In June 2022, following unauthorised encampments in Great Denham, the then-Bedfordshire chief constable Garry Forsyth said his force could move on unauthorised encampments more often, but only if the local authority has provided somewhere for them to go.
With police powers under Section 62 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, hinging on the availability of transit sites, the question remains: are local councils doing enough to address this need, or is progress at a standstill?
The chief said Section 62 power is “contingent on the provision of temporary transit sites that we can actually direct travellers to move to”.
“Which then mitigates and minimises the impact on the settled community, but provides good facilities for the travelling community,” he said.
“What I’ve said [to the councils] is if we could have a transit site then we would be prepared to utilise our Section 62 powers much more frequently than we do at the moment,” he said.
Transit sites are permanent sites used to provide only temporary accommodation for their residents. The lengths of stay can vary but are usually set at between 28 days and three months.
Following encampments in the Sanford Wood area in October and November this year, a Bedfordshire resident approached the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) to ask about the progress made on transit sites.
GRT transit sites
The LDRS approached Bedfordshire’s three local authorities about their actions on providing managed transit areas for the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) communities.
Central Bedfordshire Council said it is not progressing with any work on developing a GRT transit site in its areas.
A spokesperson for Luton Borough Council said: “We do not have any transit sites within the borough.
“The planning policy team have started work on producing a new Local Plan for Luton for which we have commissioned consultants to produce a Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment, which will look at the need for transit areas for the travelling community.
“An alternative to allocated transit sites can be emergency stopping places, temporary sites and stopping places, and negotiated stopping places.
“Negotiated stopping places allow for caravans to be sited for a set period of time on a specific piece of ground, with an agreement made between the council and the residents wishing to use the negotiated stopping place.
“Recommendations on these approaches will be considered within our forthcoming Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment,” they said.
The spokesperson added that Luton borough “would be keen” to continue to work with the travelling community and other organisations in leading or supporting public awareness initiatives that address misconceptions about the GRT communities.
Bedford Borough Council did not respond at the time of publication.
The Bedfordshire resident suggested that the police and crime commissioner (PCC) would be the ideal conduit to bring the three councils together to construct transit sites.
An Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner spokesperson said: “As PCC, John Tizard is indeed keen to engage with all communities and to promote the need for effective collaboration when working with partners to drive a whole system change that will help create a safer and fairer county for all.
“However, as the management of transit sites and unauthorised encampments sits with local authorities, it is not a matter that the PCC would have the authority to advise upon,” they said.
By John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
