Some of you will remember that last year an unauthorised encampment was set up on the pitches at Plymstock Cricket Club. We saw then just how difficult it can be for the council to remove sites quickly, even when they are clearly causing disruption to local residents. Previous summers saw similar issues in other local communities.
Situations like this show there are real gaps in the current enforcement system. Too often, it is too slow and councils and police don’t have the powers they need to act quickly, leaving residents and businesses frustrated.
That’s why I’m incredibly pleased to see that the Conservative Party are tackling this head on. A future Conservative government will strengthen the law so police can remove unauthorised encampments more quickly, ban repeat encampments, and make it an offence to trespass with a vehicle after being told to leave. We will also ensure these cases are not treated differently under equality rules, so there is one fair system.
