Caroline Spelman, MP for the Meriden Constituency visited the site occupied by Travellers in Chadwick End along with Rob Horsfield, Parish Council Chairman, to see for herself the trail of destruction left behind following their departure.
The clear up operation to remove rubbish strewn all over the playing field and park has begun, but it will take much longer to get the sports pavilion by the field restored following vandalism.
Caroline said; “Firstly, I want to applaud the local police, council and parish council for all their efforts in making sure that the travellers were moved on as quickly as possible. I was appalled at the destruction to the playing field, park and the Pavilion, following the vacation of this travelling community. I have met the the Parish Council Chairman and I’ve written to Sport England to see if there are funds available to help get the facilities restored for local people to enjoy once again. I am also delighted to hear that Solihull Council has pledged £2000 to get the ball rolling.”
Solihull Council has provision for the travelling community on authorised sites, so there is no need for travellers to occupy parkland or green spaces in our borough. As the clean-up operation is likely to cost thousands of pounds, there will undoubtedly be a need for the Council to re-evaluate all open spaces in the borough that could potentially be occupied by the travelling community and consider putting in preventative measures that are in keeping with the local environment to help stop this going forward.