£2.5m for Pembrokeshire County Council’s learning and future employment project

9:10am Sunday 21st March 2010

Education minister Leighton Andrews has announced a new £4.6million initiative aimed at helping young people from gypsy traveller communities into employment.

Pembrokeshire County Council’s learning and future employment project will receive £2.5m from the Convergence European Social Fund (ESF) through the Welsh Assembly.

Read More: http://www.westerntelegraph.co.uk/news/5073282.Funding_helps_gypsy_travellers_into_work/

Cash to improve campsites

Scottish councils to share £2m to upgrade amenities for gypsy travellers

By Ross Davidson

Published: 22/03/2010

Millions of pounds have been given to Scottish councils to upgrade campsites for travellers.

Local authorities have shared £2million in the last two years to improve sites set aside for gypsy travellers.

Upgrades to come from the Scottish Government grants include the installation of CCTV cameras at pitches and insulation to help cut travellers’ energy bills.

Official figures released by Housing Minister Alex Neil show 12 local authorities have received funding from the government.

The policy of issuing grants to councils was introduced to make local authorities responsible for providing authorised campsites to draw travellers away from illegal sites.

Read more: http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1656501/?UserKey=#ixzz0iul47oNJ

Harassment claim by trio of councillors accused of bullying Read more: http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1656574?UserKey=#ixzz0iujmkT15

Council Officials reported over treatment of members

By Iain Ramage

Published: 22/03/2010

 

THREE Highland councillors accused of bullying senior staff, while trying to get the authority to deal with unlawful gypsy encampments, have lodged a counter-complaint.

The councillors allege they have been harassed by the senior officials involved.

Inverness area members John Holden, Bob Wynd and Glynis Sinclair are the subject of an internal inquiry and an investigation is being made by the Standards Commission for Scotland.

The Press and Journal has learned they have registered their own complaint with council chiefs about the way they have been treated by officials who complained about them.

Labour’s Mr Holden, Mr Wynd of the SNP and Ms Sinclair, a Liberal Democrat, allegedly bullied three senior council staff over the time taken to deal with two illegal encampments in Inverness.

The GMB union intends taking the council and the three councillors to an industrial tribunal on behalf of two of the staff involved.

Read more: http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1656574?UserKey=#ixzz0iuk0Q7te

Gypsy and Traveller film to challenge prejudices

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 By Emily Twinch

A media charity has produced a film promoting the need for more Gypsy and Traveller sites.

The Rural Media Company’s DVD, Sites and Rights, features a series of interviews to try to dispel prejudices.

It starts by saying 150,000 Gypsies and Travellers live in houses or on unauthorised sites in England and Wales and that a recent audit revealed nearly 4,000 families had no legitimate stopping places, short or long.

Luke Clements, from Cardiff Law School, says in the video: ‘There aren’t enough sites and there are upwards of 3,000 families with nowhere to live.

‘Once a site has been built, people forget it’s there. If every borough council gave one or two permissions a year the problem would cease to exist.’

There are interviews with people who have changed their minds about Travellers and Gypsies, such as resident David Hilden from Warwickshire.

Since they moved in next to his home he says in the film ‘they’re no trouble at all’.

Viewers are also given a tour of Roma Gypsy Bobbie Jones’ family home.

A Communities and Local Government department annual progress report on the government’s policy of increasing site provision, published last month, concluded: ‘The current position on site delivery remains unsatisfactory.

‘It is clear that local authorities need to increase the pace at which suitable locations are identified that can be used as Gypsy and Traveller sites.’

SOLE STREET: Complaints about gypsies are 'racist' says farm owner

1:55pm Monday 24th August 2009

By Michael Purton

A FARM owner has hit back at criticism of her decision to rent a field to gypsies, saying the complaints are racist.

Last week Beverley Smit rented one field of her 50 acre home, Cranbourne Farm in Sole Street, to a travelling pentecostal gypsy church.

Around 300 people in almost 200 caravans stayed in the field off Copt Hall Road until Sunday (August 23), holding services and welcoming local residents to join them.

(MORE)

However, many residents complained to Gravesham Council, with leader Councillor Mike Snelling saying he had been “inundated with calls”, and a Daily Mail article today called Mrs Smit a “villain”.

The 56-year-old, who has owned the farm for ten years, said: “The people who stayed in the field are Christians who want to spread the word of God, and they caused no trouble while they were here.

Scaled down Gypsy caravan taking shape at Hartlebury

8:24am Thursday 6th August 2009

AN 80-year-old volunteer is building a scale model of a Gypsy caravan - with a little help from a teenage friend.

Ced Lewis has been working at Hartlebury Castle’s County Museum on the two-thirds-size bow top wagon for more than a year.

He has been supported by Aaron Bannister, 16, a member of the traveller community, who attends Baxter College in Kidderminster.

The main structure of Bita Rawni, which, in the Romani language means "little lady", has been built and it is expected to be finished in about six months.

When completed, it will be open to visitors, including schoolchildren, so they can experience the feeling of living in a Gypsy wagon.

Mr Lewis, who has been travelling from his Wolverhampton home twice a week for more than 18 years to volunteer at the museum, said: “Kids love the caravans. There’s so much history about them and they are so attractive.

“Everybody who comes here is fascinated by them.”

Mr Lewis said he enjoyed working at the museum, as it was like a “fairy land” to him.

He explained: “The opportunity to build and restore horse-drawn vehicles has been great. It’s been a fantastic 18 years because it’s opened up a whole new world to me.”

Aaron wants to pursue a career in woodwork and has already made a model of a traditional Gypsy wagon himself.

A full-sized wagon owned and lived in by Aaron’s grandfather is also currently on display at the museum, run by Worcestershire County Council.

'Why should I live by Gypsies?'

By Helen Grady
Producer, Beyond Westminster

Every year millions of pounds are spent by local councils on evicting Gypsies and travellers from illegal camp sites. The government thinks the answer is to create more authorised sites, but who should decide where they go?

Len Gridley has some problems with his neighbours. The first is that there are 1,000 of them. The second is that they have set up what has become Europe's biggest illegal traveller site next to his back garden.

"All I want is for the council to clear the site," said Mr Gridley as he showed the 8ft fence he has fitted to separate his garden from his neighbours' homes.

"Who wants to live next to a Gypsy and traveller site? My house used to be worth £500,000 and now it's worth £150,000. No one wants to live here. People have sold up at a loss just to get away."

The site is in Cray's Hill, a picturesque village in the Essex countryside, which has become the focus of a planning row that is likely to cost the local council £3m.

Illegal settlement

The site backing onto Mr Gridley's bungalow is known as Dale Farm. It is owned by Gypsies and Irish Travellers, some of whom have been living there since the 1970s.

Grattan Puxon, a spokesman for the Dale Farm Residents, said the site expanded after some families bought an old scrap yard adjoining the original site. "As the families got bigger, they believed it was a quite a reasonable idea to clean up the old scrap yard and move onto it," he explained.

But only half of the Dale Farm site has planning permission and more than 400 people are facing eviction following a ruling by the Law Lords in May.

Basildon District Council, has spent almost £1m on the legal battle to evict the Travellers and set aside another £2m to pay for bailiffs to clear the illegal section of the site.

Council leader Tony Ball said it was worth the cost, adding "It's quite clear - they are living on green belt land without planning permission. UK law says that site has to be restored to green belt. What price upholding the law? The alternative is anarchy."

But families at Dale Farm claim they have nowhere else to go. And, although they are travellers by birth, they say they need a base.

"I don't know how to read or write," said Jean Sheridan, a mother-of-four. "I've been brung up like a proper traveller - travelling from site to site and on the roads constantly, so I never got the chance to go to school and get an education.

"This is somewhere for us to live, plus somewhere for us to get our kids looked after in the lines of doctors and dentists and education and things like that."

"I'd be happy to move if they could find us another site," added a neighbour, who asked not to be named. "But nobody wants us, so where are they going to put us?"

Political dilemma

That is a dilemma politicians have been grappling with for decades. So far, a solution seems elusive. Although most Gypsies and travellers live in authorised sites, it still costs councils in England at least £18m a year to evict people from illegal sites.

The government thinks the best way to cut these costs is to create more authorised sites and is offering councils £32m each year in grants for these sites.

There is some evidence to suggest this approach could work. Kent has 17 council-run sites across the county and has slashed its eviction costs by 80%.

But other local authorities have proved reluctant even to identify Gypsy and traveller sites, never mind creating council-run ones.

In England, each region must agree how many sites each local council will set aside for Gypsies and travellers in a document called the Regional Spatial Strategy.

However, some councils are threatening to take legal action rather than agreeing, even in principle, to provide what they see as "more than their fair share."

Candy Sheridan, a Liberal Democrat councillor in North Norfolk and a member of an Irish Traveller family, said a big part of the problem is that even authorised sites are unpopular with the settled community.

"There is no ideal site," said Ms Sheridan. "I sit on a planning committee and whenever the word Gypsy or traveller comes in, you get hundreds of people coming to public meetings and everybody is goaded up to say no to planning permission.

"Councillors who have signed up to creating new sites have lost their seats. What you have to do is take the responsibility away from local politicians."

At the moment, even though councils must assess the housing needs of Gypsies and travellers and have a strategy for meeting those needs, there is no legal duty to provide sites.

Labour MP Clive Betts, a member of the Communities and Local Government Select Committee, thinks that should change.

He told the BBC: "I think a lot of local authorities would welcome a statutory duty to have to do something because at least then they can go to their residents and say, 'we have to do something, let's find the best sites'."

Extra sites

But shadow local government spokesman Bob Neil said such decisions should be made at a local level and that the Conservatives would scrap the Regional Spatial Strategy.

