Gavin Williamson, MP for South Staffordshire, presented his Gypsy and Traveller petition to Parliament yesterday evening.
The petition, which had 1,545 signatures from residents across South Staffordshire, stated that South Staffordshire already had 130 Gypsy and Traveller pitches which is surplus to requirements and that the Council’s intention to increase the allowance of pitches over the next 15 years should not be allowed.
The petition also pointed out the change in definition of a Gypsy and Traveller, meaning that travellers must, as their name suggests, travel.
Gavin has previously debated in Parliament against the provision of more Gypsy and Traveller pitches and will once again state his views in an upcoming Westminster Hall debate next month.
Gavin said: “I would like to thank all those who signed the petition, particularly those who delivered leaflets across the constituency. There is more than an adequate provision of pitches for those classified as ‘Gypsies and Travellers,’ in South Staffordshire.
“The less pitches and sites we have, the less impact and incursion we have on greenbelt land. This Government intends to amend the term ‘gypsies and travellers’ to mean that they must travel. I suggest that we wait until DCLG proposals have been brought in and then we can reassess the situation and work on reducing this number which is already far too high.”
“With these changes in legislation, virtually all the Gypsy and Traveller sites are surplus to requirement as these people do not meet the criteria of being a Gypsy or Traveller, so let’s start shutting them down, not opening new ones.”