Montgomeryshire AM Mick Bates has written to Powys Council to urge that improvements to the Withybeds Gypsy site in Welshpool, using grant funding recently awarded by the Welsh Assembly, are carried out using local labour and local materials to maximise benefits to the surrounding economy.
Withybeds has been an official travellers’ site since 1982 and Powys Council, which owns the site, has an obligation to ensure that the accommodation on this site is decent and appropriate. This has been confirmed by the Public Service Ombudsman for Wales, who in a recent case stated that Powys Council has an obligation to provide a Gypsy family living on a temporary site ‘with a suitable site to live as soon as is practically possible’.
Mr Bates comments:
“I accept that investment is needed in the Withybeds Gipsy Travellers Caravan Site in Welshpool, which according to a report last year currently does not meet basic health and safety standards and is a danger to the children and families living there.
“The grant announced for Withybeds is from funding which is allocated by the Welsh Assembly specifically for the improvement of Gypsy Traveller sites, so it is not money which could otherwise be spent on wider housing provision. However, it is for a large amount and local residents are rightly questioning whether the money is being spent in the most effective way.
“I have therefore written to the Minister for details of the exact proposals for the site, to confirm that the amount awarded is proportionate to the work that is proposed. It is also important that maximum benefits are secured for the surrounding economy and I have written to the council to urge that local labour and local materials are used as much as possible when this work is carried out, to help support our businesses and surrounding economies in Montgomeryshire.
“Old sites with poor infrastructure such as Withybeds often raise many issues in respect of sanitation and waste management which could have an impact on the surrounding areas if they are not maintained, so it is important that this work is done, whilst a recognised ethnic group must be treated fairly and with dignity.
“The grant will be also used to provide safe footpaths, street lighting, fire prevention systems and recreational facilities for children, which are basic amenities that I believe every community should be able to enjoy, however and wherever they may choose to live.”