Meanwhile Basildon District Council is advertising for bailiffs to evict the illegal Dale Farm residents and councillors are resisting calls to provide an extra 60 Gypsy and traveller pitches as part of the Regional Spatial Strategy.

Said Coun Ball: "If every authority in the country took an additional seven pitches that would deal with the demand that's out there at the moment.

"We would take seven extra pitches. But it is inequitable that, while Basildon already provides a 100, some are not providing any."

is broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Saturday 1 August at 1100 BST. Or listen again via the BBC
Or download the programme

Should Gypsies and travellers be housed on official sites funded by the taxpayer? Who should decide where they go - councils or Central Government? Are you a traveller? Do you live near an authorised site for travellers or an illegal camp? Send us your comments by filling in the form below.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8171273.stm

Published: 2009/08/01 01:26:51 GMT

Schools exclude pupils less often

The number of exclusions from England's schools went down last year, latest figures show.

There were 8,130 permanent exclusions from primary, secondary and special schools in 2007-08, 6.4% less than the year before.

There were 383,830 fixed period exclusions, down 9.8%. Boys featured in three times as many cases as girls.

The number of appeals lodged by parents dropped a quarter to 780. Of these 26% succeeded, up 1.3 percentage points.

Appeal panels ordered children to be reinstated in their school in just over a third of the successful cases (35%), down five percentage points on the previous year.

Pupils from black Caribbean backgrounds were three times as likely as all children to be permanently excluded and twice as likely to be suspended (given a fixed period exclusion).

The exclusion rate was highest for Gypsy/Roma children, though they accounted for fewer than 2,000 cases in total nationally.

'Myth'

Shadow Schools Minister Nick Gibb said: "There is a serious problem with discipline and poor behaviour in English schools.

"The fact that nearly 500 children a day return to school after assaulting an adult or a classmate shows that teachers do not have sufficient powers to keep control."

The statistics show there were 71,330 fixed period exclusions for assaulting another pupil and 17,870 for attacking an adult - though both sets of figures were lower than last year.

But Children's Minister Dawn Primarolo said: "It is time to put to bed the myth that behaviour is deteriorating with teachers powerless to act.

"The truth is that we have given teachers the powers they asked for to tackle bad discipline and today's figures, as well as the trend over the last several years, show that the action we have taken is working in improving discipline in schools."

'Fiddling'

She said programmes such as Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (Seal), which ensures that young people understand the consequences of their actions and are taught how to respond to situations responsibly, had had a positive impact on discipline.

"But we can always do more and that is why we have strengthened home-school agreements to make sure the worst behaved children have clear expectations of behaviour and schools can force parents to take action if they do not live up to these expectations."

Liberal Democrat spokesman David Laws said: "Although permanent exclusions are down, there is a strong suspicion that the government is fiddling the figures by not declaring the transfer from one school to another of children who have effectively been excluded.

"Yet again, we can see a divide between rich and poor in our education system, with those children entitled to free school meals being far more likely to be excluded."

Poverty

It was this aspect that most concerned a charity that works with excluded youngsters, UK Youth.

Children entitled to free school meals were three times as likely as the average to be excluded, and secondary schools in the most deprived areas had more exclusions than those in the least deprived areas, it noted.

UK Youth chief executive John Bateman said: "Young people who are at risk of exclusion need access to a personalised curriculum that motivates them together with support from teachers, youth workers and mentors who can provide appropriate support and guidance."

He said they responded well to being given access to vocational subjects which allowed them to gain skills and qualifications and to have a clear sense of how to manage their lives when they left school.

Councillor faces rap over gypsy comments

A SENIOR councillor's controversial comments about travellers are being reported to police.

Candy Sheridan, a Romany councillor for North Norfolk District Council, contacted the News to say she will be reporting Cllr Lister Wilson to police for "incitement to racial hatred".

It follows the Cambridgeshire county councillor's stinging attack on plans for 159 new travellers' pitches in South Cambridgeshire, which he said would make nearby properties "virtually unsaleable" and "near worthless".

He added that travellers had got away with a litany of crimes, including theft, vandalism and intimidation, saying: "Non-travellers cannot do these things and get away with them."

Branding his comments "cheap, unjustified claims", Cllr Sheridan said: "Cllr Wilson needs to be reminded about his code of conduct - he certainly would not be saying these things about Jewish people or any other nationality.

"He seems to think house prices will go down near traveller sites, which has never been proved in any study despite the Joseph Rowntree Trust work on this point.

(MORE)

Police launch drive to recruit more gypsy officers

Gypsies and travellers are being recruited by Kent Police to ensure the force best represents the community it serves.

Officers believe that by giving jobs to people from the minority group they will be able to smooth what is often a rocky relationship between the two sides.

However, some are concerned the ‘tick-box’ targets could lower standards if vacancies are given to gypsies and travellers rather than the best candidates.

Earlier this year a report by the Association of Police Authorities (APA) suggested all forces should seek to recruit from under-represented groups.

Assistant Chief Constable Allyn Thomas said this was something Kent Police fully supported.

He said: “We seek to recruit staff from as wide a background as possible and we welcome applicants from all ethnic backgrounds.

“To support us in this we have a Gipsy and Traveller Action Group, the members of which advise us on issues and who provide support in the recruitment of new personnel and the progression of existing personnel.

“We believe recruiting officers from a variety of ethnic groups enhances the legitimacy of policing in the eyes of those minority communities.”

The initiative has been backed by campaigners for travellers’ equality, including the Canterbury Gipsy Support Group, which provides diversity training to Kent Police.

Vice-chairman Joe Jones said it was important his people were given the same career opportunities as others, but admitted he did not think there would be a mad rush to sign up.

He said: “Gypsies and travellers are far from being policed in the real sense. The only time we meet is when our camps are being raided or when we are being made to move on.

“We are the most misunderstood group of people in the British Isles and nobody really cares about us, but by the police looking to recruit us it shows that we have finally arrived in society.

“Over the years the police have acted as piggy-in-the-middle between us and various other authorities and there are a lot of issues that need to be overcome before gypsies and travellers really start to go for jobs in the force, but it’s obviously something we would like to see more of.”

The recommendation by the APA to recruit more gypsies and travellers has been ridiculed by the TaxPayers’ Alliance and the Campaign Against Political Correctness, both of whom fear standards of policing will go down if candidates are judged more on ethnic background than suitability for the job.

However, Kent Police Federation chairman Ian Pointon pointed out that all potential recruits have to pass the same entry exams to be considered for a job.

He said: “It could bring a better understanding of the ways and customs of travelling communities and help break down barriers between us.

“We’re all aware of notorious traveller sites but there are also ones many people don’t know exist that are peaceful and absolutely spotless, and where I’ve been able to sit down and have a nice cup of tea with the people who live there.

“As long as they meet the grade then I can see no reason why we shouldn’t seek to recruit more gypsies and travellers.”

Travellers hit back

A SUPPORT group for gypsies and travellers has blasted Henley Town Council’s decision not to help supply legal sites.

A spokesman for the National Federation of Romani Gypsy and Traveller Liaison Group said councillors should “come out of the dinosaur age”.

She said: “It is frustrating for us that people still have these antiquated views about gypsies and travelling people.

“We have had laws changed to protect us. People can still speak about gypsies in a very derogatory way. They would never speak like that about other people.

“Romani gypsies are an ethnic group who don’t choose their lifestyle — they have never known any other way. Gypsy people won’t change — by tradition they have an aversion to bricks and mortar.”

The Government Office for the South-East is asking the opinions of councils about providing land for travellers. It hopes that official sites would allow travellers better access to schools and healthcare, ensure that taxes and rent were collected and reduce illegal sites.

Last week, Henley councillors warned that offering parts of the town would lead to more illegal sites in the area and an increase in litter.

Speaking at a meeting of the finance strategy and management committee, Cllr Chris Pye said: “I don’t think we should be obliged to support travellers’ sites. There seem to be more and more travellers and increasing numbers of Eastern Europeans are arriving every year.

“By creating and providing more sites we are actually encouraging travellers to enter the country. Travellers, by their nature, always move on. They won’t want to stay at one legal site. They will come along for a brief time, do some roof repairs and then leave, normally dumping quite a lot of rubbish.”

Cllr Peter Skolar said: “If this scheme gave local authorities the power to remove illegal sites then I may be in favour of it but it doesn’t.

“There are already a lot of legal sites in Oxfordshire — the county council has been awarded a Charter Mark for its work — but we also have an awful lot of illegal sites.”

The Government says gypsies are the most excluded ethnic group in the UK. In June last year, there were 3,169 caravans in the South-East of which 2,466 or 78 per cent were authorised.

A government report on site provision is due next year. Locations for legal sites will then be decided by local authorities as part of their own area plans.

There are six permanent council-owned sites in Oxfordshire, providing 80 pitches, with another seven privately-run areas. The closest to Henley is The Sturt, at Oakley Wood, which has five plots.

What do you think? Write to: Letters, Henley Standard, Caxton House, Station Road, Henley, RG9 1AD or email letters@henleystandard.co.uk

Anger at travellers' camp

Travellers set up camp in a field near Newent despite a last-minute council attempt to stop them.

A dozen families arrived at the field on Friday and worked around the clock to make the site their home.

They laid a hard surface, put up portable toilets, dug a cesspit and 12 separate plots were fenced off.

It is understood the site is privately owned by one or more of the travelling community but no planning permission for residential use has been made.

The travellers insist they are using the land at Southend Lane after failing to find an adequate home elsewhere in the county.

A spokesman for the group, called Sam, said they wanted to be good neighbours.

"We are honest, law abiding citizens who just want a place to live," he said.

