Councillor resigns as council finds Warrington traveller transit site

But a councillor has resigned from the Labour party after hearing of the ‘secret’ plans and has slammed what he says is ‘shady skulduggery’.

Cllr Neil Johnson, a Labour borough and parish councillor who represents Culcheth Glazebury and Croft, has issued a statement confirming his resignation from the Labour party with immediate effect.

This is in protest at what he describes as a ‘secret plan’ by his former party for a gypsy and traveller transit site on the border of Culcheth and Croft.

Such a site has been long sought after in Warrington in response to dozens of unauthorised encampments on private and council-owned land every year.

As early as 2015, Warrington Borough Council set £2million aside to create a traveller transit site – but almost a decade has passed with no site being delivered.

Neighbouring areas have proven how successful they can be, with Runcorn being a shining example.

Cllr Johnson says he was ‘stunned’ to learn of plans by Warrington Borough Council to build a transit site, with facilities for members of the gypsy and traveller community, on land on Kenyon Lane in Culcheth.

The is reported to be the former Kenyon Lane Nurseries site, which is currently listed for sale for £800,000.

In a statement, Cllr Johnson said: “I have resigned from the Labour Party with immediate effect.

“I will now sit as an independent councillor at the Town Hall and on Culcheth and Glazebury Parish Council.

The former Kenyon Lane Nurseries site has been identified by the council as suitable for a traveller transit site (Image: Zoopla)

“I was stunned to discover that my former party has concocted a secret plan to station a gypsy transit site on the old Kenyon Lane Nurseries site, on the edge of Culcheth and Croft.

“This is unconscionable. I cannot support it. Traveller transit sites should be located appropriately, in locations that are far removed from populated areas.

“I received two phone calls, one from a senior Labour councillor and one from a Warrington Borough Council officer, informing me that this was ‘a done deal’.

“Undue pressure was then applied to me, as I was told that I had no choice but to vote for it. I will not do so.

READ MORE > Traveller transit group only met once in a year

“I was elected to represent the residents of Culcheth, Glazebury and Croft. There has been no consultation with local people about these plans.

“I was not informed from the start, and I represent the area. When was the council planning to let us have our say? When would our voices have been heard?

“This kind of shady skulduggery does not sit well with me. I refuse to have any part of it. I will not be browbeaten or bullied into putting my hand up in support of something I do not agree with.

“I am a principled, independent-minded councillor. I will always have the interests of local residents at heart. I am going to fight these secret plans tooth and nail.

“If this goes ahead, what will happen to our house prices? Our local schools? Our shops and amenities and health services?

“In the coming days, I will be launching my campaign against Labour’s secret transit site in Culcheth and Croft. I encourage everyone in our villages to join me. Together, we can win.

Cllr Neil Johnson, a borough and parish councillor, has resigned from the Labour party (Image: WBC/Newsquest)

“I will also be sharing details of how residents can lobby my fellow ward councillors Matt Smith and Janet Seddon, as well as our local MP Charlotte Nichols.

“We need their support, and they must not be allowed to sit on their hands while our community is sold down the river.

“Will they speak up and show some backbone, or are they just puppets of Warrington Borough Council? We will soon find out.”

In response to the issues raised by Cllr Johnson, a Warrington Borough Council spokesman said: “The council notes the resignation of Cllr Neil Johnson from the Labour group.

“For a number of years, we have been trying to identify a suitable location for a transit site to enable us to manage and reduce the impact of unauthorised encampments in Warrington.

“The benefits of a transit site are recognised by all partners across the borough, including the police, residents and other partners.

“In the year to date, January to August, Warrington has had 61 unauthorised encampments on both public and private land.

“This figure can be compared to Halton, which has a transit site, and has had seven unauthorised encampments.

"We recognise the benefits of a transit site in managing our legal obligations. As such, we have, for a number of years, included within our capital programme a project to deliver a site.

“We have established a cross-party members working group to identify a potential site and report back to the cabinet.

“The work of this group has always been confidential, given the challenges and sensitivity of the subject matter.

The former Kenyon Lane Nurseries site has been identified by the council as suitable for a traveller transit site (Image: Zoopla)

“The working group has carried out considerable works, over many years, to identify a suitable site, to meet the needs of both the travelling community and the residents of the borough.

“The council recognises the benefits to both the travelling community and the residents and businesses of Warrington in providing suitable accommodation for the travelling community.

“We regularly monitor the property market looking for suitable sites to deliver a transit site considering these needs.

“Following the elections in May, the membership of the cross-party working group was refreshed, and Cllr Johnson has been a member of the group since May 2024.

"In July 2024, officers became aware that the site at Kenyon Lane had been brought to market via an agent.

“The working group held a meeting on August 20, which Cllr Johnson did not attend, where information about the site was shared.

“Members asked officers to make further enquiries around the purchase of the site, and to develop a business case to develop the plot into a suitable facility.

“A report has been prepared for cabinet on Monday, October 14. This report was shared with the working group on October 1, when the group voted unanimously to progress with the report to the October cabinet.

“Any development of the land into a transit site after successful purchase must be subject to the submission of an appropriate planning application and relevant consultation.

“This was made clear to Cllr Johnson, as well as the need for confidentiality until the land could be secured.

"The council will continue in its attempts to deliver a suitable transit site for the borough, to support the management and reduction of unauthorised encampments that we currently manage.”