Travellers demand to be housed together (From Echo)

Travellers demand to be housed together

3:20pm Friday 6th July 2007

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A CLAN of 400 travellers are demanding to be rehoused together if they are evicted from their illegal site at Crays Hill.

Dale Farm travellers have lodged a homeless application warning Basildon Council to leave them alone or find alternative accommodation where they can live as a community.

The travellers claim to have unearthed new legal evidence which means councils which boot out travellers have a duty to rehouse them all together.

Campaigner Grattan Puxon told how a "precedent" was set by Crawley Council in 2005 after it offered hotel accommodation to a 19-family clan it evicted from the Bewbush site.

He said: "It would cost the council £100,000 a night to house the Sheridan clan in a hotel.

"That is why they need to provide an alternative 600 mobile home park near their 600 relatives on the legal site at Oak Lane - or leave them at Dale Farm."

Stunned David Mcpherson-Davis, Ramsden Crays Parish Council chairman, said: "This is holding the council to ransom by claiming it will be simpler and cheaper to leave them.

"They are pushing things to the limit by trying to force the council to find them alternative homes."

Yesterday, traveller Kathleen McCarthy handed in the camp's application at the Basildon Centre.

It came after the Echo revealed the travellers had struck a deal with the council to stay put until, at least, next spring. However, they still face eviction if a judicial review rules in the council's favour next year.

Mrs McCarthy compiled the homeless application which told the council to leave travellers where they are. She also warned of legal action.

It stated: "Until you can provide us with an equally suitable site with a school for the children with learning difficulties, good access to shops and hospital etc.

"It must be within easy reach of the other members of our closely-knit community with its own traveller school.

"I and the other residents will be seeking damages, including special damages relating to stress, costs, including manpower expenses, and exemplary damages to deter other councils from adopting policies like those of Basildon Council."

Council leader Malcolm Buckley said: "Any application is dealt with on its merits, but having said that, I don't think there is anywhere big enough to house 400 people."

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