"We have applied to the council to give us a home on a number of occasions, but with no joy.

"We don't want to cause our new neighbours any harm and want to get on with them as anyone else would."

(MORE)

Standing up for the gypsies

The largest illegal travellers' camp in Britain has found a divine ally in its survival battle. Jerome Taylor reports

Friday, 15 May 2009

To say that Marianne McCarthy is house-proud would be something of an understatement. The dainty gravel garden outside her two bedroom prefab is immaculately kept, boasting two freshly painted miniature cannons and a host of cheerful garden gnomes to greet her visitors. Step through her front door and the inside of the house is spotless. A gleaming white kitchen with clear plastic stools leads into a sparse but welcoming sitting room where a simple crucifix, two chandeliers and an embroidered "God Bless Home" sign are the room's only adornments.

It's a far cry from what outsiders might expect the 68-year-old widow's home to look like. "Most people think this area will be filthy, with rubbish and sewage and everything," she says. "They think we're dangerous and that you have to come with bullet-proof vests. We've had to put up with all sort of accusations."

Mrs McCarthy expects people to have a negative perception of her modest dwelling because the "estate" on which she lives, Dale Farm, where she has called home for the past seven years, is the largest illegal gypsy site in the country.

(MORE)

Packed gypsy meeting in Risborough attended by 350 residents

Published Date: 24 April 2009

A MEETING to discuss the arrival of gypsies near Princes Risborough held last night was so well attended that around 150 could not get in.

The 200 people who did manage to cram into The Royal British Legion Hall on Thursday heard from police, councillors, planning officers and the secretary of the Gypsy Council regarding the arrival of the gypsies at Hemley Hill off of Shootacre Lane.

Residents were angry that the gypsies had not asked for planning permission before starting development on the site, which they have bought.

Wycombe District Council is now preventing development through a stop notice.

Alistair Nicholson, development control manager at WDC, said the council was currently gathering information on the site and was visiting on a regular basis to make sure further development was not taking place.

However, he said that the erection of fences around the site was permitted.

He added that in his experience these type of planning issues last for 'months rather than weeks'- he cited one example where because of appeals, it had taken two years to resolve.

Joseph Jones, secretary of the Gypsy Council and based in Bucks, said the extended gypsy family had no where else to go- but if the council could find them a more suitable site, then it might be possible for them to move there.

Neighbourhood inspector for Wycombe Rural district, Insp Ray Wilks, said: "At the end of the day we have a little addition to the community and they will be policed the same way as the rest of you.

"We will deal with any reported crime and make sure no one is harassed on either side."

He added that there was an 'awful lot of rumours going around' but that crime had not gone up since their arrival.

At the end of the evening, deputy leader of WDC, Cllr David Carroll, who chaired the meeting, praised the behaviour of those who attended:

"I thought it would be a very difficult meeting to be honest but you made it very easy for me so my thanks to you. We are all up front and being honest."

Gypsies 'won't be a bother to anyone'

Published Date: 22 April 2009

THE backlash to the arrival of gypsies on a site near Princes Risborough is 'nothing new,' the secretary of The Gypsy Council has said.

Joseph Jones, who runs the floating support service for the gypsy and traveller community in Bucks, and who has visited the family at Hemley Hill, said: "There's bound to be people who are concerned, it is fear of the unknown and it is the bad press which the gypsy-traveller community always gets."

He blamed local councils in Buckinghamshire for not doing enough to identify sites where gypsies and travellers could settle, adding that he expected any planning application to go to appeal, where 'two out three cases are successful'.

A local resident who spoke to The Bucks Herald, who asked not to be identified, said locals feared an increase in crime and anti-social behaviour, which Mr Jones denied would be the case.

"There is crime and there are criminals but there is no such thing as gypsy crime," he said. "Criminals come from any community."

Speaking at the site, gypsy Eileen Cash said she was positive about the welcome they had received from nearby residents.

"So far the people have been very nice from what we know of them but we don't know what they're saying behind our backs," she said.

She said the nine families who will live on nine pitches were all extended family.

They include a 22-year-old blind woman who needs a permament home in order to be able to get a guide dog, and an 'old lady who is very very ill' who also needs a permament base for medical reasons.

"We will keep ourselves to ourselves, no noise and we wont bother anybody," she said. "Residents would not bother us so we wont bother them.

She said that they want to tidy up the site, install a play area for children and exchange caravans on the site for mobile homes. "It will be nice and respectable, a very pemament site. I want to spend the rest of my life here," she said.

Councillor censured after row with gypsy

9:30am Thursday 23rd April 2009

By Phil Hill

A COUNCILLOR has been censured and ordered to undergo training following a run-in with a Romany gypsy over a planning issue.

The standards committee at Taunton Deane Council upheld a complaint against Conservative Cllr Denise Webber and ruled that she breached the Code of Conduct.

The committee heard that during a planning meeting Ms Webber said words to the effect: “I’ve heard some excuses for a gypsy applying for planning, but this is the worst.”

The complainant, Sally Tucker Woodbury, chairman of the Romany Gypsy Advisory Group, also alleged that Ms Webber was abusive to her during a phone conversation.

The standards committee said that Ms Webber, who was not at the hearing, failed to treat Mrs Tucker Woodbury with respect and her behaviour fell short of what people expect of councillors.

She was ordered to undertake training in equalities and diversity.

Speaking afterwards, Ms Webber said: “I don’t think I’ve shown any disrespect to any person, but I don’t know anything about the hearing so can’t comment until I find out exactly what I’ve been accused of.”

Conservative leader Cllr John Williams said: “I regret the standards board found it necessary to take this action - let’s hope we can move on from here.”

Mrs Tucker Woodbury welcomed the decision – she said: “Being a Romany gypsy, the feeling you always get is, ‘Why should I bother? Nobody will believe me as I’m only a gypsy’.

“But thankfully the truth stood and she was brought to justice.”

From beggar to Big Brother: Italy's Gypsy celebrity

John Hooper in Rome
The Guardian,
Wednesday 22 April 2009

A 22-year-old Gypsy who as a child begged on the streets of Italy has been voted winner of the latest Italian Big Brother reality show on Silvio Berlusconi's Mediaset network.

Ferdi Berisa's victory, which had echoes of the movie Slumdog Millionaire and Susan Boyle's appearance on Britain's Got Talent, won him €300,000 (£265,000) and the prospect of fame as a celebrity.

But he told a press conference in Rome yesterday he would spend the money on a house and "then go back to my job as a sous-chef" while studying for a place at university. Berisa, from Montenegro, entered Italy 13 years ago as a clandestine migrant after a night-time dash across the Adriatic in a high-powered launch. He said his father made him beg and take part in staged fights with other boys.

Aged 11, the young Roma was put into care in the town of Fano near Rimini and spent two years with foster parents.

He said he thought he had won because of "my diplomacy and my always keeping out of stupid argument". Critics agreed. The website of the daily Corriere della Sera speculated that the eight million viewers had been won over by "the sense of normality that, despite his stormy past, the mild-mannered Ferdi was able to convey".

His victory came as other Gypsies were under unprecedented pressure from the authorities who, in several parts of Italy, have demolished their settlements. Politicians in Berlusconi's Freedom People party routinely talk of a "Roma emergency".

The Big Brother producers delivered Berisa video messages from his estranged mother and sister, both of whom live outside Italy. He said he was ready for a family reconciliation, but added that now, "We live in different worlds".

Should India Speak Up for the European Romani?

April 20, 2009
Vinod Joseph

I heard of the Romani for the first time over a dozen years ago when I was still in college. Term was about to get over and we were all preparing to go home. A friend of mine was packing his bags to leave for Prague where his father, a diplomat, was posted. While we would catch a train or bus to get to our destinations, this chap would fly to Prague. Naturally we were all very jealous and it came as a surprise when my friend told me that Prague is not the nicest places on earth, for an Indian that is.

‘Why is that?’ I asked him.

‘Because Indians tend to get mistaken for Gypsies.’

‘Gypsies?’

‘That’s right. There are Gypsies in Prague who look like us.’

‘Really?’

‘Yeah! And the Czechs don’t like the Gypsies.’

Apparently my friend was advised carry a book and wear glasses to show that he was educated and not a gypsy.

I didn’t give that conversation further thought till I came to the UK. Gypsies or Travellers are news items in the UK and they routinely hit the front pages, usually for the wrong reasons.

(MORE)

PRINCES AMONGST MEN: THE GYPSY FILM FESTIVAL!

FEATURE FILMS AND DOCUMENTARIES
ALONGSIDE A PHOTO EXHIBITION, LIVE MUSIC & DJS OVER TWO WEEK-ENDS!

www.myspace.com/princesamongstmen2007

April 24-25-26 @ The Ritzy, Brixton

May 1-2-3 @ The Picture House, Greenwich

This festival was conceived by Garth Cartwright after his book, Princes Amongst Men: Journeys With Gypsy Musicians (Serpents Tail) was published in 2005 and readers’ began enquiring as to how they could get to see the various feature films and documentaries he described. Since then lost classic feature films, brand new feature films and many documentaries have been screened. Directors, cinephiles and Roma rights activists have participated and the Ritzy’s upstairs bar has been transformed into a Gypsy-flavoured party across the weekend.

For 2009 the Festival continues with a rich offering of past classics and brilliant new material. The Ritzy also hosts FREE live music on Saturday and Sunday night in the upstairs bar and a PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION of an Albanian Roma community by Australian photojournalist Rob Hackman.

