Castle Point MP Rebecca Harris arranged for the Secretary of State for Justice, Chris Grayling MP, to speak to traders and Councillors in traveller hit communities in Castle Point. Rebecca took the Secretary of State to meet traders on Canvey seafront who had suffered when around twenty traveller caravans set up an unauthorised camp on nearby Labworth Field at the end of August.

Rebecca also took the Secretary of State, who is also the Lord Chancellor, to meet some local councillors in Thundersley who are concerned about unauthorised traveller pitches on Green Belt in Janda Fields that are currently subject to a planning appeal.

Rebecca said:

“Something has to be done to stop travellers setting up pitches without permission and I am very pleased that the Secretary of State said that the Conservative Party is looking at ways to stop travellers and squatters abusing public and private land by setting up shop and terrorising neighbours.”

During his visit to Canvey the Secretary of State said:

“It’s simply unacceptable that local communities like Canvey should have to face this kind of dreadful behaviour, and that local businesses should lose out financially because of a small group of disruptive individuals. We have to put an end to the situation where people like this can defend themselves using human rights laws, while the rights of the community affected seem to be completely ignored. I am also looking at ways of toughening other laws to protect hard working local people against this kind of incident.”