Newark and Sherwood District Council leader to meet with Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities over Gypsy and Traveller provision

A council leader is to meet a government minister to raise concerns over the cost burden being put on his authority to provide Travellers pitches.

Newark and Sherwood District Council has to provide an extra 118 pitches in the next four years to meet demand. Other councils in Nottinghamshire have an allocation of only five.

Of the 308 councils across the UK, only 12 have a similar requirement to Newark to Sherwood.

Council leader David Lloyd is to raise frustration over the inequality in a meeting with Lee Rowley, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Mr Lloyd said: “I have been invited to explain our frustration with planning policy in relation to how a small number of authorities in England are required to provide significantly more Gypsy and Traveller pitches compared to others.

“Newark and Sherwood need to provide an additional 118 pitches over its plan period, compared to others within Nottinghamshire which have a need as low as five. This is also a disproportionately higher increase than the general population over the same period.

“We are clear that we will not, nor do we wish to, duck our responsibilities for meeting housing needs including those for our long-established and important Gypsy and Traveller communities.

“However, if the policy remains as it is the only way to meet our future need is by investing millions in flood protection and on new sites, and I believe this is an unreasonable ask for an authority of our size without additional resources.

“Put simply, I will make it clear that we can meet the current policy regime for meeting our future needs but only if the government rightly recognises that we need their financial assistance in helping us provide appropriate and new sites.”

The need to provide enough provision for Gypsy, Roma, Traveller communities is included in the Amended Allocations and Development Man-agement Development Plan Docu-ment.

A total of 22 sites were put forward for potential pitches but, after public consultation and suitability tests, only Chestnut Lodge at Barnby and the Belvoir Ironworks, off Bowbridge Lane, Middlebeck, went forward.

The council also looked at extending the existing Traveller site at Tolney Lane, Newark.

However, that attracted objections from the Environment Agency because the site is within a very high flood risk zone and the council’s proposed flood alleviation plan is in an early stage of development.

As a result of these objections, the council’s cabinet were asked to authorise a delay in submitting the development plan.

Members expressed their frustration at the need for a delay and at the lack of support they have received from central government over what they see as a national issue that should not be solely placed upon the shoulders of local authorities.

However, they voted unanimously to delay the submission of the document until June.