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THE RITZY BRIXTON Friday 24th, Saturday 25th, Sunday 26th APRIL
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FRIDAY 9pm: LATCHO DROM (film)
Directed by Tony Gatlif, this beautiful 1993 feature follows the musical migration of the Romany people from Rajasthan to Andalucia. Celebrated as a classic of world cinema, Latcho Drom is a haunting, visionary film.

+ post-screening Princes Amongst Men DJ event @ Ritzy upstairs Bar

SATURDAY afternoon 4.10pm: GYPSY MUSIC EXTRAVAGANZA (vintage live footage)
Vintage TV (Esma Redzepova, Gabby Lunca) live performances (Fanfare Ciocarlia), Guca festival footage and Bulgaria's Azis. Ranges from the ‘60s to ‘00s: a variety of short documentaries including 1960s footage of Esma Redzepova, 1970s Romanian TV footage of Bygone Age stars, contemporary footage from Serbia’s Guca festival, Bulgaria’s gay Gypsy pop-folk icon Azis and other footage; most never before screened in the UK before.

SATURDAY evening 6.45pm: PRETTY DYANA: A GYPSY RECYCLING SAGA & CYMBALOM LEGACY (documentaries)

Roma documentaries Pretty Dyana: A Gypsy Recycling Saga (Serbia) & Cymbalom Legacy (Holland-Hungary 45 mins) are acclaimed, brilliant award winning documentaries! Pretty Dyana finds director Boris Mitic investigating how Roma families that fled ethnic cleansing in Kosovo have built Mad Max-like vehicles from old Yugoslav Dyana cars and employ them to recycle Belgrade’s trash. It is both hilarious and life-affirming – a Balkan Slumdog! Cymbalom Legacy focuses on virtuoso Hungarian cymbalom player Miklos Lukacs. Beautifully shot and recorded by director Mano Camon, Cymbalom Legacy offers up both a history of the cymbalom and the life story of Lukacs, a young Roma musician dedicated to crossing boundaries.

+ post-screenings live music @ Ritzy upstairs Bar with French singer-guitarist FLORENCE JOELLE, accompanied by accordionist-keyboard LUCIE REJCHRTOVA, performing a blend of jazz, blues and Romany songs (Princes Amongst Men DJ support).

SUNDAY afternoon 4.30pm: ROMA HUMAN RIGHTS EVENT (documentaries)
A variety of short documentaries from Turkey, Kosovo, Serbia, Bulgaria and the UK celebrating ROMA HUMAN RIGHTS.

**** British Gypsy activist and film maker Jake Bowers will present several shorts he has directed on the UK Gypsy-Traveller community*****

SUNDAY evening 7.00pm: I EVEN MET HAPPY GYPSIES + CHILDREN OF THE BRASS BAND (film)

A very rare screening of the classic 1960s Yugoslav film I EVEN MET HAPPY GYPSIES. This brilliant, disturbing feature is rated as one of the great European films of the 1960s, helped launch Yugoslavia's "black cinema" movement and inspired Kusturica’s Gypsy epics. Supported by THE CHILDREN OF THE BRASS BAND VILLAGE, a witty and engaging 15-minute documentary that shows how ancient musical traditions continue to exist in southern Serbia.

+ post-film screenings live music @ Ritzy upstairs Bar with klezmer duo THE MATZOH BOYS (PAM DJ support).

RITZY PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION

A photographic exhibition of an Albanian Roma community by Australian photojournalist Rob Hackman will hang in the Ritzy's downstairs bar across April.

Hackman writes, “After emerging from 50 years of isolated communist rule the people of Albania were encouraged to invest their savings and houses in a huge pyramid scheme. An estimated $2 billion was lost when these government endorsed schemes collapsed in 1997. Today many in Albaniastruggle to rebuild their lives.

This collection of images depict the lives of a small group of Roma living in the wake of this huge financial crash.” All prints will be for sale with profit going back to this Roma community.

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THE PICTURE HOUSE GREENWICH Friday 1st, Saturday 2nd, Sunday 3rd MAY
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FRIDAY 6.45pm: LATCHO DROM (film)
Directed by Tony Gatlif, this beautiful 1993 feature follows the musical migration of the Romany people from Rajasthan to Andalucia. Celebrated as a classic of world cinema, Latcho Drom is a haunting, visionary film.

SATURDAY evening 6.45pm: PRETTY DYANA: A GYPSY RECYCLING SAGA & CYMBALOM LEGACY (documentaries)

Roma documentaries Pretty Dyana: A Gypsy Recycling Saga (Serbia) & Cymbalom Legacy (Holland-Hungary 45 mins) are acclaimed, brilliant award winning documentaries! Pretty Dyana finds director Boris Mitic investigating how Roma families that fled ethnic cleansing in Kosovo have built Mad Max-like vehicles from old Yugoslav Dyana cars and employ them to recycle Belgrade’s trash. It is both hilarious and life-affirming – a Balkan Slumdog! Cymbalom Legacy focuses on virtuoso Hungarian cymbalom player Miklos Lukacs. Beautifully shot and recorded by director Mano Camon, Cymbalom Legacy offers up both a history of the cymbalom and the life story of Lukacs, a young Roma musician dedicated to crossing boundaries.

SUNDAY afternoon 4pm: ROMA HUMAN RIGHTS EVENT (documentaries)
A variety of short documentaries from Turkey, Kosovo, Serbia, Bulgaria and the UK celebrating ROMA HUMAN RIGHTS.

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THE RITZY, BRIXTON Box Office: 08707 550
Coldharbour Lane, London, SW2 1JG
Nearest tube: Brixton (Victoria Line), 3 minutes walk
www.picturehouses.co.uk/site/cinemas/ritzy/local.htm

GREENWICH PICTURE HOUSE Box Office: 08707 55 00 65
180 Greenwich High Road , Greenwich, London, SE10 8NN
British Rail is five minutes walk
www.picturehouses.co.uk/site/cinemas/Greenwich/local.html

Councillor faces action over 'anti-gypsy' remark

john.downing@cambridge-news.co.uk

A COUNCILLOR could face disciplinary action for saying travellers should be left to stew in raw sewage.

Cllr Deborah Roberts is alleged to have made an offensive remark to Dale Robinson, a South Cambridgeshire District Council officer.

They met when the council was about to use its default powers to clear raw sewage from an area near where children played at the Smithy Fen travellers' site.

Mr Robinson, who said he had previously had a "very good" working relationship with the "rather challenging" Cllr Roberts, was asked by her about the cost of the Smithy Fen work.

After she said money should not be spent on "them", Mr Robinson's note of the meeting says:

"She said: 'Let them stew in their own ****'."

Cllr Roberts later said her comment was: "Let them stew in it."

An investigation by the Standards Board for England has been referred to the local hearings panel - and it meets at the council's offices on Wednesday, April 15 to decide if Cllr Roberts breached its code of conduct.

A report from the council's ethical standards officer reveals that Cllr Roberts contacted the Standards Board to deny Mr Robinson's "outrageous" claims and complain that she was the victim of a "witch hunt".

After she met Greg Harlock, the council's chief executive, about the issue, he recalled that she was "very worked up" and "her emotions were all over the place". He said: "At no time did Cllr Roberts deny having said it. What she went into was to provide background information."

But when interviewed by an internal investigator on July 25 last year, Cllr Roberts said: "No I didn't (say that). I'm sure I did say: 'Let them stew in it'."

The council's ethical standards officer said Mr Robinson's account was written soon after the meeting on January 31 last year and he had "no difficulties" in hearing Cllr Roberts' words.

Cllr Roberts said the officer's report took a "selective approach" to evidence, but the officer said all relevant evidence was used in the investigation into whether Cllr Roberts breached the code of conduct, which states: "You must treat others with respect."

If found to have broken the code, Cllr Roberts would face disciplinary action, with the ultimate sanction of three months' suspension from the council.

Cllr Roberts, who was last night unavailable for comment, is no stranger to controversy. In 2007 she escaped punishment from the Standards Board despite saying that, if she had cancer, she would launch a suicide bomb attack on travellers in Cottenham.

She was thrown out of the council's cabinet and later apologised.

Council's hunt for gypsy pitches

25 March 2009

LANDOWNERS are being asked if they have any room for gypsy caravans.

North Somerset Council must find 36 long stay and 10 short stay grounds by 2011 and wants people to contact them if they have a potential site.

There are 42 residential pitches in six locations across the district, but the council says it will only be able to eject travellers from illegal sites if it has the extra capacity.

The unitary authority's planning chief Elfan Ap Rees said: "We have to provide these sites over the next two years - we have no choice.

"We are inviting land owners to suggest sites but only those that meet our strict criteria are likely to be considered and even those will be subject to planning approval and public consultation.

"However if there is a sensible site available we would welcome an early planning application which meets our local plan policy.

"Frivolous planning applications for traveller sites are likely be disregarded as unsuitable."

No sites have yet been proposed, but the council will have to take into account any green belt, Mendip Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, conservation sites and proximity of services.

Travellers using the sites would have to pay rent.

Anyone with a potential site is asked to telephone the council's planning policy team on 01934 426177 or e-mail planning.policy@n-somerset.gov.uk

Gypsy Louise given traditional send off

Tuesday, March 24, 2009, 09:30

HUNDREDS of mourners gave a "true Romany gypsy" a spectacular send off at the weekend.

Trucks and cars laden with flowers followed the horse-drawn hearse taking much-loved Louie Smith to her funeral on Saturday.

Roads on the route to Lingfield were closed to allow the cortege of nearly 300 mourners to pass.

They included Mrs Smith's seven children and more than 100 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The former caravan-dweller, of Packer Close, East Grinstead, died on March 11 aged 82 after a long battle with cancer.

"She was the kindest, gentlest, most trustworthy, hardest working, loving mum I could ever, ever have," her son Charlie told the Courier and Observer.

