POLITICAL CONSENSUS ON GYPSIES AND TRAVELLER SITES

Motion Text

That this House commends the great endeavours of parliamentarians of all parties, such as Norman Dodds, Eric Lubbock, David Atkinson and Kevin McNamara, through the post-war period to provide for and promote the social inclusion of gypsies and travellers and ease community tensions; notes that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has issued new planning guidance on traveller sites; appreciates the declaration by the right hon. Member for Folkestone and Hythe on 2nd November 2005 that the enforced planning circular needs to be given time to create the sites that are needed; and further believes that cross-party consensus on a programme to create more sites will make significant progress in enabling more gypsies and travellers to access services and to become part of and contribute to the communities in which they live.