City chief defends his stance on gypsy debate
COUNCIL officers will not attend public meetings called to debate Gypsy and Traveller campsites because of the need to avoid "adversarial settings", councillors have been told.
In a letter sent on the eve of today's controversial council meeting about Gypsy and Traveller campsites, chief executive Barry Keel defends himself against allegations made last week that he is trying to stifle debate.
The council's Cabinet has approved work to prepare a bid for Government money for a Gypsy and Traveller site at Efford Warren after consultation last year on whether the site was suitable.
Cabinet members also agreed to start consultation on using land at Coypool and at Coombe Farm, St Budeaux for Gypsy sites.
Both decisions have been challenged and were to be scrutinised at a special meeting in the council chamber at 1.30pm today.
Mr Keel wrote to councillors this week saying: "I wrote to all councillors on February 5 to advise them of the need to carry out consultation on ... proposals for the allocation of Gypsy and Traveller sites....
"There has been some concern expressed that my letter implies that we are stifling comment on this very important matter. This could not be further from the truth. The city council has set, and been recognised for, its very high standards around community engagement on planning matters. The consultation programme has been designed to avoid adversarial settings which mitigate against balanced communication of the issues....
"It is in this context, and in accordance with national advice and best practice, that I have advised that officers do not propose to attend public meetings or area committees as part of the consultation programme."
Plympton councillors and Gary Streeter, the Conservative MP for South West Devon, are planning to hold a public meeting later this month.
Mr Keel first wrote to councillors last week telling them that they could not call special area committee meetings to discuss Gypsy sites, and that council officers would not be sent to any meetings called to debate the subject.
Tory councillor Peter Brookshaw, the city's Cabinet member for Communities, Housing and Supporting People, said that in recent years about 20 unauthorised camps a year have cost Plymouth an average of £6,500 each to deal with.
He said Plymouth had a statutory duty to provide pitches for Gypsies and Travellers.
Labour group leader Tudor Evans said the council has used out-of-date maps when proposing to use land at Coypool for a camp. A housing estate built to the south of the proposed site within the past two years is not shown on the maps used by the council.
Meanwhile, Mr Keel's letter spells out a programme of consultation that will be followed if councillors do not give the process the thumbs down at today's meeting. This will include:
Staffed exhibitions close to the proposed sites at:
Coypool park and ride.
Sainsbury's Marsh Mills.
Tamarside School conference room.
Kitto Centre, Honicknowle.
Novotel, Marsh Mills.
An additional exhibition at Efford Library consulting on site design. There will be four members of staff at each of these events.
Local libraries will have copies of the consultation document and feedback forms which can also be picked up from the Civic Centre. Interested persons can also ask to speak to an officer if they come into the Civic Centre.
A specific event to discuss the sites will be held with the Gypsy and Traveller community.
6 Comments
by myplympton, Plympton
Friday, February 13 2009, 1:58PM
“Thank you for attending the meeting on Thursday 12 February 2009.You can contact the myplympton committee on info @ myplympton.co.uk. Earlier this week volunteers delivered nearly 3,000 leaflets in the Plympton area. Thank you to the volunteers for your efforts. We shall continue to deliver leaflets as and when there is something to report or there is another meeting to attend. Please tell your friends, neighbours, relatives, work mates. Encourage as many people to object and keep objecting, everyday if possible. Send an e-mail to info @ myplympton.co.uk. Confirm who you are and where you live. Send us copies of objection letters and don't be shy, make suggestions and volunteer support. We are trying to make communication easier, but we only started the e-mail address on Monday and we have been overwhelmed by the response already.Most of us on the myplympton committee work full time and we are a long way from being organised. We will be responding to the e-mails at some stage by automated response giving additional information or by personal response where someone has offered specific help or has an important role to offer, for example, a solicitor, IT support or someone with a knowledge of council bureaucracy or just volunteering to deliver leaflets in their road. We will eventually get a website going, but we cannot do everything right away.This campaign, I suspect, will be a long one, but we must do everything we can to defeat this ridiculous and inappropriate proposal and we must try to persuade the council to work in our interests not against us, after all we are the electorate ! For those who don't know, Gary Streeter has arranged a public meeting at 7pm on Friday 27th February at the Hele's School. Let's make the biggest possible effort to get as many people to attend as possible. Barry Keel, the unelected council chief executive, has banned council officers from attending, but we must show that the vast majority are outraged by this proposal, they don't want it and are going to do everything possible to stop it happening. If Public Consultation means anything then the council should have already rejected this proposal, but unless we continue our fight and increase the pressure on those able to influence the decision then, unfortunately and regretably the council machine will turn this proposal into reality by stealth and blight our lives for the foreseeable future. We must not let this happen and we look forward to your continued support THANK YOU.”
by J, Plymouth
Thursday, February 12 2009, 12:16PM
“I see the my comments have been taken off the site.I find this strange as nothing I said could be denied when it was all based in fact.It seems free speech is something you are denied when talking about "travellers" and what they get up to.I wonder what the real and I mean real not the pc thoughts of the Police really are abouth travellers and traveller sites.”
by James, Plympton
Thursday, February 12 2009, 10:22AM
“How dare people even suggest putting gypsy's in coypool. Not only will my house and percessions be under threat so will the landscape of my dog walking field. Please don't put the site in coypool, rite next to woodfaord, a clean, tidy, area to live in. If the gypsys want somewhere to live, they need to get a job and pay for accomadation just like the rest of us!!!!!!”
by Benny Factor, Kingsy.
Thursday, February 12 2009, 10:07AM
“Apparently the government have insisted that Plymouth has one of these traveller sites. I suggest that the site at King Tamerton may be the best one to choose. For once, our 'colourful' fellow janners residing in St. Budeaux and Barne Barton nearby, will come in useful. I'm sure the travellers will keep on travelling after meeting their new neighbours.
Brad Pitt's undefeated bare knuckle fighter, out of the film 'Snatch', clearly never visited Poole Park Road.”
by Just Jeff, Tavistock
Thursday, February 12 2009, 9:23AM
“Plympton Alli,
Are you barking mad?
Please explain how "one" can only assume the decision has been made?
The article quite clearly shows that there is a process of consulation and feedback forms for your biased comments.
Plympton NIMBY's at it again!”
by Plympton Alliance, Plympton
Thursday, February 12 2009, 8:58AM
“One can only assume by the non appearance of officers at this meeting that the decision on where to site the Gypsy camp has already been made made.”