Draft letter to Boston Standard

Churches Network for Gypsies, Travellers and Roma

Hilfield Friary

Hilfield

DORCHESTER

Dorset

DT2 7BE

The Editor

Boston Standard

Morgan House

Gilbert Drive

BOSTON

Lincs

PE21 7TQ

“Illegal traveller encampments to face prison or £2k fine”

Dear Sir,

Your article;e of 4^th April was helpful in explaining the policy and proposals of the Borough Council, but we were concerned that, as only negative views of Gypsies and Travellers were quoted, the article lacked balance and context, and could consequently have an adverse effect on community relations locally. It is our view that tension and hostility is stoked up rather than ameliorated by policies and news stories couched in wholly negative terms. In our experience, this rebounds especially harshly on Gypsy and Traveller children resident in the area and seeking to gain an education there. Resident adults who are responsibly fulfilling their roles in your community will be less likely to self-identify as Gypsy or Traveller, with the consequence that positive experiences of interaction with these minorities will go unnoticed and unappreciated.

In order to achieve balance it would have been helpful to consult either a national organisation (Friends, Families and Travellers, or Traveller Movement or The Gypsy Council) or your local organisation, Lincolnshire Gypsy Liaison Group.

As regards context, it would have been relevant to note some or all of the following:

• since the removal of the duty for local authorities to provide sites in 1994, the national under-provision of sites where people can legally settle or stop has worsened markedly;
• the 2015 Planning policy guidance for Traveller sites required that Gypsies and Travellers should be able to prove that they had continued travelling in order to be even considered for planning permission. This very predictably has forced people to move from one unauthorised site to another, even if they wish to settle;
• it should be acknowledged that not all encampments result in litter or anti-social behaviour; as one editor commented to a Dorset group, “It’s not news when they leave a clean and tidy space behind”.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if yo have any queries about the points raised. We are a national network of ordained and lay Christians from a variety of different denominations, committed to aiding understanding and acceptance of Gypsies, Travellers and Roma.

Yours truly,