UNDER government policy, Wyre Forest has to identify sites for gypsies/travellers. In pursuit of this £17,500 has been paid to planning consultants to write a report and identify sites.

Reasonable you may think. It’s government policy after all and professional consultants are being employed by the council to carry out evidenced-based research and make proposals.

Presumably, the council trusted the consultants to do a thorough job.

The consultants subsequently produce a detailed 123-page “independent assessment of potential sites.....”

The report shortlisted five sites. A further 10 are identified as worthy of further investigation, albeit these have recognised constraints and seven of them lie within Green Belt.

What is the district council’s response? They commission a report and then ignore the primary recommendations by rejecting four of the five shortlisted sites. That is perverse.

Regardless of views on gypsy/traveller sites or local politics, does this not seem like a total waste of taxpayers money?

KEVIN LUDWIG Woodlands Road Cookley