by Ron Godfrey, David Stanford and Kevin Smith

Clifton Moor businessmen today threatened to withhold their business rates unless City of York Council changed its policy on gipsy invasions.

They complain that when their local authority was Ryedale District Council, evictions of travellers and their caravans on the industrial and business estates at Clifton Moor took place within 48 hours.

The City of York Council, on the other hand, will only evict gipsies on its own council-owned sites. Owners of private land are told they are responsible for removing gipsies, for any rubbish or waste they may have left and for any security measures to prevent unauthorised gipsy occupation from happening again.

The policy was in force last week when beleaguered businesses on the Lysander Close estate appealed in vain for the city council's help to remove caravans in their car park. In the event the travellers left as media interest grew.

The threat to withhold business rates came from Robin Morgan, spokesman for an amenity company consisting of 16 firms in James Nicholson Link on the opposite side of the estate.

He said :"The City of York Council's attitude is 'Get stuffed. We're all right, Jack.' What we want to know is why they can't act while Ryedale Council can. Ryedale's officials took just 48 hours to get an injunction to remove gipsies who had taken over our car parks.

"Since the City of York became our authority our business rates have increased. What actually are we paying for?

"Unless there is some security and action then we will surely stop paying our rates. Why should we pay for a service we are not getting?"

Vale of York Tory MP Anne McIntosh said she would be pressing the City of York Council to protect local businesses and residents.

Miss McIntosh, who met business bosses from the estate to discuss their fears and view the damage caused by the gipsies, said:

"Regrettably, the Labour-controlled City of York Council has refused to take action to date.

"Local traders are very disappointed with the council's inaction. When the area fell under the responsibility of Ryedale District Council, the council stepped in immediately to take action."

Steve Oldridge, Ryedale's deputy director of operations, said that usually owners of private land willingly made a contribution towards the costs which could run into "several hundreds of pounds."

Under the law the council which had three gipsy sites at Malton, Clifton Moor and Osbaldwick, was allowed to act on behalf of private landowners to remove the gipsies.

But the policy was tempered with mercy where there were special circumstances affecting the travellers, such as illness or death.

But York's council leader, Rod Hills, who represents Clifton ward, said it was the landlord's responsibility to move travellers on private land. In this case the council would take action because the travellers were also occupying the highway.

"Our policy is not to take action when there is a private landlord. Why should we be doing and paying for someone else's responsibility?" he said.

The eviction process involved a court order and would take about three weeks, he said.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.