Trespass

[Badlad]

The government manifesto stated it wanted to introduce a law to make trespass a criminal offence.  The law is to be aimed at travellers but the Ramblers, BMC and many other outdoor groups are very concerned with the implications of such a law and are fighting against it.  Both the CNCC and BCA C&A officer responded to the government consultation highlighting concerns on how it might effect other users of the outdoors.

There is a petition at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/300139 if anyone wishes to sign it. 

That petition states, "The Government's manifesto stated “we will make intentional trespass a criminal offence”: an extreme, illiberal & unnecessary attack on ancient freedoms that would threaten walkers, campers, and the wider public. It would further tilt the law in favour of the landowning 1% who own half the country."

[andrewmc]

If trespass is criminalised, most trips down Swildon's will be illegal, unless you are going to knock on half the doors in Priddy asking for permission for the bit of cave they own, since ownership extends, by case law (Bocardo SA v Star Energy UK Onshore Ltd) deep below the surface...

[ChrisJC]

'Trespass with a motor vehicle' is already a criminal offence, and Travellers do it all the time. Never used as a lever though to 'move them on'.

So I doubt if this will make any difference.

Chris.

[RobinGriffiths]

There's already aggravated trespass which is a criminal offence. If there's a specific 'use case' they are after with this act, why not just bring that under aggravated trespass and let the rest of us wander around with the benefit of the ancient freedoms bestowed by our ancestors?

[Joe Duxbury]

If trespass is to become 'more' criminalised, I wonder if the chain of shops that goes by the name 'Trespass' will change. It always amused me that they would use such a title. Can you imagine a shop called 'Drunk Driving', or 'Grievous Bodily Harm'?

[mikem]

Apparently they started out supplying the local police (the current brand being created in 1984):
https://www.trespass.com/our-story

[ZombieCake]

Plenty of existing laws and provisions to move travellers on, and are not used as much as perhaps they should be. So a new law won’t make a blind bit of difference and will likely be used to further curtail current freedoms for law abiding citizens.

[pwhole]

If trespass is to become 'more' criminalised, I wonder if the chain of shops that goes by the name 'Trespass' will change. It always amused me that they would use such a title. Can you imagine a shop called 'Drunk Driving', or 'Grievous Bodily Harm'?

There's still a band

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GBH_(band)

[RB]

I'm not a frequent poster here but there is now a fascinating new book just come out on trespass which I've just started reading. Goes into the history of the land and some great insights into how much of our outdoor space is closed off.

I'd certainly recommend it to anyone with an interest in the whole trespass and access debate. Certainly got me thinking about the whys and wherefores of cavers having to ask permission from landowners in the first place...

Its called the Book of Trespass by Nick Hayes...https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-book-of-trespass/nick-hayes/9781526604699

Cheers...

[Jenny P]

I note it's being plugged in the Guardian (of course!) so you can get it cheaper from the Guardian Bookshop.  Sounds like being well worth reading.

[SamT]

Recently bought this for my dad for his Birthday.  Looks good.

He's an avid proponent of trespass, loves all the Kinder Mass Trespass stuff, and I remember going to Hayfield as a child and walking up to the downfall with Benny Rothman et al (must have been one of the more notable anniversary events).

[mikem]

He was at the 50th, in 1982, & passed away shortly before the 70th (2002):
http://kindertrespass.org.uk/anniversary-and-celebrations/

[SamT]

82 sounds about right - I'd have been 10.

[nearlywhite]

If trespass is to become 'more' criminalised, I wonder if the chain of shops that goes by the name 'Trespass' will change. It always amused me that they would use such a title. Can you imagine a shop called 'Drunk Driving', or 'Grievous Bodily Harm'?

Reckon they'd be an adult dodgems and a tatoo parlor so yes 

[mikem]

Pretty much correct about latter:
https://www.bigreddirectory.com/gbh-body-piercing-studio-saint-austell

[Jenny P]

Update on the situation.

“Don’t criminalise trespass”:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/300139

MPs on the Petitions Committee have scheduled this petition for debate on Monday 25 January. The debate will be led by Committee member Katherine Fletcher MP, and a Minister from the Home Office will respond for the Government.

Watch live from 4.30pm on Mon 25 Jan:
Read the transcript (published shortly after the debate ends): https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2021-01-25

[badger]

you would think with the current situation and brexit the government have far more important matters to get sorted, and the last time the gov, went in with a 1/2 arsed idea cause it said it the manifesto we ended up with brexit, you would have thought they might have learnt.

[Badlad]

I expect this is seen as a great idea by the Tory chumocracy.