NORTH East Herts MP Oliver Heald has criticised the proposals for new travellers sites in the area as ill-thought out and wrong-headed . In a letter sent to all the town and parish councils in his constituency affected by the recently released Scott Wil

NORTH East Herts MP Oliver Heald has criticised the proposals for new travellers' sites in the area as "ill-thought out and wrong-headed".

In a letter sent to all the town and parish councils in his constituency affected by the recently released Scott Wilson report, Mr Heald said he is against the proposals as "they seem to be the wrong way to tackle accommodation needs of travellers."

He said: "There are traditional traveller routes and if extra accommodation is needed, it does not make sense to put it where they don't want to go.

"Areas like ours do not have a traveller tradition and it seems wrong to encourage others to take up this particular lifestyle, which is often associated with social exclusion.

The Scott Wilson report was commissioned by Herts County Council and local authorities, including North Herts and East Herts district councils. It identifies 21 potential "areas for search" in Hertfordshire which could make suitable locations for travellers sites. These include areas in Ashwell, Reed, Buntingford, and Sandon.

Mr Heald added: "I will continue to oppose new traveller sites in our area. I believe that these proposals are ill-thought out and wrong-headed.