13/08/2026
This is the response I have had from Al Carns MP to my recent email. I am encouraged by the speed of his response
Dear Beryl
Thank you for getting in touch regarding the illegal encampments on Swanshurst Park this year. I agree that the current situation with Swanshurst Park, along with many others both within my constituency, and across the city, is dire. The level of fly tipping and waste produced by these encampments is causing serious problems across Birmingham, and worryingly, there seems to be no end in sight.
I would firstly like to thank yourself, along with the rest of the Friends of Swanshurst Park group for the immense amount of time you give up to clean up after these encampments, It is not lost on me just how much work your group has had to do over the past few years, and I think this year is probably the toughest yet.
I do think that it is unacceptable for the Council workers to leave the majority of these tasks to yourselves, and it is a dereliction of duty. After all, the Parks Team should be responsible for completing this work. I agree that the Council need to do far more to tackle these continuous encampments, and I will continue to push for them to act upon their duty.
I agree that we need more permanent stopping sites for the Travellers. Not only would this reduce the likelihood of further park encampments, it would also allow the Council the ability to seek a Court Injunction against the illegal encampments, like was in place in previous years. The court injunction would allow West Midlands Police to remove any further encampments far sooner than they are currently able to. I pressed the former administration to take decisive action on this, to create more permanent sites, and to seek a court injunction, and I will push the new administration on these necessities too.
I’m aware that there are plans to start works on Swanshurst Park, in order to limit the access of illegal encampments. I understand that the Council is still working through these policies and finding the funding, which is an encouraging sign. However, this was also supposed to be the case with Daisy Farm Park in Highters Heath, which has now been waiting over 12 months for these works to commence. I worry that these works will not begin until next summer at the earliest, and their completion will be made harder by any further encampments present at the same time.
I also want to see a return of free bulky waste collections. I understand there were plans drawn up regarding this, however they appear to be theoretical, and we have seen no work on this as of yet. I can also appreciate the idea of rescinding charges for commercial vehicles at recycling centres across the city, although I do still have some areas of contention with this. I would imagine that it would result in less fly tipping, but at the same time, I can also appreciate that it would add further pressure onto the Council’s waste services, as there would be a significant uptake in use for the recycling centres by commercial businesses. It is certainly one for the Council to consider, and I will raise the question of this.
Finally, I would be happy to meet with yourself and the Friends Group regarding this. My diary for the upcoming weeks and months is already starting to fill up, but it may be worthwhile attending an advice surgery. My team are currently working out a date for my next surgery, and this will be posted onto my social media pages when we have a date.
Kind regards,
Al Carns DSO OBE MC MP
