Councillors go back to the drawing board over traveller site plan

Dudley Council wants to establish a dedicated site in a bid to better tackle illegal incursions in the borough.

However plans are currently up in the air.

The previous Labour administration quashed plans by the Conservative group for a temporary traveller site in Budden Road, Coseley.

Labour was then looking at finding a location for a permanent site before the Conservatives took back control of the borough.

Now the project has been passed back into the Conservatives hands.

Councillor Karen Shakespeare, cabinet member for regeneration, told the Express & Star: "We want to find a traveller's site as soon as possible which will act as a deterrent to travellers.

"The council is looking to find a suitable location and we are looking at places across the borough.

"We have got to go back to the drawing board on this."

Dudley Council says illegal camps cost taxpayers £150,000 a year in clean-up and legal costs.

A new traveller's site would bring in tougher eviction powers for the council and police to deal with illegal camps.

Currently, it can take several days to remove illegal camps and authorities have to go through the courts.

The Conservative administration has said that it will not look to build a travellers site at the Budden Road location again.

Council leader Patrick Harley has previously expressed a need for a dedicated traveller's site.

He highlighted how other neighbouring boroughs have measures in place.

Sandwell Council has a temporary traveller's site in Smethwick which has seen the number of incursions drop in the borough.

In Wolverhampton, the council has brought in an injunction on 60 green spaces across the city protected from from illegal camps.