Birmingham City Council’s Labour Administration is proposing a new Gypsy Roma Traveller Strategy and Delivery plan, which includes "negotiated stopping sites" across the city. The Conservative Group firmly believes that no stopping site should be imposed on a community or ward without the agreement of local residents and councillors. There are currently two designated traveller sites in Birmingham, neither of which are available for use due to the council's lack of enforcement.
Cllr Ewan Mackey (Con, Sutton Roughley), Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Birmingham Local Conservatives said:
This Labour administration has a habit of making decisions over the heads of local communities, doing things to them rather than for them, and this proposed policy is yet another example. Our position is clear—no stopping site should be forced onto a ward where the councillor and the community have not agreed to it. Residents deserve a say in what happens in their neighbourhoods, and we will not stand by while Labour imposes unwanted sites without proper consultation. As representatives of their communities, councillors must have a veto on these sites within their ward.
The Labour administration has currently agreed to consult ward councillors and residents and businesses close to the sites selected but not to wider consultation, or any commitment to avoiding the use of sites objected to through that consultation.
Cllr Adam Higgs (Con, Highters Heath) added:
The decisions made by the Labour Council directly impact communities and local people have a right to be heard. A full and meaningful public consultation is the only way to ensure transparency and accountability. The Labour Administration cannot pick and choose when public voices matter—residents must be included in any decisions about potential Traveller stopping sites. Birmingham Local Conservatives calling for full transparency and meaningful engagement with communities before any such sites are considered. Residents can be assured that Conservative councillors will stand up for their local areas and oppose any attempts to bypass democratic decision-making.
