New policy to reduce van dwellers is approved

A new policy that aims to bring down the number of people living in vans across Bristol has been approved by councillors.

Vehicle dwellers will be offered up to three months of support before enforcement action is taken.

The new policy was adopted after Bristol City Council started taking steps to move one of the UK's biggest van dwelling communities on the Clifton Downs.

The new plans will come into effect from January but will not be fully implemented until April.

People living in the area were asked to move at the start of December, but the council's application to make it legally enforceable will not be heard in court until February.

Councillor Barry Parsons, chair of the homes and housing delivery committee, said the city is a "pioneer" in its approach to van dwellers, with other local authorities watching to see if the plan works.

"This has not been an easy task, but this is an issue that has been allowed to go on unchecked for too long," said Mr Parsons.

"The increase in people living in vehicles creates a range of social, public health, and environmental challenges for the city and people living this way."

Under the new policy, the council will assess the impact of van dwellers in any given area, and decide whether it is necessary to start enforcement immediately, or begin a three-month period of support.

During that time people would be offered help to help to find a home, or to move onto a "meanwhile site" - temporary sites where van dwellers can live with basic facilities. To be eligible for a pitch, an individual must be able to prove a link to the city.

If, at the end of three months, the person is not engaging with the process, the council will start the process of moving them on via enforcement action.

The council has started to create more pitches on so-called "meanwhile sites", and has a target of having 250 pitches by April.

Current figures estimate the number of lived-in vehicles around the city to be between 600 and 650.

The policy states that when someone is on a waiting list for a meanwhile site, enforcement action will be paused "if there is a realistic chance that a pitch will become available in the future".

If an individual moves to another area during the period of engagement, the three-month period does not reset.

According to the document, the council "reserves the right to review each case individually".

It all comes at a cost of £4.5m over the next five years.

Mr Parsons said the council is now entering a "testing and learning phase", and will review how the policy is going in six months.

Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.