Born in Guildford, the daughter of well-known bare-knuckle prize fighter Frank Smith, Mrs Smith's family moved to the East Grinstead area when she was two and lived in a caravan in Felbridge.

Eventually, they were able to buy a bungalow but although it was the home of the rest of the family, Mrs Smith continued to live in the caravan at the rear.

Charlie said: "She was a true Romany gypsy.

"She made pegs, primrose baskets, wooden flowers and wicker baskets which she sold door to door."

She also caught the train from East Grinstead to Croydon where she sold baskets of lucky heather in the busy shopping streets.
"She always had to earn her bread before she could eat it," her son said.

Mrs Smith's husband, Albert, was a horse and scrap metal dealer.
When she died, the family followed the traditional gypsy rituals, Charlie said.

The caravan was burnt when she moved to East Grinstead and when she died, all her belongings were destroyed.

Four black-plumed horses and the hearse hired from Harrods took Mrs Smith from the chapel of rest at Queen Victoria Hospital to her home before the procession to the church of St Peter and St Paul at Lingfield.

The service was conducted by the Rev Michael Carter and the funeral arrangements were made by Alex Jones of Lingfield.

Chaos warning over gypsy sites

chris.havergal@cambridge-news.co.uk

SNAIL-PACED bureaucracy could plunge gypsy and traveller policy in South Cambridgeshire into chaos, furious planners fear.

Hold-ups in producing a flagship strategy to identify new pitches in the district have sparked concerns travellers might have to be accommodated in the already overstretched affordable housing stock - and that sites with temporary permission will end up getting permanent consent.

Numerous sites in the area could be affected, particularly in Willingham, Cottenham, Histon and Impington.

Work on the strategy - known as the gypsy and traveller development plan document - got under way in 2006 but it is now not expected to be completed until 2011.

Consultants were employed to develop the project but were fired after less than two years because their work was not up to scratch.

It is now being produced in-house at South Cambridgeshire District Council, but members are angry about the delay.

At a meeting of the planning committee, councillors said traveller sites given temporary consent on the understanding the strategy would be ready when their permission came up for renewal might have to be given permanent approval.

And the meeting heard new developments in the Cambridge area such as Trumpington Meadows had no pitches allocated to them, when the strategy might have changed this.

It was suggested traveller families could be homed in affordable housing - but the council already has 4,000 families on its waiting list.

Cllr Sebastian Kindersley, the leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition, said waiting five years for the strategy was "simply unacceptable".

He said: "We are missing opportunities because of this. There has been no mention of it in all our growth areas where we were expecting allocations for the gypsy and traveller community."

Cllr Kindersley said developers would have to accept the need to accommodate traveller sites in their developments.

Cllr Pippa Corney said temporary permissions were already coming up for renewal in her Willingham ward.

She said: "We have got temporary consents coming up next year and the year after and I am concerned about what we are going to do with them."

Cllr Nick Wright, the council's planning chief, told members he did not think other authorities were faring any better in producing the strategy.

Cllr David Bard, its new communities boss, added: "There are reasons why this seems to take an inordinate length of time but I can assure you it is high on our agenda and we are pushing it forward as fast as we can."

Gypsy and traveller site plan in Winterbourne is refused

9:20am Monday 23rd March 2009

By Liza-Jane Gillespie

PLANNING bosses have refused an application for a gypsy and traveller site in Winterbourne.

An application had been made for the stationing of one mobile home and one touring caravan on land at Giddyend, off High Lane.

However, having deferred the decision from a meeting in January so as to allow a site visit, members of South Gloucestershire Council’s development control committee refused the application at a meeting last week.

Planning officer Helen O’Connor said: "It would be departure from normal green belt policy. This application is inappropriate development in the green belt and the onus is on the applicant to demonstrate the special circumstances that would outweigh the harm on the green belt."

The application is believed to have been made because of overcrowding at a neighbouring gypsy site owned by the same family.

The planning committee was also told that despite a shortage of gypsy and traveller sites in South Gloucestershire this site was not put forward as part of the recent Gypsy and Traveller Development Plan Document.

The planning committee refused the application because of highways concerns, which included increased traffic along Swan Lane, the unsuitable junction from High Lane onto Swan Lane and the detrimental effect it would have on safety of pedestrians and horse riders.

The committee also said the application was an inappropriate development and harmful to the green belt and that the applicant had failed to demonstrate special circumstances.

Barnet councillor Brian Coleman condemned for 'stay away gypsies' comments on BBC show

7:20am Monday 23rd March 2009

By Kevin Bradford

A Barnet councillor attracted controversy yesterday after claiming gypsies should “stay put in Ireland”.

The often outspoken Greater London Authority member for Barnet and Camden, Brian Coleman, condemned the traveller community during a debate on the BBC’s Politics Show about the potential for increased gypsy sites across London boroughs.

It came as the Greater London Authority prepares to discuss the results of the London boroughs’ gypsy and traveller accommodation needs assessment 2008, which suggests 553 new permanent pitches are required across the capital in the next five years.

Proposals could see up to 13 sites built in the borough, and managed by Barnet Council, to match the increased demand.

But speaking on the Sunday morning show, Mr Coleman said he would not welcome “one single site” in the borough, and claimed they would not be accommodating communities that had been in the UK for decades, but instead a group of people “who offer to Tarmac your drive”.

He said: “Successive councils in Barnet, Labour-controlled and Conservative, have examined the borough thoroughly and found no suitable sites.

“I do not know any councillor of any mainstream political party who would support traveller sites in their ward.

“We’re not talking traditional gypsies here, we’re not talking about this romantic vision of gypsies in attractive caravans, we’re talking about the itinerant Irish traveller community who come over and want to resurface people's drives and repair their roofs.

“This is a commuter who comes over from Ireland looking for work that should frankly stay put in Ireland.”


Father Joe Browne, chairman of the Irish traveller movement, who was also on the panel, said there is a shortage of legal sites in London which impacts negatively on gypsy groups, and went on to condemn Mr Coleman’s comments.

“I’m shocked Brian would take that attitude,” he said.

“It’s simply unacceptable to say they should stay where they are.”

Andrew Slaughter, Labour MP for Ealing Action and Shepherds Bush, responded on the show by branding Mr Coleman “loudmouthed” and saying the comments were “inflammatory and quite disgraceful”.

He said: “[The comments] would be completely unacceptable when talking about any other ethnic minority.”

Potential gypsy sites cut from 26 to 12

Published Date: 16 March 2009

Anxious members of the public turned out for a meeting on Thursday (March 13) to hear the results of a consultation on gypsy and travellers sites.

The crowd, of around 25 people, listened as the planning committee agreed with Dacorum Borough Council staff to shave 12 areas from the list.

The decision, if agreed by Cabinet, will leave only the following as possible sites: Grovehill West, PolADVERTISEMENTehanger Lane, Featherbed Lane, Fields End Lane and Long Chaulden in Hemel Hempstead, Swing Gate Lane and Sandpit Green in Berkhamsted, Dunsley Farm and Icknield Way in Tring, The Ridings in Markyate, plus Green Lane and the airfield in Bovingdon.

The committee also suggested that avoiding land within the green belt should be made a priority.

Councillor Alan Anderson: "This is a very difficult subject and one that Dacorum has not traditionally had to deal with.

"There are a number of issues to consider but can we request that green belt land is avoided as much as possible?"

But planning senior manager Richard Blackburn told the committee that building on green belt land was viable where there was a need to do so.

He added: "The way people have responded to this consultation suggests they would like to see the sites far away from settled areas.

"By not using any green belt land the sites would be even closer to settled parts of the borough."

More than 1,800 people put their concerns into writing when possible spots for gypsy and traveller sites were announced last year as part of
a wider consultation on housing.

The plans, which would bump pitches in Dacorum up from 36 to 59 by 2031, aim to meet government targets for more homes and traveller sites.

Most letters opposing the proposals cited the loss of green belt land, as well as social issues such as integration.

Around 150 responses were excluded from the report because they were deemed racist under The Race Relations Act 1976.

The issue will be discussed by Cabinet on March 31.

Bowd land IS gypsy home target

16 March 2009

LAND at the Bowd on "The gateway to Sidmouth" HAS been targeted to home travellers and gypsies- and its owner has "expressed a positive interest" in the prospect.

The Government has ordered East Devon District Council (EDDC) to find an additional nine pitches by 2011 and the Herald reported last month how land off the A3052 is one of four sites in the region that was earmarked to fulfil the quota.

EDDC planners discussed the matter in private this week and a spokesman said:

"Land owners of identified sites were contacted to seek their views on the potential use of their land. One land owner, in respect of land at the Bowd in Sidmouth, expressed a positive interest in making his site available for future use by gypsies and/or travellers."

Development control committee members agreed on Tuesday that the council "should" now embark a full public consultation exercise on this specific site.

Members also agreed to:

- invite the public, land owners and any other interested parties to suggest potential sites, and:

- continue discussions with land-owners of potential sites; and:

- hold further discussions with the County Gypsy Liaison Officer and gypsies and - travellers themselves on gypsy and traveller needs and sites; the joint think tank meeting again to consider any additional sites that might be suitable.

Hundreds expected for gypsy king funeral

Published Date: 17 March 2009

Many hundreds of relatives and friends were today attending one of Wigan's biggest gypsy funerals.

'King of the travellers' John Doran, 69, who latterly lived in a distinctive cottage off Scot Lane, lost a brave battle against liver and stomach cancer.

The father of six surviving children, as well as eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, was also a popular member of the settled community with his own chair at his local, the Bowling Green at Newtown.

Many will be swelling the ranks for the Requiem Mass at St Edward's RC Church at noon today.

