Fears new bill could ‘eliminate’ Bristol’s van dwelling community

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill can be considered one of the most controversial legislative changes in recent history, and perhaps nowhere has it been more so than Bristol.

The protests in the city last year made local and national headlines, with violence from both police and protestors.

The third clause of the bill is often the one that receives the most attention, as it specifies protests that are deemed “noisy” will be subject to more extreme policing.

However the bill will also make it an offence to reside “on land without consent in or with a vehicle”.

The government has cited an “appetite for increased powers” to remove illegal encampments being behind the new legislation, but protestors have highlighted that this will effectively mean people can be prosecuted for living in their vans.

There are concerns about the impact of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill on Bristol’s van dwelling community – photo: Joanna Booth

A recent petition calling for the government to keep trespass a civil rather than criminal offence gained 134,934 signatures, with organisers describing it as “extreme, illiberal unnecessary”.

This sentiment is echoed by Bristol Vehicles For Change, a community interest group set up to encourage cohesion between van dwellers and residents, alongside protecting the rights of those living in their vehicles.

They released a statement opposing the bill, which said: “Firstly, it is unlawful: it violates existing legislation by directly targeting communities with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.

“It also directly breaches Article 8: the right to home. This goes against decades of education and campaigning for rights won by our ancestors.

“Secondly, it works against the positive efforts that have been made to build bridges between communities, authorities and stakeholders at a local level.

“For example, inspired by innovative solutions employed in Leeds, here in Bristol we have research-led alternatives being developed that utilise and affirm resilient, responsible communities that do not require such levels of costly law enforcement.”

Bristol Vehicles For Change have condemned the bill, which has been at the centre of numerous protests in the city – photo: Ellie Pipe

A local van dweller, who wished to remain anonymous, told Bristol24/7 about their concerns with the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

They said: “Bristol has always had a van-friendly city (admittedly more in some areas than others).

“At a time when the housing crisis is forcing people to live in vans due to lack of affordable buildings, the new bill outlawing this way of life seems more steeped in racist anti-traveller sentiment than in actual logic.”

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Tensions between vehicle dwellers and residents in the city have been well-publicised, particularly in Clifton Down and Easton.

Vehicles for Change state in their statement that the tensions could be worsened by the potential criminalisation of vehicle dwellers.

Instead, they feel emphasis should be put on improving relations through communication with residents and better access to facilities.

Research by one of the group’s founders, Rhiannon Craft, has found that historically vehicle dwellers have been subject to discrimination at the hands of both the media and legislation.

The participants in her research spoke about how recent changes have already made it more challenging to live in Bristol, but also to live peacefully with residents as recycling points and public toilets have been forced to shut down.

The bill, it is feared, could “eliminate” the city’s van dwelling community – photo by Ellie Pipe

Vehicles for Change have also highlighted that vehicle dwellers want to live sustainably, freely and harmoniously with residents, and are concerned that the bill will not just prevent this harmony but outlaw their way of life.

The group added: “This bill only reinforces discrimination and misunderstanding that works against long-awaited progressive movements in this field.

“With the right to protest threatened simultaneously in this extensive bill, this could be rendered irreversible and effectively eliminate communities.”

Marnie Woodmeade is a vehicle dweller herself and reporting as part of Bristol24/7’s community reporter scheme, a project which aims to tell stories from areas of Bristol traditionally under-served by the mainstream media  

Main photo: Martin Booth 

Read more: ‘Kill the bill’ protester cleared of riot but found guilty of arson

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