Labour Council Spends Over £500,000 on Security for Three Traveller Caravans

Newport City Council has incurred costs exceeding £500,000 for security measures at the Ellen Ridge site, which accommodates just three traveller caravans. The expenditure, totaling £538,000, covered security guards, dogs, and alarms.

Welsh Conservatives have called for an explanation of the "astonishing sum," questioning its value for money. Last year, Newport City Council sought expressions of interest for security services at the South Wales site. The contract aimed to prevent unauthorized access and illegal occupation while ensuring the safety and well-being of residents, anticipating potential needs for "up to 24/7" guarding, perimeter checks, incident response, and conflict de-escalation with culturally sensitive engagement.

The Ellen Ridge site has previously been associated with controversy. In 2024, six members of the McDonagh family were jailed for their involvement in an illegal puppy-selling ring operating from the site. The RSPCA found animals in emaciated and unhealthy conditions, with puppies advertised as home-bred but found to be bred in sheds, sourced from abroad, or sold with pre-existing health issues. The McDonagh family admitted animal welfare offenses and were banned from owning dogs for at least a decade.

This sentencing followed an earlier order in 2021 for the McDonagh family to leave Ellen Ridge after two years of "illegal" occupation. Newport City Council stated at the time that the family did not qualify for a pitch, and a court acknowledged them as trespassers. However, a judge advised the council to relocate them to other parts of the land and tolerate their presence there rather than evicting them entirely. It remains unclear if the McDonagh family currently occupies pitches on the land.

Natasha Asghar, a Welsh Senedd member, criticized the security expenditure, stating, "More than half a million pounds in additional security and alarm costs at a site comprising just three residential pitches is an astonishing sum." She emphasized that Newport taxpayers deserve to know the necessity of these costs, the recipients of the funds, and whether value for money was achieved.

A Newport City Council spokesperson defended the council's actions, citing a legal responsibility to assess and provide for the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers. The spokesperson declined to discuss specific security arrangements or their reasons. The council also stated that it is misleading to link anti-social behavior in the city center with traveler site spending, as these are funded from different budgets. The council highlighted its investment of £350,000 this year in city center safety measures, including CCTV upgrades and an additional warden.