UK minister criticised after asking constituents if they would like to live next to a Traveller site

UK deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden has defended a cabinet colleague who sent leaflets to his constituents asking them if they would want to live beside halting sites used by the Traveller community.

The leaflets, sent by Wales secretary David TC Davies, are being reviewed by local police, who received a number of complaints over the language used. Traveller advocacy groups have condemned the wording of the leaflets as “discriminatory”.

Mr Davies sent the leaflets accusing the local council in Monmouth, northeast of Cardiff near the English border, of planning to establish facilities for Travellers and Gypsies without proper consultation with locals.

“Gypsy and Traveller site coming to your area soon!” the leaflet’s headline said.

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It suggested the Labour-run council wanted to rush through proposals for several sites over the summer while many people were on holidays. It then asked Monmouth constituents three questions, including: “Would you like to see a Traveller site next to your house?”

Mr Dowden, who is deputising for Rishi Sunak while the prime minister is on holiday, rejected criticism of Mr Davies on Thursday and said he was only “standing up for his constituents”. Mr Dowden told Sky News he “totally supports” his cabinet colleague’s right to “stand up for his constituents”.

“I think that what David TC Davies was doing was highlighting the failure of the local Labour council to carry out a proper consultation on this. That is entirely what people would expect their local members of parliament to do,” said the deputy prime minister.

Mr Davies has also rejected criticism over the affair and said it was “legitimate” to debate the issue.

Gwent Police said it was “aware” of the leaflet: “Officers are reviewing the content of the leaflet and its impact on the Gypsy and Traveller and settled communities in Monmouthshire. We take any allegation of discrimination extremely seriously.”

The local council is legally required under Welsh equality legislation to assess the need for Traveller accommodation and provide for it.

Travelling Ahead, a local group that advocates and advises the Traveller and Gypsy communities, said it was concerned over the language used in the leaflet. Trudy Aspinwall, the group’s project manager, told The Irish Times it could “rile up hostility” against Traveller families that need somewhere to stay.

“We were made aware of the leaflet last week by certain local people who were horrified. Then we received calls from worried Traveller and Gypsy families who have been waiting years for any kind of site provision,” she said.

Ms Aspinwall said Travelling Ahead assisted several people who wanted to report the leaflet as a “hate crime” to the police. The police contacted the advocacy group to confirm it was being investigated.

“There are no public [halting] sites at all in Monmouthshire. There is a shortage everywhere. One reason for this is the intervention of politicians who are then the first to complain if Travellers or Gypsies end up moving into somewhere like a car park,” said Ms Aspinwall.

She added that the local council wasn’t looking for permission to build specific developments for Travellers, but rather it was only identifying potential sites that might be used in future.

Close to 60,000 people in England and Wales identify as “white: Gypsy or Irish Traveller”, according to data from the Office for National Statistics. It released figures in January showing members of the community do not live as long other people, which suggests they face greater health and other social challenges.