Sometimes, You Win One Two!

A travelling community has hit back at a rise in their rent, claiming that the site is in such a bad state it makes them ashamed.

And unlike other areas, the ‘travellers’ claim that this is not down to them at all, but to the council.

And god knows, they’ve been there long enough to know:

Mary Ripley, aged 63, who lives on the site with her husband Joe, 65 said: “We first came here 40 years ago and the sheds were exactly the same then as they are now.”

That word, ‘travellers’. I don’t think it means what you think it means…

Forty-three-year-old Rosie Ripley said: “We are out of sight and out of mind to them. We understand that rent goes up but we are living the same way as we did 40 years ago.”

Well, that’s your choice, isn’t it?

For once, the council isn’t backing down:

Dartford Council Leader Councillor Jeremy Kite said that the increase in rent is proof of the community’s equal relationship in the borough.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

He said: "We are not the sort of council that believes the travelling community should be treated any differently or be a higher priority than anyone else.

"We have invested substantial amounts in the Claywood Lane site. I'm sure we will invest more, but not at the expense of other people in need of housing."

I like this man. A lot.

Meanwhile, in Gravesham, another victory:

The High Court heard how the couple had previously lived in a council house in Coulsdon, Surrey, for nine years before upping sticks and moving to Kent in last August.

The couple told the court, however, that they didn't actually live in the house and instead lived in a caravan parked on the driveway because they 'got depressed' when living under bricks and mortar.

Riiiiiiight….

They even told the court that Mrs Baker suffered 'panic attacks' when she was not in a caravan - and that they moved to Kent to get away from the council house in Coulsdon.

The one they’d lived in for nine years….

Mr Justice Lindbolm, sitting at the High Court, however told the couple, who are in their 40s, they could not stay at the site and granted Gravesham Borough Council an injunction preventing the occupation of the land without planning permission.

/cheer

Cllr Mike Snelling, Gravesham council leader, said: 'This case highlights the fact that local planning authority enforcement officers will seek to ensure that all individuals who breach planning control are held accountable.'

Whether the case refers to gypsy traveller families or a householder with an unauthorised extension, officers will take action to uphold planning control in the borough of Gravesham.

Are councils slowly but surely starting to get the message?