Leeds GATE is a members organisation for Gypsy and Traveller people in West Yorkshire. Their aim is to improve quality of life for our communities. Leeds Gate works in partnership with other agencies to address the issues which affect our homes, our health, our education and employment and our circumstances within UK society. Leeds Gate has pioneered what they term, ‘negotiated stopping’ or roadside camps, as an alternative to the previous approach of dealing with unauthorized encampments, as a result of which Leeds Gypsy and Traveller Exchange have won the prestigious Lloyds Bank Foundation ‘Championing Change’ award for Yorkshire and Humber. The judges recognised the genuine change that Leeds Gate ‘negotiated stopping’ programme has brought to people’s lives. Very simply it has meant that the local authority no longer resort immediately to legal measures to shift unauthorised camps, instead using dialogue and negotiation to enable Travelling families to stay, for limited periods of time, on ground where this isn’t causing great inconvenience to anyone else. The families make an agreement with the authority about acceptable behaviour, use of waste disposal, the period the camp will stay and what date the families will ‘move on’ or leave. As a result, the authority is able to avoid confrontations and challenging situations that cause stress and distress to all concerned.
Crown Point House,
167-169 Cross Green Lane,
Leeds LS9 0BD
Phone: 0113 240 2444
Web-site: http://leedsgate.co.uk/