THE ongoing issue with illegal traveller encampments setting up at various locations across Warrington seems to be going from bad to worse.
One can only presume they are picking up plenty of business in the area – or they wouldn’t visit so often.
So next time someone knocks on your door offering you a cut price deal – just think on about the possible consequences for some of your neighbouring areas.
Recent encampments include Silver Lane Risley, Dakota Park Chapelford, Woolston Park, Winwick Park and most recently Alban Retail Park on Winwick Road.
To be fair to Warrington Borough Council and Cheshire Police, they appear to be getting them to move on fairly quickly, thanks to the section 77 orders which can be served promptly.
Clearly there is a pressing need for a permanent solution and Warrington Borough Council need to deliver it sooner or later – realising wherever is suggested will be an unpopular decision.
A properly managed traveller facility is clearly needed somewhere in the borough – only then will there be any real chance of stopping the illegal encampments which continue to take up so much officer and police time.
3 Comments
A number of managed traveller transit facilities have been set up in Cambridgeshire yet the local authorities seem, from newspaper reports, to be experiencing the same problems that beset WBC and with the same frequency.
That is true, but Halton Borough Council have a very different experience with their “tucked away” and actually well run Runcorn transit site. This is a very difficult and sensitive issue, which I don’t think will be resolved anytime soon….maybe never, indeed the last attempt ended before it even got formally to the Executive Board who could then have sent it to the planning application stage. Not sure when the special task group, tasked with putting a proposal to the Executive Board, will meet to restart the process.
The special task group are no doubt discussing the possibility of calling a meeting to discuss the possibility…………………………………………………of calling a meeting to discuss the problem, with all haste I am led to believe.