There have been calls for Travellers to have more temporary sites in the Harrogate district.
Cllr David Goode, who is a resident in Knaresborough and a Liberal Democrat town councillor, said recent groups of Travellers setting up camp had been met with “negative feelings” from locals.
Travellers parked on the old rugby field on Hay-a-Park Lane last week and were served legal notice to leave by Harrogate Borough Council.
Several caravans and cars also parked on the Stray near to Oatlands Drive.
All the Travellers have now moved on.
Cllr Goode said while the council has already set up a permanent designated Travellers site off the Knaresborough bypass, there needed to be more transit sites where groups can stay temporarily.
He added that council officials should start to engage with local Gypsy and Travellers trusts to find out what more can be done.
Cllr Goode said:
“My thinking coming out of this is to start engaging with the local Gypsy trust.
“They will know the issues.”
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Sharon Calvert, who also lives in Knaresborough and has worked with Travellers in her role in education, shared the view that more temporary sites should be set up.
She said:
“What they need is to have a transit site. There are always going to be Travellers coming through [the district].
“We need some joined up thinking on this. There needs to be some temporary sites on the A1 with running water and facilities to get rid of rubbish. There must be some sites.”
‘Engagement is number one’
Leeds Gypsy and Traveller Exchange, a charity which aims to improve the quality of life for the communities, said engagement with Gypsy and Travellers in the first instance was important.
In September 2020 the organisation worked with Leeds City Council to create a good practice guide to design Traveller sites as part of its work.
A spokesperson for Leeds GATE told the Stray Ferret that it was important for authorities to make those community links to better understand Gypsy and Traveller people.
They said:
“The engagement with the community is number one. Whether it is a council or a planning department, they really need to make those community links.
“There are organisations that people can speak to. We at Leeds GATE are here and we do make ourselves known.”
In the Harrogate district, North Yorkshire County Council owns and maintains two designated sites for Travellers.
One is at Bickerton and another is off Thistle Hill in Knaresborough.