Taxpayers foot bill for traveller camps

and big bills for dealing with illegal camps.

In Kirklees, the bill for dealing with 24 camps in three years was 48,000 and Doncaster had a legal bill of 29,000 in three years.

Wakefield’s legal bill over three years was 13,000 and North Yorkshire County Council forked out 11,000 over 64 unauthorised camps in three years.

Government figures show that last year only 14 new individual pitches were created – two in Barnsley, ten in Beverley and two in Burn, Selby, out of only 90 new pitches across the UK.

Critics of current policy claim that it is time to give councils greater powers to deal with illegal camps.

Shipley Tory MP Philip Davies said: “It is bad enough that the local community has to live with the trail of litter and disruption often left by these illegal gipsy camps, but it is even worse that they are paying so much money through their council tax to clear up after them.

"We have got to stop pussyfooting around and make sure that local authorities have the powers they need to deal with this menace as effectively and cheaply as possible."

And the chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, Matthew Elliott, said: “These illegal camps are not just harmless settlements, they are hugely damaging to the local environment and very expensive for taxpayers.

“It is clearly wrong that these flagrant and costly breaches of the law are being tolerated. Why should breaking the law be indulged, whilst the law-abiding public have to foot the bill?”

Campaigners on traveller issues have accused politicians of failing to get to grips with the issues.

Helen Jones, of Leeds Gipsy and Traveller Exchange, said it was clear that official sites needed finding but councillors were too scared of losing their seats to say this and to suggest locations.

She said “punitive” solutions would not work and neither would David Cameron’s suggestion of “intentional trespass” because it would penalise ramblers.

Ms Jones wants more official sites, coupled with “negotiated stopping places” where travellers can park up for short periods with the blessing of councils.

She said the existing official site at Cottingley Springs, Leeds, had seen the number of pitches drop by 15.

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