Dear Peter

Re: Unauthorised Traveller Camps

As you are aware, unauthorised traveller camps have been a long-standing issue for the city. I am often contacted by a significant number of constituents who are very concerned about the impact these camps can have on their community – as I understand my predecessor, Patricia Hewitt, was too.

The problems tend to be concentrated in Beaumont Leys and Mowmacre, due to the historical ties these areas have with seasonal farm work. However, I very much see this as a city wide problem, for which a city wide solution is urgently required.

In order to directly hear the views and concerns of my constituents, I held a very well attended public meeting on the 2nd September 2011 at St Patricks Church in Beaumont Leys.  At the meeting I shared a platform with the Beaumont Leys Ward Councillors, Cllr Mohammed Dawood, Matt Bagley from the Multi Agency Travellers Unit and Sgt Simon Ward. Members of the Gypsy and Traveller Equality Project were also present.

You will not be surprised to hear that local residents aired extremely strong feelings at the meeting. They told me they are very concerned about antisocial behaviour, fly tipping and traffic offences at unauthorised traveller sites. They feel it still takes too long to move unauthorised travellers on.  Many residents also expressed a deep sense of unfairness that they have to abide by the law, including paying their Council Tax, yet they feel the same rules do not apply to the travelling community.

There was a specific concern over the site on Greengate Lane. Initially, residents were informed that a family would be able to stay on the site as a temporary measure until their situation stabilised, as one of the family members was suffering from severe ill health. However, some three years on the family and indeed other travellers are still there, and residents feel that Greengate Lane is now becoming a permanent site by stealth.

Overall, there was a huge sense of frustration and anger amongst local residents about the perceived lack of progress by the City Council in tackling this issue and in finding a lasting solution.  Members of the traveller community who were present, as part of the Gypsy and Traveller Equality project, also talked about their frustrations regarding the lack of permanent or transit sites available.

In my view, there is a very clear and pressing need for the City Council to produce a comprehensive strategy that seeks to address the concerns of both the settled and traveller communities. The establishment of sufficient transit sites and additional authorised permanent plots appears to be the only viable, long term solution.

I must emphasise that whilst the issue is of grave concern to many of my constituents, this is a city wide issue, for which a city wide solution must be found.

Cllr Dawood gave an undertaking to report back on the Council’s progress on this issue in November. It is vital that real and substantial progress is made by this date. As the Mayor of Leicester I know you will ensure this happens.

In the meanwhile, I would be very grateful if you could update me on the Council’s plans so I can report directly back to my constituents.

With best wishes as ever

Liz Kendall MP
Member of Parliament for Leicester West

CC: Cllr Mohammed Dawood, Cllr Sundip Meghani, Cllr Paul Westley, Cllr Vi Dempster, Mr Matt Bagley

I am appalled and saddened by the violence that has taken place in Leicester and other cities in recent days, as are the overwhelming majority of people in this country.

There is no excuse for this violence, or for the destruction, theft and looting. Those who have committed criminal acts must face full and appropriate punishment from the Courts.

I want to thank and pay tribute to the hard work of the police in Leicester over the past few days. I know from speaking to Leicestershire’s Chief Constable that many officers and PCSOs have had their leave cancelled and are working extremely long shifts, with few breaks, in order to keep our city safe. We are indebted to them for their efforts.

I also want to thank our Mayor and Council for working to ensure our city centre is cleaned up and back to normal as quickly as possible. Most of all, I am grateful to the businesses, community organisations, voluntary and faith groups who have spoken up for our fantastic city. They are right when they say that the behaviour of a small minority of young people will not have a lasting impact on Leicester or prevent us from making it an even better place to live and work in future.

I spent today in Parliament – which was recalled from its summer break – listening to the Prime Minister’s statement and the emergency debate about the public disorder and violence.

I am glad that the Home Affairs Select Committee will look at the police response across the country to see what lessons can be learned for the future.

However, I was very disappointed that the Prime Minister did not set up a wider inquiry to look at what has happened in the past few days.

We cannot afford to let these events pass without taking a long hard look at the underlying reasons and causes. These causes are complex – and there will be no simple solutions – but it is vital that we try to understand what has happened in order to prevent such events happening again. Most importantly we need to ensure the views of the communities that have been affected by the violence and disorder are properly heard.

The Prime Minister should have announced an inquiry. I and my fellow Labour MPs will continue to press him to do so. Our communities and country deserve nothing less.

On Saturday 25 June I went to Beaumont Lodge Neighbourhood Association’s Annual Community Funday, organised by Leo and Barbara Grant-Bennett. Leo and Barbara’s tireless work and dedication, along with their enthusiastic team of volunteers, has quite literally transferred an old barn in Beaumont Leys into a thriving community facility used by local residents.

The annual Community Funday is always great, and this year was no exception. There were lots of stalls, a BBQ, bouncy castle, and brilliant entertainment including from dance groups the Pink Lizards and the Demolition Crew. I am a huge supporter of local community services that are organised and run by local people, and I want to see more of them across our city.

 On Friday 3rd June, I visited two brilliant projects in Leicester West that have received support from the Big Lottery fund.

The Restorative Justice Initiative in Beaumont Leys aims to bring the victims and offenders of crime together to find a way of repairing the harm that has been done. I met a group of volunteers who have been specially trained in mediation skills, who are about to start work in the local community. I think these volunteers are doing very important and challenging work which could make a real difference for local residents.

Next I met young people running a day of sports activities at Fullhurst School including football, dodgeball and – my favourite! – skipping. This is part of something called the T.E.A.M project, which helps young people get training and gain qualifications in sports leadership so they can run activities for children and other young people in the community. I was really pleased to be able to present certificates to several of the young people involved in the T.E.A.M project and say ‘congratulations’ for all their achievements.

It’s great to see passionate community activists making a real difference in Leicester West. I’m really pleased that their hard work is being recognised and supported through the Big Lottery Fund.