As unauthorised traveller camps continue to appear across Birmingham’s parks, residents are split on how the council should respond. We spoke to locals about their views on traveller encampments, council delays, and the proposed plan for temporary stopping sites.
00:01Over 500 unauthorised encampments in five years, most of them in public parks.
00:07Each one lasts about a week. Residents say the grass gets torn up, bins overflow and local facilities close while the site's in use.
00:15And while councils are legally obliged to assess welfare before moving people on, many locals feel the system prioritises process over public use.
00:24Tempers flare, compliance rise, and with school holidays in full swing, access to green spice matters more than ever.
00:31So, like you said, if there was a place for them to be and not for them to be vandalised, they would have that place to go.
00:37Whereas for them to be in our community parks and stuff, that's not right. Like, kids and stuff go there.
00:43You've got, like, people who just want to enjoy their day. So I don't agree with that, not really, no.
00:49How can I say? I think everyone have the right to get a place to stay or whatever.
00:55But on the same way, I believe the council should work on that more effectively and create even temporary or permanent areas for that kind of travellers.
01:08I don't know. I don't really feel any type of way. Obviously, they do leave a lot of rubbish and I just think, you know, they just build a bad rep, you know, for the decent travellers.
01:18So, yeah, apart from them, like, you know, not leaving much, you know, just rubbish everywhere, they should definitely clean up.
01:27So I think that's the kind of issue the councils have, don't they? Moving them on and that.
01:32The council says it's doing what it can, but the main transit site's been vandalised.
01:38The back-up's been full for years and temporary negotiated stopping zones are months behind schedule.
01:44At the same time, taxpayers are footing the bill for clean-up and enforcement around 20 grand a year just to keep things running.
01:51Add to that, the political back-and-forth and a frustrated public and confidence in the plan is wearing thin.
01:59No, I don't think they're doing enough. I know that, obviously, they get the police out and, but, obviously, they can't.
02:05It takes a long time, don't need to move them on. And then, by that time, obviously, they trash the parks and whatnot
02:12and then the other residents have to clean it up. So, no.
02:15There should be, like, a little bit more security added to it. And since I have not much idea of the background of it, I can't say a lot.
02:28But, yeah, definitely, there should be some more spaces given out so that they don't... I don't know.
02:37I just think that they shouldn't vandalise these things, especially because it's a public place.
02:43Because of their culture, I feel like they should always have somewhere.
02:46Like, with anyone, like, it's a multi-culture. Birmingham, isn't it?
02:50So, I don't know really what to say to that. Like, if the council just do better, but they're doing what they can as well.
