Isle of Wight Councillor Seeks to Ban Gypsies and Travellers

Photo: Shippards Chine, Isle of Wight - Val Pollard

"I do not want them," Conservative Cllr Andy Sutton said, in his bid to banish Gypsies and Travellers from the Isle of Wight. But the law is against him.

Over 80 households of Gypsies and Travellers would be forced to leave the Isle of Wight, if a Conservative councillor has his way. Cllr Andy Sutton has cited the Localism Bill as the basis of his right to evict the nomadic communities. But other members of the cabinet have warned that he has misread the document.

On November 29th 2011, Cllr Sutton told the Isle of Wight County Press, "I do not think we should provide travellers’ sites on a tourist island. I do not want them, I do not think they are necessary and I do not think we should have them on the Island. I’m also concerned the high cross-Solent charges would deter them from leaving."

Severe Backlog of Authorised Sites for Isle of Wight Gypsies and Travellers

Unlike Cllr Sutton, who emigrated to the island from Leeds, the 2006 Hampshire and Isle of Wight Accommodation Assessment found that the majority of Gypsies and Travellers residing on the Isle of Wight had been born there. Over 71.6% of the travellers interviewed had lived on the island their entire lives, travelling from site to site, with none expressing a wish to move to the mainland.

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Unfortunately, the same survey highlighted a desperate need on the Isle of Wight for authorised permanent and transit camps. In 2006, six illegal camps were discovered by council officials, dotted across privately owned land and roadsides. The local police were powerless to move them on, as the law stated that evictions are only possible if those affected have somewhere to go. There were no legal sites on the entire island.

The report, which was carried out as part of the Housing Act 2004, placed a statutory obligation on the Isle of Wight Council to provide 24 sites by the end of 2011. Section 3.4.2 read, 'We consider this to be an underestimation of need, however without accurate caravan count data it is not possible to make a more accurate estimation.'

Their findings had also suggested that the annual caravan count had been misrepresented for years, in the council's report to the mainland.

Councillor Andy Sutton Misunderstood the Localism Bill

The Localism Bill 2010-11 received the Royal Assent to enter into law on November 15th 2011. It was designed to devolve much of the decision making on local issues into the council areas and provided a wider forum for public referendums. It was this which led Cllr Sutton to believe he could simply ignore his duties under the Housing Act 2004.

As time is running out on providing the recommended 24 sites ahead of the deadline, he wished to erase the need for them by removing the people.

The Isle of Wight Council's Director of Economy and Environment, Stuart Love, was quick to challenge this proposed solution. He explained, "The draft policy does not remove the requirement for councils to provide sites for gypsies and travellers, in fact it specifically states there remains a requirement to provide sites based on local evidence."

He rejected Cllr Sutton's assertion that the Council 'should revisit the core strategy', adding, "We also have responsibilities to this group of residents under other legislation, including the Housing Act and Equalities and the Diversities Act."

History Repeats Itself in Cllr Sutton's Planning Gaffs

This isn't the first time that Cllr Sutton has run into legal difficulties over planning policy. As the former Chief of Council, he was forced to resign over irregularities in an application for a block of flats. The adjudication proceedings, at Craven Court, banned him from being a councillor for six months, starting from February 1st 2010. Shortly afterwards, he was also ejected from the Isle of Wight Conservative Association.

He returned to politics as the elected councillor for the Isle of Wight's Freshwater North borough.

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Copyright Jo Harrington. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.

Jo Harrington -

Jo has a BA (Hons) in History and Philosophy and a MA in History. She has a book published on the history of Wicca.

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