An exporter who made a living salvaging lorry engines and transmissions for sale abroad, Mr Doran ordered the funeral be a celebration of his great love of life and family.

As a result, there will be no traditional black on show.

He will be taken to church in a white carriage pulled by seven magnificent white horses, while the mourners, including his widow Violet, will be carried in seven silver-coloured limousines.

Originally from Roscommon in the Irish Republic, Mr Doran was the son of legendary 'Champion Piper of Ireland' Felix Doran. And some of his music is due to be played by brother-in-law John Rooney during the proceedings.

Mr Doran was also a much respected greyhound man, whose dogs won races organised by travellers all over the country.

There are potentially so many mourners coming from Ireland and Scotland for the funeral that residents have been asked by police to park their cars as close to the kerb as possible along the route in an attempt to keep it as clear as possible.

He will be buried in St Helens Cemetery, near to his late baby daughter's grave.

The full article contains 292 words and appears in Wigan Evening Post newspaper.

Collection of Romany Gypsy wagons to be auctioned

One of the largest exhibitions of Romany Gypsy wagons in the country, held at Paultons Park in the New Forest, Hampshire, is being auctioned. The collection was put together by the museum's owners in the early 80s to preserve and remember the New Forest Romany culture. However, due to a steady decline of visitors to the exhibition, the items will go under the hammer at Paultons Park on Wednesday.

SEE PICTURES

Gypsies face eviction from 'green belt' site

Adam Derbyshire
March 04, 2009

A GYPSY family who have settled on ‘green belt’ in Denton are facing eviction.

Dean Price, 32, and his brother Thomas set up camp at the former builder’s yard in Watson Street and transformed it into a des res for their families.

The brothers, both Romany gypsies, live in caravans with their wives Sheila and Colette and 10 children aged from one to 17.

Far from the stereotypical ‘gypsy camp’, the site is surrounded by a new brick wall, decorated with hanging baskets and topped with black railings. Ornate gates and CCTV guard the entrance and a gravel drive sweeps into camp.

Speaking to the Advertiser last year, Thomas, 40, said: "It was an eyesore when we arrived. The lane was a magnet for drunken youths, joyriders and flytippers. But we’ve tidied it up and there’s no trouble here now."

Dean added: "I want to give our kids something we never had, a settled school life.

"We bought this site for our family alone, no one else will come here."

They applied for retrospective permission to stay in the green belt, but their application was turned down on Wednesday (4 March) .

Solicitors for the family argued that because it was formerly a builder’s yard, green belt rules should not apply.

A government circular was introduced in 2006 because there had been a failure to deliver adequate sites for gypsies and travellers over the past 10 years.

But planning chiefs told councillors to refuse the application, arguing that "harm" done to the green belt outweighs the "special circumstances" of the proposal.

Seven unsigned objections were submitted from residents in Hyde Road, and Denton MP Andrew Gwynne and his wife, Councillor Alison Gwynne, also objected.

Mr Gwynne submitted an aerial photograph showing the site covered by extensive vegetation in 2003, while his wife said a residential planning application was refused in 1997 so granting permission now would set an ‘alarming precedent’.

Mr Gwynne claimd ‘gypsies’ are classed the same as ‘travelling showmen’ for which there are already three sites in Denton.

Traveller women give modern touches to Carmen

Reworked version of Bizet's opera of unrequited love and jealousy gets one-off performance at Royal Albert Hall

Ahmad Ali guardian.co.uk, Monday 2 March 2009 11.41 GMT

A modern version of Carmen written by Traveller women will be staged at the Royal Albert Hall today.

The one-off production will be performed in the Elgar Room by a cast of leading TV and stage actors. It is a collaboration between the Traveller Women's Group, based in Ealing, west London, and students from the Purcell School of Music in Hertfordshire.

Why Didn't I Tell You How Much I Loved You?, like the original that inspired it, is the story of an ill-fated Gypsy woman who falls in love with the wrong man. In the new version, however, Carmen has been replaced by Chantelle, an English Gypsy who falls in love with an Irish Traveller called Paddy.

"When we first heard about the offer we thought they were having a laugh," said Margaret, 40, one of the 16 writers involved in the project. She said she and the others were "delighted" to take part.

The women worked with playwright Darren Rapier and poet Ian McMillan in a series of workshops to realise their own interpretation, using Bizet's narrative as a starting point. They drew upon experiences of racism, and wrote about health issues affecting their communities, such as heavy smoking and difficulty accessing healthcare.

The tale focuses on internal differences within the Traveller population and undermines the misconception that Travellers are a homogenous group. According to Margaret: "Everyone thinks Irish and English Travellers are the same but there are differences in what girls are allowed to do." She added: "We are devout Catholics. Faith is central to our culture."

The story is set in London but much of the action takes place at the annual Appleby horse fair in Cumbria - one of the largest of its kind and an important cultural event in the Traveller calender. "The original happens in a tobacco factory," said Samantha, another of the writers. "We thought: 'Where would it take place for a Traveller?' We decided on Appleby as Irish dancing, horse dealing and everything in our culture are on display there," she added.

The project is a part of the Royal Albert Hall's training and participation programme, and follows on from the success of last year's Tosca project, in which ex-offenders from Enfield in north London rewrote the opera, setting it on a housing estate.

Alastair Tallon, head of learning and participation, said a key objective is to create interaction between groups that would not normally be in contact - in this case, Travellers and music students. Tallon, whose job is to diversify visitors to the Royal Albert Hall, said all the women involved in the project would come to see the production. He added: "Enjoying opera is not just about musical appreciation. It appeals to the human condition. We wanted to know how people relate to its themes."

Plymouth warned not to rush Gypsy site plan

Sunday, March 01, 2009, 20:08

PLYMOUTH City Council should not rush into building permanent Gypsy and Traveller sites in Plymouth, MP Gary Streeter told a packed meeting in Plympton.

The council is obliged by the Government to provide pitches for an extra 55 caravans and is considering land at Coypool, on the edge of Plympton, as well as sites at Coombe Farm, St Budeaux, and Efford Warren.

Mr Streeter, the Conservative MP for South West Devon, told a crowd of hundreds at Hele's School on Friday night: "My approach will be to encourage the council to play it long, because it is likely that this policy will disappear after the next General Election. I hope the next Government will not insist on this because feelings are running high in Westminster."
The meeting was told that the land at Coypool was owned by the Adams family trust and Cundy Farms, and that there had been no negotiations over buying it.

Patrick Nicholson, one of the three Conservative councillors for Plympton St Mary who called the meeting, said compulsory purchase was possible but the council could "get bogged down for years" in any attempt.

David Rowland, a travelling showman with Rowlands Fun Fairs, said: "I believe that the three sites they have picked are not suitable at all."
He said a site needed to be close to education and public transport.

Lesley Jones, a Woodford Infants School teacher, wanted to know where the children of Travelling families who stayed at Coypool would be educated.

"We are full and we have a waiting list," she said.

Sandra George of Lynwood Avenue in Woodford, near the proposed Coypool site, said the land did not fit the Government's criteria because some of it was greenfield land, it was steeply sloping, and it was too close to homes to allow adequate screening. She said more of the site was woodland. "Are they going to chop that down?"

David James, a Conservative councillor for Plympton St Mary, said there had been no consideration of putting sites at Sherford new town and at the new developments in the north of the city. His fellow Plympton councillor Samantha Leaves said that by putting Gypsy sites on new developments, people buying houses there would know what they were getting.

Mr Nicholson called on all residents to participate in the consultation process the council is about to launch.

"We need to use the process to our advantage and maximise Plympton's voice," Mr Nicholson said.

"This is a consultation exercise. No decision has been taken."

Gypsy camps: the facts and fiction

Friday, February 27, 2009, 06:45

KEITH ROSSITER talks to council experts Pete Aley, Bronwyn Prosser and Dave Taylor along with Cabinet member Peter Brookshaw to get their perspective on Travellers and the city’s plan for Gypsy camps.

Why should we pay for a Gypsy and Traveller camp? These people do not pay taxes and expect us to pick up the tab for cleaning up after them.

Like everyone else, Gypsies and Travellers have to pay council tax, rent and other bills. They also pay income tax on earnings. This includes those who stop on authorised local authority transit sites.

Why do we need several camps? Couldn't you just put them all in the same place – preferably out of Plymouth?

There is a legal requirement for each area to provide a certain number of pitches. We can't offload ours on the South Hams, for example. Too many people on one site can lead to tensions on the site and with the neighbours.
Who are the groups who come here?

We don't get many New Age Travellers. They tend to find a spot, usually in the countryside, and stay there. Plymouth gets mostly Irish Travellers and Romany Gypsies. We also have showpeople, who have lived at Efford Fort for many years.

What is the difference between the different groups?

A range with distinct backgrounds, cultures and traditions are recognised under race relations legislation. They include Roma, Romany Gypsies, Irish Travellers, and travelling show people, including circus folk.

Some people say that the genuine Roma are all right; it's some of the other groups that cause problems.

They've all got their own cultures and traditions, but it's too simplistic to say one group is better than another. In any community there are those who cause problems.

Is there any evidence of rising crime connected with Gypsies and Travellers?

There is no evidence for this locally. This is backed up by national research by the Joseph Rowntree Study which looked into three new sites in Scotland where the police reported no noticeable increase in crime nearby.
Perception and fear of crime are totally different from the reality.

Is there any evidence about the impact on house prices of having a permanent site near by?

We do not have any evidence of this. The Joseph Rowntree Study found that evidence on this was inconclusive.

How much will it cost to build these sites?

About £80,000 to £100,000 a pitch. Plymouth needs to provide an extra 40 residential and 15 transit pitches.

