Traveller site crisis: Can Birmingham's 'negotiated stopping' plan ease city-wide tensions?

Birmingham City Council says it wants to "reset" its relationship with the travelling community after years of mounting tension over unauthorised encampments - but delays and confusion are already clouding the new strategy.

Parks and public spaces across the city have seen a surge in caravans as official transit sites fall into disrepair.

Birmingham is supposed to have two designated areas where travellers can legally stay, with proper facilities and hard standings. In reality, one site has been occupied long-term, and the other has been vandalised so often it’s barely usable.

Watch the video: Richard Gullick reports

The result? Over 500 unauthorised encampments in the past five years — often on parks and playing fields that residents expect to be clean and accessible. With nowhere else to go, many travelling families set up on public land, sparking frustration among locals and forcing the council into costly clear-up operations.

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“Nobody’s winning here,” said one resident near Selly Oak, where caravans have recently appeared on a popular green space. “The council’s been ignoring this for years, and now it’s a mess for everyone.”

To tackle the issue, the council has announced a 12-month trial of “negotiated stopping” — a model used in other cities where temporary areas of unused land are set aside for short-term stays, with basic services provided and council officers on-site to manage relations.

Officials say the scheme could reduce conflict, avoid costly legal action, and offer a more humane approach. But months after the announcement, no sites have been confirmed, and consultation with communities has slipped to later this year.

In the meantime, unauthorised camps continue to pop up in parks and public areas, fuelling frustration and undermining trust on all sides.

The council insists the pilot will go ahead and promises better dialogue with both travellers and residents. But critics say unless the city addresses years of neglect — and restores its broken transit infrastructure — the new scheme risks becoming yet another temporary patch on a long-running failure.