Caroline Russell, the party’s No 2 candidate for the London Assembly, attended the London Gypsy and Traveller Forum today to highlight what elected Greens will do at City Hall to promote the rights of Gypsies and Travellers.
She noted that over the past 16 years, Green Assembly Member Darren Johnson has put pressure on both Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson to improve existing Traveller sites and bring new ones into use.
As chair of the London Assembly’s Housing Committee Darren produced a report in January 2015 highlighting the Mayor’s shortcomings, she said. More than half a million pounds of Government funding was unspent despite the Mayor identifying sites which could be improved or brought into use.
Darren’s report gained cross-party support for a series of practical recommendations for action, encouraging London’s local authorities to follow best practice from around the country.
Caroline Russell said:
“The current Mayor has failed to do the right thing by the Gypsy and Traveller community around London and as a result he has made a bad situation worse. There is plenty of scope in London to follow the example of cities like Leeds which saved £200,000 a year by introducing ‘toleration zones’, temporary sites for Gypsies and Travellers.
“In doing so they have reduced crime and challenged the idea that Gypsy sites are beset by problems. Of course the desire for new and improved sites for Travellers has to be balanced against the wishes of the local community. But it is ridiculous that we have sites lying empty for years and years, which would be great places for people to stop over. That wasted land should be put to use.
“We need City Hall to make the case for new and improved facilities for Gypsies and Travellers as strongly as possible, especially when the few rights they have are under attack by this Government. Greens have spent 16 years pushing for the Mayor to enhance the opportunities for Gypsies and Travellers to have better access to jobs, apprenticeships, health care and education. A new generation of elected Greens at City Hall will make this happen.”