Lewes MP Norman Baker has today secured vital assurances from the government that action will be taken to resolve the problems highlighted by recent incidents in Firle. At a meeting this morning with Home Office Minister Hazel Blears, Norman called on the government to:
1) Require local authorities to provide a proper network of traveller sites 2) Make grants available from the Exchequer to councils for the provision of these sites 3) Ensure that guidance is distributed to police forces to encourage them to apply the law in respect to activities at encampments, authorised and unauthorised. 4) Consider giving police powers to seize goods on encampments to pay for any damage that has been caused, including paying for the cost of any clean-up should littering occur
After the meeting Norman said:
"I have had a successful meeting with the government minister responsible and received a good response. She has assured me that guidance will be issued to police forces which encourages them to apply the law on traveller sites should incidents occur, and has also promised to look at the three other points that I raised and come back to me with a response. I welcome this and hope that this successful meeting will help establish a twin-track approach in which we can secure proper sites for travellers but also clamp down on any criminality that may occur."
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