Only a matter of weeks after Green and Labour councillors failed to support a Conservative proposal at the council's annual budget setting meeting in March for £350,000 to start the process of installing earth bunding around the Goring Greensward, we've seen the first arrival of a traveller group on the Greenswards.
The Travellers have forced their way on, cutting 6 wooden bollards and have set up camp next to the Plantation and toilet block, whilst West Sussex County Council have served notices on them to quit, there is no indication that they plan to go soon.
There is now evidence that this group have been fly-tipping garden waste material and rubble in the Plantation wooded area, which will require clearing by the council at a later date at great cost to the public purse and local tax-payers money; this is despite warnings given to them by the Police when they arrived that this would not be tolerated.
Goring councillor Kevin Jenkins (con) said, 'We always knew that the arrival of spring would see the arrival of a travelling group and yet again damage is caused, fly tipping occurs and it will be local residents left to pick the cost of all this up through their council tax. This situation has got worse in recent years since this Labour administration has basically opened up its arms to them, providing bins and opening the toilet block 24/7 for them, something they refuse to do for local people who use the Greenswards on a daily basis. Some residents have said to me that this is tantamount to reverse discrimination, in that they are willing to offer this to a narrow group of people, but not to the wider settled community. As local taxpayers, many residents tell me they are disgusted by this biased behaviour.'
'The two Green Goring Councillors, Ian Davey and Claire Hunt, are simply propping up this Labour administration by denying that there is a viable solution, frankly, they should all hang their heads in shame. Their position is untenable when the solution proposed has been used to good effect in Worthing at The Gallops and on Marine Parade, in Adur at the Manor Ground and more recently installed in Arun across parks and green spaces. For the council leader to recently suggest that an installation of this kind is complex is simple avoidance. As leader of the council she has a duty to protect public land from unauthorised or illegal use, which this is. This method of stopping vehicular incursions onto public or privately owned land, such as the Greenswards, has been adopted up and down the country and is recognised as an cost effective lasting solution. The only blockage seems to be her Labour group intransigence in getting this done. Let me be clear once in administrative control of the council the Conservative group will start the process of completing this work.'