That's a lot of money. What will you get for it?

People have an image in their minds from seeing the unauthorised encampments, and they transfer that to the proper sites. We believe the new sites will change people's views. They will be as modern as a modern holiday camp. There will be hardstandings for caravans and cars, and an amenity block. The block will have a kitchen and small eating area, toilets and bathroom. There may also be a storage area for working equipment. The permanent sites may also have a playground and a grazing area for animals, plus a site office.

What will the Gypsies and Travellers get out of it?

They will have adequate accommodation and be able to avoid setting up unauthorised encampments. We will also be able to give them access to other services such as health and education.

What size are the groups who come to Plymouth?

Most encampments are four to five caravans, and usually they have children with them.

How will the travelling people use our sites?

A family might have a permanent site as a base, then go travelling for a few months of the year. Those with small children will tend to stay put for longer.

The Government is forcing this on us and the Tories are refusing to fight it, or at least trying to hold out until the next General Election. Would it be possible to delay?

Delay will only store up problems and risks. This is not just about Government requirements – it's about long term-solutions. We have significant numbers of unauthorised encampments. We need to think about everyone – local residents, Gypsies and Travellers and those who put up with unauthorised encampments. Whatever political party is in control, the housing need will not go away and nor will the issue of unauthorised encampments. Delay also means we could lose the opportunity to bid for government funding – and have sites imposed on us.

What will happen if Plymouth defies the Government and refuses to build these camps?

The Secretary of State has the power to order us to do it. If we don't, the courts can make unauthorised encampments permanent. This happened last year in West Yorkshire.

Efford people say that the old Gypsy site there was abused and wrecked. Will it be different this time?

We are keen to involve local residents and Gypsies and Travellers in the design of the Efford site so we can minimise the risks. Experience from other areas show that well-managed sites are not problematic and different to the sort of unauthorised encampments that have caused so many problems in Plymouth. See www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/ findings/housing/H201.asp for more information.

I've heard that the Government is offering money right through to 2011 to build sites. Why are we rushing into it?

The money is announced year on year, with a separate pot each year. It is extremely likely that demand will grow and if we don't get a bid in now, we are likely to get less money.

The existing permanent site at The Ride has been in a shocking state, with uncontrolled dogs barking at passers-by. How will a new site be different?
The interior of the site and accommodation is well maintained and clean. This is not readily visible to passers-by. We recognise that there have been some issues about the area around the site. This is partly due to the design and the nearness to the old rubbish tip. Noise nuisance can be a problem for all communities and there are formal channels for reporting and dealing with it.

Some people say you haven't done enough consultation over using land at Efford Warren and that the site is contaminated.

The Efford plans have been in the public domain for more than a year. According to our survey the land is not contaminated. However, we'll do more investigation before we put in a bid.

Senior Plymouth Tory attacks 'war' on Gypsy camp

Tuesday, February 24, 2009, 20:18A

LEADING city Conservative has attacked Labour councillors for declaring "war" on plans to build a Gypsy camp.

As reported in The Herald on Tuesday, Andy Kerswell, Labour councillor for Efford and Lipson, vowed to fight after the council voted on Monday to go ahead with consultation over designs for a Gypsy and Traveller site off Military Road, Efford.

"It's war," Mr Kerswell told The Herald.

But a leading Conservative has now hit back at Labour's tough stance, questioning why Labour leader Tudor Evans was not at the emergency Gyspy meeting on Monday.

Cabinet member Dr David Salter said: "After Cllr Kerswell's outburst on the front page of The Herald, I'd ask: What sort of 'war' is it when the general doesn't even turn up for the fight?

Answer: one where Tudor Evans realises he is fighting his own Government."

The Government has ordered councils to provide permanent sites.

Mr Evans said later that he was out of the county, working for the Improvement and Development Agency.

"I couldn't change my plans because the meeting was called at such short notice," Mr Evans said.

Mr Kerswell threatened to take the fight to the courts after Labour councillors walked out of an emergency council meeting, claiming it had been called in violation of the council's own rules.

They later pledged their support in the battle to stop the council building Gypsy and Traveller camps at any of the three sites identified by the council.

Dr Salter said the Labour group was ignoring the independent legal advice of the city council's chief legal officer, David Shepperd, who ruled that the meeting was legal.

Meanwhile, the council has published a new timetable for people to have their say on plans for Gypsy Traveller sites. It has been drawn up after this week's controversial debate.

The council is revising the dates for public consultation on Efford.
Consultation on using land at Coombe Farm, Mowhay Road, St Budeaux, and at the Imerys works at Coypool will now take place from March 31 to May 12.

The original consultation period was due to start on February 23 but was delayed when the decision to consult the public, made by Plymouth City Council's Cabinet, was challenged by Labour councillors.

Members of the council's Overview and Scrutiny Commission voted earlier this month to allow the consultation to go ahead.

Cllr Peter Brookshaw, the Cabinet member for Safer and Stronger Communities, Housing and Supporting People and Community Cohesion, said: "This is a chance for everyone to have their say. We welcome all comments as long as they're not racist or abusive and we'd like to hear from anyone with ideas for suitable sites which we may not have considered so far."

The consultation will include displays, officers on hand to answer questions and feedback forms.

Coypool site consultation:
Thursday April 2, 9am to 1pm: Coypool Park and Ride.
Thursday April 2, 1.30pm to 6pm: Sainsbury's car park, Marsh Mills.
Monday April 20, 5pm to 8pm: Novotel, Marsh Mills.

St Budeaux site consultation:
Friday April 24, 10am to 4pm: Kitto Centre, Honicknowle Lane.
Tuesday April 28, 5pm to 8pm: Tamarside School.

There will be displays with comment forms at St Budeaux Library and at the temporary library in the former Jobcentre at the Ridgeway in Plympton throughout the six-week consultation.

Maps and information are available on the council's website: www.plymouth.gov.uk/gypsyandtravellerssitesldf.htm

Giving and taking away

Phil Chamberlain The Guardian, Wednesday 25 February 2009

Travellers' rights champion recognised for forthright campaigning faces a battle of her own over eviction from her home

Bridgette Jones will be at Buckingham Palace next month to collect an MBE for service to her community.

A week later she will be at the high court hoping that her home outside Canterbury will not be taken from her.

"They give you a medal with one hand and they try and take your home away with the other," she says.

Jones, known to everyone as Bridie, has championed Traveller rights for the last 15 years. During that time she says that overt racism against Gypsies and Travellers may have diminished in the UK but discrimination still exists - nowhere more so than in planning regulations. Since 2001 she has been fighting to stay on the plot of land that she, her son, daughter and seven grandchildren call home.

"It has been seven long and depressing years," she says. "We have been given planning permission by the county council and by two inspectors but some villagers have set up a group to stop us and they keep appealing. It is very aggravating. You have children born and bred on that land."

Through her work with the Canterbury Gypsy Traveller Support Group, Jones gets a lot of calls from Travellers about similar planning problems.

"In some cases it is just ethnic cleansing," she claims. "In Basildon the council is spending £3m on bailiffs to evict Travellers from a site. There are 300 children on that site and some are sick and some are dying. We're supposed to be in a credit crunch and yet they spend all this money to put people off their own land."

Jones began volunteering back in 1992, working with young people in Kent. She found then that ethnic minority children didn't access traditional youth services so she tried to open up the services to the whole community.

"I've always tried to break down barriers and build bridges," she says. "When I get a phone call now I try to make sure they get the right services and go to the right people. It's about bringing people around a table and discussing problems."

When Jones got the letter in the post back in October with the royal motif on it, asking if she would accept an MBE she thought it was a joke. A follow-up letter inviting her to the palace in March was met by "complete out-and-out shock".

Jones has been to Downing Street to petition for Traveller rights on several occasions, but she just plans on enjoying this trip. She is saving her energy for the high court battle.

"People get very angry when they see what is happening in Italy with [Roma]Gypsies," she says , "but I don't think people know that it [discrimination] is on their own doorstep."

Saunders Settles Down to Spar for Gypsy Kith and Kin

Billy Joe Saunders is determined to make a success of his professional boxing career to help highlight the plight of Romany Gypsies

A dark patch of sweat spreads across the back of Billy Joe Saunders's grey T-shirt in a derelict warehouse in Canning Town. Tucked away in a corner of a bleak industrial estate, with the flatlands of east London stretched out around us, the new boxing home for the teenage Romany Gypsy fighter is still a strange and draining place. Unlike the arcane world of amateur boxing, which increasingly resembles fencing more than fighting, with bouts being decided by ­scoring as political as it is arbitrary, the professional gym deals in raw hurt.

Between the ropes, and stalked by a determined African journeyman, ­Saunders's breathing falls hard and fast as he prepares for his professional debut in Birmingham on Saturday night. Alongside his fellow amateur stars, James DeGale and Frankie Gavin, Saunders will fight on a Frank Warren bill which should mark the start of an intriguing era for British boxing. DeGale will flash his Olympic gold medal and Gavin can point to the amateur world title he won, but Saunders brings the most ­evocative story to the ring.

As the 19-year-old endures a punishing training regime his father, Tom, talks softly about their Romany Gypsy heritage. In his understated way, he describes the persecution of the Roma under the Nazis and explains how draconian legislation shackles their misunderstood tradition in Britain today. Beyond the harsh sounds of sparring, Tom's hope, that his youngest son may help change ­perceptions of their community, resounds.

"I'd like to do that," the fighter himself says an hour later as he strips off his ­sodden shirt and protective headgear. "When most people hear we're Travelers they think: 'Gypsy! Trouble!' It ain't nice. Don't get me wrong, there are bad people among Travelers, but you can't tar everyone with the same brush. Look at my dad, or my great-grandad. They're proud and decent and if I can help people understand that I'll be doing a good job."

