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Letter: Right to stand firm on illegal camps
I REFER to the article headlined ‘Anger at “offensive” traveller camp ban’ (YEP, February 10).
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I think very few people would agree with Ms Jones on this one. Why shouldn’t unauthorised gipsy camps become a criminal offence? These people turn up wherever they wish, ruin public facilities such as playing fields or car parks, making them unuseable whilst they are there, cost thousands to the tax payer in legal action to remove them and cost even more in clearing the mess they leave and reinstatement of damage. Then they move on to do the same elsewhere.
They are not poor, homeless people, as can be seen from the type of vehicles they own and the luxury caravans they live in. I’m sick of ‘do-gooders’ like Ms Jones feeling sorry for these people. We tax payers and council tax payers have a right NOT to have our money wasted dealing with these so-called ‘travellers’, so let’s make it easier to remove them and if they want permanent sites then they should pay, not us. They certainly look like they can afford it!
John Friskney, Holt Park
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Comments
There are 8 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
Leeds_Own
Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 05:13 PMILCAPA said: "That's because they are not wanted. They contribute nothing to society Unless you call Tax Evasion,Fraud, Stealing, Illegal dumping, Trespass,Harrassment,Noise and Filth a contribution".........there's a lot of eastern european, asian and black folk in certain communities around Leeds who also meet the description you've given, are we to get rid of all of them as well? i don't understand how people can be okay with not allowing an ethnic group the same rights as everyone else. and if anyone else says "...because they're all criminals" then you really haven't got a clue and should go back to reading The Daily Hate Mail!
ILCAPA
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 06:23 PMHelen Jones says "The point is that people must have a legal, civil, option available to them, currently Gypsies and Travellers, established members of our local community, do not. " That's because they are not wanted. They contribute nothing to society Unless you call Tax Evasion,Fraud, Stealing, Illegal dumping, Trespass,Harrassment,Noise and Filth a contribution
Nigel B
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 11:09 AMThe travellers already break laws by littering and dumping waste, why do we need new laws?
ILCAPA
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 04:47 PMWhat use are Travellers to society???
JamesGorman
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 03:45 AMOr a train station car park? denying commuters the right to travel. Strange how the consideration travelers long for they readily deny others.
Leeds_Own
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 10:39 PMSurely Leeds City Council should be offering a legal site solution before doing something stupid like the suggestion from cnlr McKenna. it does nothing at all to solve the situation - LCC have been given a grant to establish more legal sites. if they really cared about this issue they would be pursuing that route full force. John and John, if you have a problem why don't you tell Leeds City Council to establish more legal sites with the money they have been given by central government to help resolve the issue instead of just sitting on it and dragging their feet.
John44
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 07:07 PMIf I was Helen Jones go to the next travellers site and see how they make people around them live in fear. When these 'people' move onto an illegal site crime etc.rises. The Irish police are glad to see the back of them as they are nothing but con-artists and thieves so what do you think of that. As for the last part of your letter these people are not an established part of our local community. Class them as illegal immigrants and deport them back to Ireland,either North or South. They are not wanted in this country and never will.!!!!11
Helen Jones
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 06:01 PMI have not suggested that we cannot reach a point in time where unauthorised encampment would quite rightly be treated as a criminal offence, nor do I. What I am saying is quite simply, (regardless of the year of registration, or model of your vehicle) is that a legal choice must be available before an 'unauthorised choice' (sorry but that is legally the correct terminology) becomes an illegal one. Until such a time as there are enough authorised places, temporary or permanent, for Gypsy and Irish Traveller people to live in their caravans (or lovely old fashioned wagons, or super modern campers), their default choices (ie no unenclosed or unregulated land available, oops only tesco's car park or the local amenity park accessible) cannot be regarded as criminal. No court in the land is going to support this and I'm very glad to live in a country where this would also apply to me if I were given no 'legal' choices. Meanwhile we are just wasting time and money not solving the problem. If you want a criminal offence, support legal choices first. I am also not suggesting that criminal behaviour (fly tipping etc etc) should not be treated and prosecuted as a criminal offence in the meantime. The point is that people must have a legal, civil, option available to them, currently Gypsies and Travellers, established members of our local community, do not.
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