Britannia Radio

WELCOME TO HELL AS 

 

 Council 'calls pensioners racists' for objecting to cost of tidying up after travellers

http://www.dailymai l.co.uk/news/ article-1164755/ Council-calls- pensioners- racists-objectin g-cost-tidying- travellers. html Council 'calls pensioners racists' for objecting to cost of tidying up after travellers By Daily Mail Reporter Last updated at 1:17 PM on 25th March 2009 An elderly couple who complained about mess made by travellers were told their views would be ignored because they broke race laws. Rita and Norman Brookhouse say an unelected public body effectively branded them racists after inviting their views on where travellers' sites should be placed. Mr Brookhouse, 73, and his wife wrote to their regional assembly saying they were concerned about the costs of cleaning up after travellers. Angry: Pensioners Rita and Norman Brookhouse say they were effectively branded racists by their regional assembly The assembly's director of planning wrote back saying their views were based on 'negative assumptions' and 'could be construed as offensive'. Her letter cited the Race Relations Act 1976, saying it is unlawful to discriminate on the grounds of race, colour or ethnic or national group - and pointing out that Romany gypsies and Irish travellers are recognised by law as ethnic groups. Mr and Mrs Brookhouse, of Havant, Hants, had written to the South East England Regional Assembly (Seera) calling for travellers to be charged a fee for using the sites. 'Reasonable charges must be made for use of sites so that local people know the travellers are contributing to the community finances,' they said in their letter. 'At present travellers give nothing to the community where they stay, indeed they create expense (rubbish clearance, etc. after they have departed).' Seera says it has sent back 147 of the 1,129 letters it received in the consultation exercise on race relations grounds. The letter the Brookhouses received from Seera's planning strategy director Catriona Riddell said: 'We have carefully considered all submissions. Unfortunately a number, including yours, contain statements that are based on negative assumptions about the gypsy, travellers and travelling showpeople communities and / or could reasonably be construed as offensive to such groups. 'While we appreciate that you may not have intended for your comments to be perceived as such, we and our legal advisors consider such comments to be of a discriminatory nature.' Retired scientist Mrs Brookhouse insisted she was not being racist and only wanted people to respect the area where they lived. The 76-year-old said: 'This country is supposed to be a democracy - we are all supposed to have a say in what happens. 'To be told that they don't like what you're saying and are therefore going to discount it is utterly ridiculous.' She added: 'This assembly does not represent the country. I'm a taxpayer in a town where the council has to spend thousands of pounds a year clearing up after travellers and we don't get anything back.' Havant Borough Council spent approximately £19,000 pounds cleaning up after travellers in 2007/8 and £24,000 pounds in 2006/7. Mrs Brookhouse, who supports the idea of properly managed travellers' sites, added: 'We are not racist. We have friends from all different walks of life. It doesn't matter to me as long as people respect the area they live in and pull their weight.' Havant MP David Willetts has now taken up the case with Seera and said: 'There were no abusive or offensive remarks about gypsies or travellers as an ethnic group. 'It is completely absurd to suggest it is and undermines the consultation. ' Seera - a body made up of 77 councillors from local authorities and 34 representatives from the business and voluntary sectors - launched the consultation as part of an effort to get new sites built by councils to accommodate travellers' caravans. Moira Gibson, a Surrey Heath councillor and chairwoman of Seera's Regional Planning Committee, said the law meant Seera was unable to consider letters it felt to be in breach of the Race Relations Act. 'We have had to discount and return any responses that we and independent legal advisors reasonably considered to be of a discriminatory nature,' she said. 'A vast majority of the responses we received were not discriminatory and have been taken into account.'