New plans for dealing with unauthorised Traveller encampments in York have been backed but there is still more work to do, officials have said.
Proposals which would see incoming parties of Travellers directed to designated sites to stay at temporarily are included in City of York Council’s action plan for the community for the coming year.
Cllr Michael Pavlovic, the authority’s Labour communities spokesperson, said the Negotiated Stopping approach would result in the nomadic way of life of some Travellers being markedly less disruptive.
A council decision session heard the proposals would be worked on following feedback from the York Travellers Trust on the wording of the policy.
It comes as part of the council’s action plan for the Traveller community in York was backed on Tuesday (7 July).
Plans for 2026/7 come alongside £5.25m in improvements to York’s three official permanent Traveller sites in Clifton, James Street and Outgang Lane in Osbaldwick over the next three years.
This year’s efforts include work to tackle hate crime, collect more data on the Roma community, build trust with travellers and highlight responsibilities to those living on permanent sites.
Work is currently underway to find suitable sites to allow Negotiated Stopping to take place, including on land owned by local churches through the national Sanctuary Stopping organisation.
The approach would see Traveller parties sent to those sites where they would be allowed to stay under agreements signed by them and the council.
Agreements would cover the length of stay, which could be up to two weeks, and the number of caravans allowed on sites equipped with waste and toilet facilities.
A council report stated the approach aimed to be less confrontational and more respectful of the Traveller way of life than existing methods of dealing with unauthorised encampments.
It added officials were currently looking for one or two parcels of land which would be suitable for Negotiated Stopping sites.
The approach has been adopted elsewhere, including by Leeds City Council.
Council officials currently serve Direction to Leave notices on unauthorised encampments which typically gives Travellers 48 hours to get off sites.
The authority can then get a court order to evict them if they stay beyond the deadline to leave.
Haxby and Westfield have both had unauthorised encampments pitch up in recent weeks before council officials moved them on.
Cllr Pavlovic told Tuesday’s decision session he hoped Negotiated Stopping and the wider action plan would bring about improvements but added there was still a long way to go.
The executive member said: “Negotiated Stopping is not about letting unauthorised encampments stay where they are, it’s about saying: ‘No, sorry you can’t stay here but you can move there for a week or two.’
“That will cause markedly less disruption to playing areas and also respect the nomadic way of life some Travellers have.
“Not everyone lives on a static site or in bricks and mortar, but that comes with consequences and that lifestyle impinges on communities, finding one or more preferred sites would hopefully lead to a much improved system moving forwards.”
