The Enquirer :: Lord Avebury criticises multi-million pound Dale Farm Traveller eviction

Lord Avebury criticises multi-million pound Dale Farm Traveller eviction

LORD Avebury has slammed plans for a multi-million eviction of an illegal Traveller site in Basildon.

 

The Liberal Democrat peer has been a staunch supporter of Travellers on the Dale Farm site in Crays Hill and raised the subject during a House of Lords debate.

 

Speaking on Wednesday, he said: “My Lords, will my noble friend comment on the decision to spend £117,000 per family on eviction of these people from the Dale Farm site considering that there are no other sites in the county to which they could be directed?”

 

His comments came in the week Essex Police Authority agreed over £6million of Government funding to allow policing of a potential summer eviction of 51 Traveller plots on green belt land at Dale Farm in Crays Hill.

 

Conservative whip, Earl Attlee, conceded the eviction was ‘an extremely difficult and sensitive issue’ but was quick to urge Travellers to leave the site now avoiding the need for expensive enforcement action.

 

“There will be no need for any expensive police operation if those served with eviction notices leave within 28 days having exhausted all their appeal rights under our well developed system of justice and the rule of law,” said the Conservative peer.

 

“Why should one community group be allowed to flout our planning laws by suggesting disorder and thus an unaffordable police operation while a lone family or individual is easily required to comply?”

 

Labour peer, Baroness Turner of Camden, questioned if Basildon Borough Council had performed their duty of care towards children at the site saying: “Does the local authority not have a responsibility to have concern for these families? I believe there are 100 children involved. Why are these people being deprived of their homes after all the years that they have lived on this site?”

 

Her concerns were dismissed by the Tory whip who argued that if the council had not carried out an impact assessment, any application for enforcement action would be quashed in the courts. He did go on to accept the importance of access to education for children within the Traveller community, causing controversy by claiming that without a proper education it is very difficult for Traveller families to engage in ‘fully legitimate economic activity’.

 

Independent Labour peer, Lord Stoddart of Swindon, concluded the debate saying: “I hope that the House and noble Lords will appreciate that if this site is occupied illegally, action has to be taken to remove the occupiers. If the law is not upheld in this instance, how on earth can it be upheld in other instances which may be just as important?”

Date published: 09/06/2011 14:51:01

via theenquirer.co.uk