Agenda item

The Executive RESOLVED that

(i)           an out of hours service be introduced to respond to unauthorised encampments from 1^st March to 30^th September;

(ii)          The costs of this service to be agreed which include staff costs to cover a weekend and bank holiday rota and incidental costs caused by the unauthorised encampment e.g. security staff costs. The total indicative cost of this service could be £56,544; and

(iii)         further consideration be given to producing a leaflet for distribution to residential properties within the vicinity of an unauthorised encampment.

The Executive was informed that, in order to tackle unauthorised encampments more efficiently during out of hour periods, it was proposed to introduce an out of hours service to respond to unauthorised encampments from 1 March to 30 September each year. This would involve enforcement and communications staff cover over the weekend in the summer months to respond and attend an unauthorised encampment on public land from Friday late afternoon, until the next normal working day. Staff operating over the weekend would be given the necessary powers to take all relevant operational decisions in relation to encampments.

A number of other proposals associated with this service were noted; some Members encouraged reconsideration of the proposal to no longer automatically provide toilets and water and suggested an alternative approach of providing them prior to the welfare check, at which point the need to provide them would be assessed and provision removed if not considered necessary.

Members considered a suggestion that a standard leaflet for distribution to residents within the immediate vicinity of an unauthorised encampment be produced, setting out basic information on the processes which would be followed. Having heard differing views on whether to produce a generic leaflet, it was agreed to produce a draft, to be reviewed by Members before it became part of the standard process for dealing with unauthorised encampments.

RESOLVED that

(i)        an out of hours service be introduced to respond to unauthorised encampments from 1^st March to 30^th September;

(ii)      The costs of this service to be agreed which include staff costs to cover a weekend and bank holiday rota and incidental costs caused by the unauthorised encampment e.g. security staff costs. The total indicative cost of this service could be £56,544; and

(iii)     further consideration be given to producing a leaflet for distribution to residential properties within the vicinity of an unauthorised encampment.