Edinburgh MP Christine Jardine to raise Drumbrae traveller issues in Parliament this week
An Edinburgh MP will call for more sites to reduce illegal encampments in Parliament this week, following recent issues with travellers at Drumbrae.
Edinburgh West MP Christine Jardine will raise the recent issues in Drumbrae when she calls on both the UK and Scottish Governments to relieve tensions between communities and travellers by improving designated sites in a parliamentary debate this week.
On Wednesday, the Liberal Democrats MP will urge the UK Government to review how councils provide sufficient sites for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, after a number of residents raised concerns about a temporary illegal site at Drumbrae Leisure Centre in her constituency.
Ms Jardine wrote to council officials, after residents had reported fly-tipping, illegal parking, and improper disposal of human waste during the travellers' stay.
Locals also vented their anger online when the travellers were at Drumbrae in August, due to the mess they left behind. Commenting on the Clermiston Chat Facebook page, one said: “The field needs to be completely fenced so this doesn’t happen again, just needs one locked entrance for a tractor to come in to cut the grass.”
Speaking about the clean-up, another added: “Council lads have got their work cut out for them. When l first reported this l said five large skips, more like double! My theory is these folk moved on as they ran out of space!”
Others said that the travellers at Drumbrae were the same group we reported on last month who left a mess behind at Gypsie Brae/ Silverknowes. Photos of the mess left behind at Drumbrae seem to show the same type of rubbish and materials left behind at Silverknowes, including what appears to be waste from gardening work.
Currently, the City of Edinburgh Council provides a site for travellers to pitch at North Cairntow, with funding for redevelopment approved by the council’s finance committee in 2021.
Ms Jardine hopes the debate at Westminster will be an opportunity to discuss how other sites can be developed to create safe, welcoming and respectful environments for both travellers and permanent residents.
She said: "This is a long-running issue for my constituents. The only way to address the tension that has been created in communities like Drumbrae is by providing sufficient legal sites.
"This site was inappropriate for both the local community and the travelling community, and the condition it was left in was not acceptable.
"I am pleased to see the council is taking action to clean and restore the site, but this cannot happen again.
"That is why I will be calling for reasonable, designated places for travellers to stay, that are suitable for residents and travellers alike, and the funding and resources for our councils to support this urgent action."