of clarity and ease of access.