Absolom Beeny, Saunders's great-grandfather, used to make a living through ­bare-knuckle fighting at fairgrounds the Romany Gypsies set up at sites around England more than 70 years ago. "He was a champion, my old great-grandad," Saunders says, grinning, "and you can still see that today. We never had birth certificates in them days so no one's sure of his exact age. He says he's 96 but he might be a year or two older. He still goes drinking in different pubs around Hertfordshire and they all know him."

Saunders winks as he draws a link with old Absolom's recipe for a long life. "I haven't had a fight since the Beijing ­Olympics – except for down the pub," he quips. "My last fight was on 14 August, when I lost to the Cuban [Carlos Banteaux Suarez]. That's why I'm still shaking off the ring rust."

Some boxing experts believe that, starting his career at light-middleweight against Hungary's Attila Molnar , Saunders will eventually emerge as the most successful of the trio Warren has plucked from the British Olympic team. With his sharp punching and slick ringcraft, ­Saunders had already proved himself by the time he arrived in Beijing. He had won his first 49 bouts and also outpointed ­Suarez six months earlier.

"I had the beating of him in Beijing," Saunders insists. "But it's not good when you land 10 shots and you go back to your corner and see that none of them have counted and you're four points down. But best of luck to the Cuban. He won the silver." Saunders remains convinced that he would have won gold at the London 2012 Olympics – had his amateur career not been derailed by controversy soon after losing to Suarez. An unnamed source fed the Daily Mail a story that Saunders could be seen on a YouTube clip acting in an "obscene and lewd" manner towards a Frenchwoman.

"Believe it or not," Saunders snorts, "this meant the ABA [Amateur Boxing Association] pushed a future Olympic champion, me, out of 2012. Even if people say you can't be sure, I would have been a banker for gold. They really fucked themselves because I was thinking hard about staying for London, getting my glory, and only then turning pro. But they shafted me so they could get Terry Edwards."

As the plain-speaking coach of the British team, Edwards had many foes in the ABA. "They wanted Terry out," Saunders says. "They were jealous of him. So they blew up this YouTube thing to get at him. Terry went mad when he learnt the truth and saw there was no scandal. But at first he was mad with me. You could have sworn blind I'd murdered someone. I didn't know what he was talking about. It took me ages to work out he was talking about this joke we'd had in France months before."

The mysterious YouTube clip has been seen by very few people, and it has since been removed, which means that Saunders has to protest his innocence. "Nothing bad happened. This French lady was cleaning our hotel room and we were joking together. She was ­having a laugh with us, her and a few of her colleagues."

What were they laughing about? "I was just learning her English," Saunders says.It does not take much imagination to guess the kind of crude English words an excitable young boxer might claim to be teaching an older Frenchwoman, but Saunders suggests: "She was a lovely lady with a sense of humor. She would laugh this thing off if anyone asked her, I promise you. But someone twisted it and I got suspended for lewd behaviour. I couldn't believe it, but it was a blessing in disguise. It made me turn pro."

Saunders argues that he will bring a new responsibility to his professional work. "It's not about me no more. It's about my little boy's future."

Billy Joe Jr is 19 months old and his father reveals, bashfully, that another baby is due in May. "I call it my Beijing baby because it happened as soon as I got home from the Olympics. The little 'un is going to have a brother."

His former girlfriend, Ruby, is the mother of both, but Saunders, hinting at the chaos of a teenager's love-life, shifts awkwardly and mumbles, "Well, yeah, but I'm single now. It's a long old story but she's a lovely girl and very understanding. The important thing is I've got a ­little boy, and another on the way, and I don't want them on the streets in later life. I don't want them getting stabbed or any of that shit. I want them to lead a good and decent life."

Saunders laughs grimly when asked what might have happened to him had he not been such a gifted boxer. "I would probably have ended up in prison. I've had mates stabbed and shot and ending up on a life-support machine. I've had two close friends in prison – one for eight years and one for five – and both tell me to keep my head down and not make the same mistakes as them."

His elder brother, Tom, has also passed down lessons forged through ­bitter experience and tragedy. "Tom is a very talented boxer and he was on the same British team as Amir Khan. He was all set to go to the 2004 Olympics but he lost his way a little and got fed up with boxing. But something worse happened. Tom lost his baby boy when it was born [2007]. That knocked him badly. My own baby was due just a few weeks later. I was really worried but thankfully it was OK. And Tom now has a beautiful little daughter. So he's recovering and he's fighting again as a pro in April. But it made me understand ­nothing is certain."

There had been another poignant moment earlier that afternoon when Saunders' father had suggested that, for Romany Gypsies, "living in a home without wheels is the same as birds being kept in a cage". Yet, for Saunders, his new parental responsibilities mean he will "work hard, get some serious money and hopefully move into property".

He nods when reminded of his father's birdcage analogy. "I know. But we ain't allowed to travel these days. I've been at the same [Travelers'] site in Hatfield 13 years now. So he understands why I want to invest in property. All my advisers are telling me to do it, and they're smart blokes."

So could he become the first Romany Gypsy turned property developer – especially now that he has ordered himself a new Mercedes as a reward for turning professional? "I hope so," he laughs. "I remember Mike Tyson and the hundreds of millions he lost. Where did his money go? You have to be sensible and hold on to it. But that don't mean I'm giving up my Romany roots. They made me and my whole family. From the little 'un, my baby boy, to my dad and all the way back to my old great-grandad, I just want to make them proud of me."

Tickets for Billy Joe Saunders' debut are available on 0844 338 8000 or www.theticketfactory.com

Councillors vow: "We'll stop Gypsy sites"

Monday, February 23, 2009, 21:12

ANGER at plans to create a new permanent Gypsy camp in Plymouth boiled over last night as Labour councillors vowed: 'It's war'.

The city's Labour group called on residents to fight the council 'in the highest court in the land' over plans to build a Gypsy site at Efford Warren.
And they pledged to stand shoulder to shoulder with residents in Plympton and St Budeaux, where the council is also proposing to put permanent Gypsy and traveller camps.

Furious Labour councillors walked out of an emergency meeting yesterday, claiming that the way it had been called broke council rules.

Andy Kerswell, pictured right, Labour councillor for Efford and Lipson, told The Herald: "It's war. I would go to the extent of saying it's war.

"We are prepared to take this battle to the courts. We are in discussions with residents of Woodford and St Budeaux to have a joint legal approach. Woodford residents have already collected £3,500 towards their legal costs."

Addressing a small crowd of Efford protesters outside the Civic Centre after the meeting, Chris Pattison, Labour councillor for Ham, said: "We are absolutely going to stop the sites at Woodford [Plympton] and St Budeaux."
The city council called yesterday's emergency meeting after the Labour group challenged a decision to begin consultation over the design of the Efford site.

Conservative councillors said a decision was needed urgently because there was a Government deadline of the end of June to bid for funding.
After the Labour group walked out, Conservative councillors voted unanimously to go ahead with consultation.

Outside the Council House, Mr Pattison disputed the need for urgency. He said there were two more funding periods when the council could put in bids: next year and 2011.

"We didn't rush to find a site when we were in power because there was no deadline," he said.

"Anyway, it shouldn't always be about whether this council should get its money from somebody else."

Mr Pattison urged residents not to let it rest, and to "take the campaign forward".

He called for a meeting of all three areas that face having a Gypsy site to "get together and if necessary challenge it in the highest court in the land".
He said: "What is not going to work is foisting a site on any area where there is going to be antagonism from day one."

Mr Kerswell said he would present the results of a survey he carried out to the Government within the next ten days.

Vivien Pengelly, the council leader, said later: "I am relieved we can now press ahead with our plans to bid for more than £1.5 million of Government money to cover the cost of establishing a well run, official Gypsy and Traveller site.

"There is only one ring-fenced pot of money for the South West and if we don't get a share of it then it will go to other councils.

"The Government has the power to force sites on us. If we don't get our bid in, then local taxpayers could end up footing the bill."

Ted Fry, the deputy leader of the council, said: "There is an obligation on every local authority in the country to provide appropriate numbers of sites for Gypsies and Travellers.

"In Plymouth there has been a shortfall that has to be corrected."

Ian Bowyer, Cabinet member for Budget and Finance, said: "The Labour group's action would result in long-winded debates and needless bureaucracy at great expense to the city. Efford councillors had more than 12 months to wake up to these issues but it seems they were slumbering in their beds."

He said that cleaning up after unauthorised encampments cost the city about £160,000 a year.

Some Efford residents sitting in the public gallery during the meeting expressed their anger with the council's decision.

"We have to live with them and we don't want them," Pam Andrews shouted as councillors left the chamber. "They're not coming to Efford."
Around 50 members of 16 families of Showmen live at Efford Fort, next to the planned Gypsy site.

John Lock, a committee member and trustee of the Western section of the Showmen's Guild, said he had a meeting last Spring with council officers about the site.

"They told us about their plans for a Gypsy and Traveller site in Efford," Mr Lock said. He said that a previous Gypsy site in Efford, which closed in 1975, had caused "ill feelings and social unrest".

Paul Chuwen, a resident at Efford Fort and a member of the Showmen's Guild, said: "It came down to violent confrontation."

Mr Chuwen said it was "disgusting" that council officers visited the Gypsies at The Ride, Chelson Meadow, but did not visit members of the Showmen's Guild at Efford Fort.

"Instead of creating a number of small sites, why don't they just put all the Gypsies on one big site."

See Friday's edition of The Herald for Gypsy myth-buster special feature.