Newbury Town Council and Travellers, Discrimination? Options

[Richard Garvie]

The following paragraph appeared in the agenda for the council meeting on Monday 4th July, but has since been removed:

"We do not believe that travellers should be treated as a separate ethnic group or that policy towards them should be governed by such considerations. Because of the undesirable effects of the travelling way of life on receipt of social services, especially education (2.5) we do not consider that travelling in the sense used in this paper can be sustained in the long run. It is gradually disappearing (2.3/4) and that trend should not be discouraged. We obviously agree on the measures to prevent abuse of the planning system by travellers (2.16/17)"

I know that not everybody agrees with the traveller lifestyle and the questionable behaviour of some of the community, but does this give the council a right to discriminate against travellers as a community and refuse to recognise them as an ethnic group?

Which elected member / officer proposed this measure be included in the agenda? Do they really feel it is acceptable to have a policy that discriminates against travellers? Is this officially a council policy, or is it just the personal opinion of one or a small number of members? I really think we should be told.