Object

Gypsy and Traveller Site Options

Representation ID: 54681

Received: 03/08/2013

Respondent: Mr Robert Poole

Representation Summary:

Have respect for the right to genuine Romany gypsies to have places of rest on their travels but object to this proposal.
When travellers are in this area there's an upsurge in crime. Proposal would open floodgates to all travellers. Older residents would have no peace of mind and would fear being robbed or worse. Locals fear complaining because of possible reprisals and the police are powerless.
Travellers have the right to places of rest but this would be hell for residents. Unlike them, we pay our rates and taxes so our wishes should be considered as a priority.

Full text:

I do object to this proposal on the following grounds:

Whenever travellers are in this area we have suffered an upsurge in criminal activity. My neighbour used to have a sunbed in her garden shed. She went in there one morning to find a traveller asleep on it.
While I have respect for the right to genuine Romany gypsies to have places of rest on their travels (one of my not too distant relatives was a gypsy princess and those people were always good to my father when he was a child), what you propose to do would open the floodgates to all travellers and this includes the Irish tinkers who even the police are afraid of. Can you imagine what this would do for our older residents. They would have no peace of mind and would be living in fear of being robbed or worse with as we know, no chance of the law being brought to bear on the perpetrators. Not only that, any complaints against these people would result in reprisals as my friend was advised by police after he did some work for such a character and the man refused to pay him £6000. He was advised by the police to let the matter drop as the man had my friends address. Would you want this on your doorstep? Travellers are by name transient people and I believe have the right to places of rest but this would result in resident hell for us. You know this to be the truth so please do the right thing and scratch this idea. We really don't want this and unlike them, we pay our rates and taxes so should our wishes should I believe be considered as a priority.