COUNCILLORS have agreed that they need a formal policy and plan in place on what to do in the future when members of the travelling community set up unauthorised encampments on council-owned land in Wellington.

Wellington Town Council was given an update on the recent encampment on the Hoyles Road open space, which took place between May 17 and 20.

And although the council’s chief executive, Dave Farrow, said everyone worked amazingly well to resolve the situation within just three days, he added that the authority could not rest on its laurels.

“We have to be realistic that moving them on within three days isn’t the norm,” he told councillors at the authority’s monthly meeting on June 1. “I was told that it would normally take about two weeks.

“It’s not guaranteed that we’d be able to get them removed so quickly again – so we do need to have realistic aims.”

Councillors applauded the actions taken by council officers, contractors and partner agencies in response to the encampment and congratulated them on quickly resolving the situation.

But Cllr Ross Henley said the council needed to make sure other open spaces owned by the authority were properly secured.

“If a site is not secure they will return,” he warned.

Councillors agreed that officers should conduct ongoing reviews of site security across council-owned land and consider recommendations for suitable measures to reduce the risk of unauthorised access by travellers.

They also said that the council should review options for appointing specialist contractors and prepare a formal policy and operational procedure to manage unauthorised encampments in the future.

Mr Farrow, in a report, said: “The absence of an agreed policy or operational process for responding to incidents of this nature meant that the council’s approach had to be developed in real time.

“While this was understandable given that comparable issues had not previously arisen on land now owned by the council, it is recommended that a formal policy and associated procedure are developed as soon as possible for consideration by the policy and finance committee.”

Mr Farrow added: “A review is now underway of the security of all council sites for higher-risk locations and to identify any additional measures required to mitigate that risk.”

Sgt Jon O’Connor, of Wellington Police, had earlier in the meeting also thanked the council for its “swift response in managing the eviction of the unauthorised encampment in Hoyles Road.”

“In a combined effort, bailiffs in partnership with my team and patrol colleagues from Taunton ensured the successful departure of all occupants from the land,” he said. “Given that many encampments in other towns remain in situ for significantly longer, this was a prompt resolution for all concerned.

“The council’s open spaces team then followed up with an equally swift response to clear the field and re-secure the entry point.”

Sgt O’Connor added: “We will continue to work in partnership with the town council to review any susceptible open spaces and provide advice on target-hardening measures where appropriate.”