London Gypsies and Travellers has welcomed a new website which explains negotiated stopping – an innovative way of addressing problems raised by the lack of suitable site provision.
Using videos and personal viewpoints, the website shows how negotiated stopping (NS) offers an alternative to the normal “zero tolerance” approach of councils to unauthorised encampment or roadside stopping. NS involves local authority officers making an agreement with Gypsies and Travellers on matters such as correct waste disposal, sometimes directing them away from contentious public spaces to more appropriate council land.
The new website has been produced by the Gypsy and Traveller organisation Leeds GATE in collaboration with Rural Media. The organisations hope it will support lobbying efforts encouraging local authorities and MPs to adopt the policy.
Debby Kennett, Chief Executive Officer of London Gypsies and Travellers, applauded the new website, and said it would be a very useful tool in LGT’s discussions with councils in London. “We will definitely use and publicise the website,” she said. “It’s great that it includes videos where Traveller families explain negotiated stopping.”
Among the videos embedded in the website is the general explanation below.
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