Last year, after I became the local MP, a large number of you got in touch with me about the problem of disruptive and unauthorised encampments. Having heard about the disturbance that these can cause, since then I’ve been active in and around Parliament making sure that this issue is discussed at the highest levels, taking part in public and private meetings and speaking in a Westminster Hall debate.
As I said then, “law-abiding citizens often feel that the law is not on their side and that this is a dangerous place for society to be.” That debate sent Government a clear message that despite an array of enforcement powers already in place, tackling these sites remains a significant issue. So, with that time of year coming round again, I’m very pleased to hear that the Government is now formally consulting on whether there is anything more which can be done to ensure that existing powers are used effectively and whether any additional powers are necessary.
Thanks to the work of our Police and Crime Commissioner, Roger Hirst, locally we are in an increasingly strong position. With local agencies working together to respond quickly to unauthorised encampments, we have seen the average duration of these stays plummet from 10.6 days to only 1.2. One hopes that those who were moved on quickly last time will think twice about coming back this year.
That said, are still too many reports of trespass, damage to property, anti-social behaviour, extensive litter and waste and high clean-up costs when an unauthorised encampment takes place in the borough. This has to be tackled – those who stop without agreement on private land need to know that trespassing is unacceptable. For this reason, I strongly support changing the law to make trespass a criminal rather than civil offence in certain circumstances. Similar legislation in Ireland has led to a dramatic improvement in the police’s ability to deter and end unauthorised stays – introducing the same powers here would offer the same benefits.
The Government’s consultation runs until 15 June. I encourage everyone to contribute to it; you can do so online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-review-powers-to-deal-with-unauthorised-caravan-sites
As ever please let me know your thoughts about this or any other issue at www.alexburghart.org.uk