Cross-party group trying to identify suitable sites for Travellers in West Lothian

A framework to work with Travellers on the issue of unauthorised encampments has been developed by West Lothian Council.

A cross-party working group is now trying to identify suitable sites which could be used by Travellers to avoid the disruption caused by camps last year. 

But as the group prepares to make final recommendations to the council next month it has yet to engage with any Traveller groups or representatives, councillors heard this week. 

Answering a question from the SNP’s  Maria MacAulay about attempts to contact  Traveller groups, Dr Elaine Cook the depute chief executive responsible for Corporate, Operational and Housing services told a meeting of the  council’s  Corporate Policy and resources PDSP: “There’s been significant effort through Cosla as well as our own Equalities Officer, our elected members and  in particular Andrew Miller  who was trying very hard to find links to the Traveller community. To date though there has been no contact to find a way forward.   

“However, we have not stopped trying to do that and we will continue to try to contact the Traveller community as we move on with the process.” 

“As regards to identifying negotiated stopping places the Conservative group leader Councillor Damian Doran-Timson asked: “Even if spaces are identified. Should the Travellers not find themselves there, but go to another location what action can the council take? “ 

Dr Cook said the Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) would engage with encampments as they arrived and advise them of the new encampments. 

“How can we negotiate where the stopping places are going to be if we cannot even contact the Travellers?” asked Councillor Doran-Timson. 

Dr Cook replied: “That’s a reasonable question. It may well be the first contact will be with the SNT when they go up to the unauthorised encampment. We have also discussed what kind of communication can take place using the council’s website.” 

Councillor Doran-Timson said: “It’s fair to assume that it won’t be a negotiated stopping place at all it will just be a stopping place identified by the council?” 

Dr Cook replied: “It will be land that we have looked at to see if it is appropriate, determined bt size etc and how our services   such as bin lorries can access that area. The negotiated part is a term from the Scottish Government.” 

Nicola Hughes from the Safer Neighbourhood Team acknowledged the existing processes of asking Travellers to move on from unauthorised encampments, followed by a Sheriff’s order backed by police and Sheriff officers would be the resort if Travellers refused to move on from unauthorised sites.  

Travellers set up camps last year in Bathgate, Livingston Broxburn and Linlithgow. The council faced a bill running into tens of thousands of pounds to clear the sites which were left strewn with commercial waste including asbestos and other building materials, as well as garden refuse. 

Conservative councillor Angela Doran-Timson raised a motion last September calling on the council to demand Holyrood speed up the process of councils being legally able to move Travellers on. 

That was defeated by an amendment which called for the council to examine its existing rules which has resulted in the cross-party working group working with council departments to see how existing legislation can be used better. 

The working group has developed its new framework by looking at what other councils already do and is now looking to identify sites which travellers could use. 

Councillors acknowledged that key to the success of the plan was contact and proper negotiation with Travellers’representatives.  

Councillors thanked Dr Cook and council members of the working group for their efforts in what was “a challenging situation”.  

Councillor Tom Conn, who has led the working group, said: “I would just make a very public appeal to the Traveller people that we are keen to engage.” 

By Stuart Sommerville, Local Democracy Reporter