New rules have been set out to deal with people setting up home on public and private land without permission — including a potential 3-month tolerance period.
The new protocol on unauthorised encampments is set to be approved by Councillor Gary Peace, the Isle of Wight Council’s cabinet member for community safety, as a delegated decision.
Unauthorised encampments, as determined by the policy, is anyone, using a variety of accommodation, who has set up camp on public or private land without the landowner’s permission —and is classed as trespassing.
Currently, the council has no policy or protocol for dealing with this situation which has led to inconsistencies and possible delay to any necessary action.
As part of the proposed new protocol, no action will be taken before it has been established why they are there, how long they intend to stay and whether there are any welfare issues.
In the report alongside the policy, officers say such encampments frequently result in poor living conditions and can sometimes be problematic.
It was stressed the policy is not one for gypsies or travellers but reports of people setting up unauthorised encampments which may entail the gypsy or traveller community.
Main objectives include supporting the unauthorised campers and encouraging them to behave responsibly, within set guidelines; ensuring inconvenience to locals is minimised and dispersing the camp having carried out proper investigations and assessments.
Part of the determination of the camp, if it is on council-owned land, will be to see if the authority will tolerate it for a specific period provided certain criteria are consistently observed. If the group does not foul, dump, burn rubbish, cause damage, break the law or create any anti-social behaviour — among other criteria — they could be permitted to stay for up to 3 months.
Where it is deemed appropriate, proportionate and necessary, the council may evict the group from the land it is on if it meets non-tolerant criteria: it is a health and safety hazard; nuisance to the public in its size, location, nature or duration and likely to cause damage to council land, property or threat employees.
Responses on the policy can be made until 5th November when the policy will be determined. The full policy can be read at www.iow.moderngov.co.uk/mgIssueHistoryHome.aspx?IssueId=975.
Those beings, encamped on Knighton down car park have been there for months now. They prevent others using the car park as it is small and deep holes filled with water (or worse) and thus stop walkers enjoying the footpaths in that area.
One wonders where they do their business, and with cv staying alive for a very long time in feaces, even more of a concern now.
These beings make the Island look like a refugee camp, and SURELY if we can find homes for pirates, and others who float over to the UK these beings can be found an equally squalid place as they have now, or better to reside in?
There are far too many by the Go Kart track behind the old Waltzing Waters building, and as we see ‘homeless’ are often in the news for all the wrong reasons, for fining such people is difficult for courts to trace such, when they refuse to pay, so they often are living by shop lifting and other crimes.
IF we don’t have enough homes, then DON’T keep allowing in ever more bodies into the UK. That or have the rich MP’s and those who see no harm in such have them live in THEIR gardens. Soon change laws then.
Housing crisis over then just buy a van and park up were you want, preferably close to your nearest benefit outlet,
Dig a hole for toilet reasons, dump rubbish and home school your kids on how to live life without paying any tax.
It’s a lifestyle chice, and at the end of it, you will still get a pension, as for the rest of us, our hard work will pay for it..
Sounds perfect
you need to have a little more sympathy and not tar everyone with the same brush, and no i am not one of them i live in a house and feel i am lucky to do so and so should you. so stop gobbing off.
If you want to live in a ghetto, piss off and join them, it’s a lifestyle choice that the rest of us don’t want..
Ridiculous (proposed) policy. So if a “camper” (they are not “campers”) lands on your property, even tho they are de facto trespassing, they will be deemed legal regardless – so tough luck you. And don’t get me started on this business about “supporting” these trespassers – I dont pay my council tax for it to be spanked away on illegal trespassers and helping them sustain their lifestyle choice
And IE, if you are going to post a link, maybe post one WHICH ACTUALLY WORKS!
Soon they will make it legal to break in to peoples houses and start sleeping in their beds… well as long as they have a good reason to be there anyway.
Utterly absurd.
I guess the councillors want a quiet life… evict them full stop. Harsh maybe, but come on.
IF this low life trash camped in the top councillors garden or land, they would soon change the rules, BUT as they are safely away from such rubbish, then they care little about the rest of us.
VOTE THEM OUT next time, they care nothing for us, so why should we provide them highly paid jobs?
3-month tolerance period? Ridiculous. How about zero tolerance.
So if they all camped in the County Hall car park they could stay for 3 months ?