A south Essex council is to plough £1,000 into a legal battle against travellers, it was revealed today.

Rochford District Council agreed the move just months after its leader, Tory Peter Webster, likened travellers to "parasites".

The cash will support Mid Bedfordshire District Council in fighting a test case action being brought by travellers.

The travellers are seeking a judicial review after being offered temporary accommodation by the council under homelessness law.

They say the council should provide them with land where they can park their caravans while their homelessness applications are decided.

Mr Webster's public views of travellers recently got him in hot water with the police after he was accused of racism.

He was cleared after giving a statement to a Rayleigh police officer following claims from a Romany gipsy over an article in a local newspaper in December.

Mr Webster (Con, Whitehouse) said: "This test case is important not just for Rochford but councils across the country including Basildon which also has a hell of a time with travellers."

The case comes after several years in which Mid Bedfordshire Council has been attempting to enforce planning regulations at a site owned by travellers and occupied without planning permission. The High Court ruled in favour of the council.

In the judicial review, the travellers claim that the temporary homes they have been offered are not suitable nor are sites elsewhere in the region, and that they require land in Mid Beds District on which to station their caravans.

Published Wednesday, April 16, 2003

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