Council helps landowner clear unauthorised camp
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council has worked with a private landowner to clear an unauthorised camp close near the town centre.
The Borough Council has no power to act on private property. However, in this instance it worked with the landowner take the necessary steps to clear the site.
Jonathan Gullis, Leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and Cabinet member for Planning and Town Centres, said:
This illegal encampment has now been cleared, and I make no apology for acting swiftly and firmly to protect local residents.
Decent, hard-working people should not have to live around public nuisance, filth, intimidation, and anti-social behaviour in their own community.
We worked proactively with the landowner and got the result residents deserved. The message from this Reform UK-led council to private landowners is clear: work with us and get it sorted or fail to act and we will use every legal power available to hold you to account.
If this happens on council land, we’ll go act swifter and harder to protect residents, no delays, no excuses. Our residents deserve clean, safe, law-abiding communities, and this council will fight to deliver exactly that.”
Using Government money, the council recently opened Navigation House, a short-term safe, secure emergency accommodation for rough sleepers.
From there people can be put in touch with different services, housing associations, the Department for Work and Pensions, financial advice and so on, so that they need not sleep rough.
Vanessa Renshaw, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council Cabinet member for Housing and Public Protection, said:
By providing safe, short-term emergency accommodation at Navigation House, we can get people off the streets and connect them with the practical support they need, whilst helping make our town centre feel safer, cleaner and more welcoming for residents, businesses, and visitors.
Our approach is clear: we will offer support to those who genuinely need help, but we will also act firmly where behaviour causes nuisance, fear or harm in our communities.”