Gosport travellers: Local councillors accuse Hampshire County Council of 'washing their hands' over traveller sites

Hampshire County Council are under fire from district councillors after two unauthorised encampments were set up in Brookers Playing Field and Nobes Avenue Recreation Ground.

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Councillor Peter Chegwyn, leader of Gosport Borough Council (GBC) said the county council has a ‘legal duty’ to provide accredited sites to travellers ‘which they’ve failed to do over the past five to ten years’.

He added this is because HCC cut the number of sites which has ‘created the problem’.

Cllr Stephon Hammond added: 'Unfortunately the Conservative-run county council, who have a legal duty to provide accredited sites for travellers, have cut the numbers available. If the county council fulfilled their legal duty maybe we would have fewer travellers occupying our parks in Gosport.'

Multiple fires were started on Brookers Playing Fields with damage caused to a pavilion last week. It was reported that GBC cleared 70 bags of rubbish from the site after the encampment left.

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Roger Miles, 81, received 200 signatures in his petition asking for greater defences at Brookers Field including telescopic security bollards.

The encampment on Nobes Avenue caused three local pubs to temporarily shut down and nearby shops to close early.

An HCC spokesperson said: ‘Accommodation for Gypsies and travellers is not the responsibility of Hampshire County Council, but the 11 district and borough councils in Hampshire, as well as the unitary authorities of Portsmouth and Southampton City Councils.

‘Further questions on this should be directed to the borough, district and city councils in Hampshire, who have responsibility for housing.

In response, Cllr Chegwyn said the idea that district councils are responsible to accomodate travellers and Gypsies is ‘codswallop’.

‘For as long as I've been a county councillor, of 40 years, the county has had the responsibility to provide travellers sites.

‘We’ve debated this many many times at county council level - the county is just trying to pass the buck to districts and they should accept their own responsibilities rather than try and wash their hands of it.’