The manager of a rugby club which hires Brighton playing fields regularly camped on by travellers says he’s had next to no contact with the council team responsible for moving them on.
Jason Tams, commercial manager of Brighton Blues, says that other than a handshake and one returned phonecall, he had no contact with the council’s traveller liaison team since the encampment pitched up at Waterhall on Wednesday, October 7.
And he only found out they were going to court for an eviction after a parent planning to sell cakes at a rugby festival last Sunday contacted them, then passed the news onto him.
Mr Tams said: “We’re paying for a traveller liaison team whose main concern is the welfare of the travellers – where my support group? This is my fourth season at Waterhall and it’s the biggest problem I have, dealing with the negative side of the travellers.
“They came up the day after the camp arrived and met with the sergeant and me. They shook me by the hand and didn’t say a word after that to me.
“I called after that and they did return my call to say they’re being moved off today and claiming I would no longer be affected – but they were only moved to the car park, which does still affect me.”
Before it was moved on last Wednesday, Mr Tams was afraid the camp would mean he would have to cancel the Brighton Rugby Minis Festival, which is attended by up to 1,500 people.
The camp first set up on the playing fields, and then moved to the car park – but even with the pitches free, the event could not go ahead without adequate parking, which would have put the club at a huge financial loss, and unable to pay to hire the field in the first place.
As well as employ a security team to keep them marquees needed for the event safe, he also had to cancel a couple of training sessions as the fields needed to be scrupulously cleaned to avoid injury to players.
Mr Tams said: “Last year, when we had the same problems with the festival, the traveller liaison team were saying there’s no impact on you guys. It’s disquieting that they think there’s no impact on our club.”
A council spokeswoman said: “The unauthorised encampment at Waterhall has left. Our traveller liaison team works across the city and is often out and about in different locations.
“To keep the public informed members of the team regularly update the telephone line and website, as well as informing people through face to face visits.
“The team also responds to emails as soon as information is available and contacted Mr Tamms about the eviction and ending of the encampment.”
The travellers have now left Waterhall. Current unauthorised encampments are at Hangleton Bottom, Manor Hill and Wild Park.
The claim that the TLO’s respond to emails is not true The boss has responded a few times positively, but the TLO’S can however circulate e-mailed reports out in minutes, I have been a victim of this and it wasn’t as a response to myself , it was to a third -party totally unnecessarily notified of my report. I did receive an apology when i questioned it and confirmed I’d sought legal clarification on taking photographs in a public place, following the threat of legal action by that third party that when challenged went very quiet