Partly because of John Prescott’s decision to stop Basildon Council taking enforcement action against the illegal traveller site at Dale Farm between 2003 and 2005, during which time the site mushroomed in size, this illegal traveller encampment is now the biggest in the country if not Europe. Accordingly, John Baron MP, Basildon Council and Essex Police are seeking Government funding to help fund the enforcement action. During the summer, John Baron MP hosted a series of meetings in Parliament involving Councillor Tony Ball [Leader, Basildon Council], Chief Constable Jim Barker-McCardle and Ministers and officials to discuss the issue. As a result, in August Basildon Council and Essex Police, supported by John, applied in tandem for funding. Two streams of funding have been applied for – Section 31 Local Government Act [for Basildon Council] and Special Grant provision by the Home Office [for Essex Police].
John and Councillor Tony Ball said:
“This site clearance is of such a scale that both Basildon Council and Essex Police need Government funding in order to enforce the law. We now await a response. Given that the previous Government was at least in part to blame for the size of this site, we both believe local taxpayers should not have to pick up the tab.”
“No-one wants to see the misery of a forced eviction, but both the Council and I have made every effort to seek a peaceful resolution, and this has included meetings with the travellers. However, the law must be enforced, otherwise we discriminate against the law abiding majority.”
No one should argue against seeking Government funding but that cannot be allowed to be a pre-condition to enforcement. The council has never suggested that in the past so why is John Baron hinting at that now ? The scale of the site clearance has not changed materially for several years.
Many will question why the police costs have emerged as a possible show-stopper so late in the day. The recent legal challenges have failed but just when the council get a clear road to proceed with enforcement, this gets thrown onto the ring .
A cynic might suggest that someone is trying to sabotage the enforcement or that there is no real commitment to it ; a lack of government funding would be a neat way out for those in BDC who might lack the bottle to see this to a conclusion.
John Baron should clarify the matter and provide reassurance.
In full agreement with Mike Beileys comments, the leader of the council and the previous one, both publicly stated that the money was available for the eviction and neither of them or anyone else involved in the eviction process including John Baron have ever mention that the costs would likely to increase by this phenominal amount
Should additional funding not be available from the Government can John Baron confirm that the eviction will still take place.