A campaigner accused Cambridge City Council of failing to help Gypsy and Traveller families in a debate that took place days after it sought a court order to move on an illegal encampment at Arbury Town Park.
Jannie Brightman said she and others had highlighted the lack of stopping places for Travellers for four years and was “fed up” with the lack of progress.
The council said it has been working to find new sites, but due to “multiple reasons” none of them could be progressed.
At last week’s full council meeting, Ms Brightman told councillors that the lack of transit sites was the cause of the “greatest conflict between the Traveller and settled community”.
She found it “incredible” that authorities had been unable to find land to turn into a transit site.
“We have been talking for four years now about the lack of provision for Travellers in our city and county, and each time you could have an AI response because it is exactly the same thing every time. This council has actually failed in its responsibility,” she said, adding that the council has a “legal requirement to do something about it, not next year or whenever”, but now.
Cllr Rachel Wade (Lab, West Chesterton), executive councillor for communities, said: “The council’s eviction policy for unauthorised encampments on council land is only enacted after an assessment is completed and it is considered that there are no welfare concerns to be considered.
“The council, neighbouring authorities, and county, have tried for many years to identify sites that could be potentially used, but due to multiple reasons none of the identified sites have been able to be progressed.
“Once the current needs assessment and report has been completed the findings will be provided to the strategic steering group, which will next meet in July.”
Cllr Wade said she heard Ms Brightman’s frustration and said she was “aware this matter has been going on for some time”.
She said she was sorry she could not give the answer Ms Brightman wanted, but assured her that she would be in touch with more information once she had seen the new needs assessment report.
The debate came after the city council issued a Section 77 notice requiring those who had set up an illegal encampment at Arbury Town Park to leave by 19 May, following a visit by council officers for a welfare assessment.
They did not leave, so the council applied for a court hearing to ask for an order to move the encampment on. Had it been granted, it would have given people at the encampment 24 hours to move on from the site.
However, the site was vacated by 23 May, and the council arranged for waste left behind to be cleared.
