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We are a young family of four, my Wife and I, and our five year old twins. A family that should, by rights, be allowed the chance to live in a safe environment, with access to medical care, clean facilities, and education for our two young children. That is what everyone should be entitled to, right? The difference? We are a traveller family. In March 2026, we will be evicted from private land, that WE own, because West Berkshire Council believe that living a roadside existence, without running water, accessible electricity, easy access to medical care and education, is a better alternative than allowing us to stay on private land, that we own, in a mobile home that we own, using safe and clean facilities that we have provided. West Berkshire Council have a shortfall in the number of traveller and gypsy pitch allocations they have provided, and therefore no suitable alternative is available . Neighbouring boroughs have the same issue, but yet, rather than allowing us the chance to stay in our home, they are forcing us out. We ask for no handouts, we have payed our council tax since March 2024, I am only asking for one pitch, for my immediate family, and just want the chance to live a happy life without bothering anybody. 
Due to the enforcement notice given to us by West Berkshire Council, we must leave our home in March 2026, with no alternative, and return the land that we own, and have worked hard to turn from a wasted piece of grassland, littered with rubbish, into a clean safe space, back to its original state. We have told West Berkshire Council we will work with them, to submit a new application that will appease the concerns of local residents, who claim that a mobile home sited in a semi rural location is both ‘out of place’ and ‘ugly’. We are happy to provide native hedging around our home, to appease those who claim that a treated, yet unpainted, wooden fence is ‘too garish’ and  ‘obtrusive’ despite every house in the area having large brick walls or identical fencing around there homes. We are happy to work with West Berkshire Council to design a suitable brick day room, something that is necessary to appease the AWE Aldermaston, who claim that without a suitable brick building, we would be unsafe. West Berkshire Council agreed with this opinion, despite them allowing eight permanent pitches on the Paices Hill Travellers site to be approved without the need for any brick buildings, even though they are sited directly across the road from the AWE Aldermaston site.

We have not overtaken the land, removed all greenery and lain tarmac. We have set aside enough space to site just one mobile home, a day room, and allow space to turn a vehicle. Much of our land is given over to a grass area, which we keep mown and tidy, and we have planted flowers and trees, aswell as providing space for our children to play in the fresh air.

Our two young children attend the local school, and they are thriving. Every teacher agrees with how well they are doing, and they have made friends, are regularly invited to birthday parties and socialise with children from the settled community outside of school time. Having to leave this school, leaving the friends and teachers they have come to love, would have a detrimental effect on their lives. Proper education is impossible when living a roadside existence, having to move location multiple times a week means that they would not be able to attend any schools. This would go against principles set out in section 11 of the Children’s Act 2004, and Article 3 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. 
Aside from a lack of education, a life on the road means dealing with negative encounters with members of the settled community, who don’t want to see a traveller family in their local parks or supermarket car parks, and also with the police officers, sent to give us a section 60 notice and 24 hours to vacate the premises. These negative encounters breed hostility, and can foster an attitude in young traveller children that is hard to overcome later in life. If the only experiences with members of the emergency services are negative, it can be hard to trust them in certain situations later on. This, I feel, is damaging to the lives of my children. At present, our children have access to a garden and play area, and spend hours playing outside after school and during school breaks. 
We have not locked ourselves away from the local community, quite the reverse, however some local residents would rather ignore us and plead that we ‘dont want to mix in’, rather than accept that we are polite and respectful people who do deserve a chance. 

We are registered with the local GP and Dentists, and unfortunately have come to rely on access to this healthcare, due to my own mental health issues, extreme anxiety and depression that have been exacerbated due to the stress that comes with being forced out of our home. Aswell as various illnesses that have seen me hospitalised several times in recent months. These services would be taken away from us without a home address.

It is in West Berkshire Council’s power to override the enforcement notice, something we feel they should do under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, as enforcing the notice would not be in the best interests of our children.West Berkshire Council have said they will decline to determine a new application, however we instead urge them to reconsider this stance, and work with us to submit a new application, that they would consider suitable. This not only will stop our young family being made homeless, and being thrown onto the streets, it will mean one less family is having to be moved on constantly from public spaces, saving the council and emergency services vital time and money. We urge you to sign this petition, and implore West Berkshire Council to allow a new application, we would even be happy with a personal, or a temporary licence.

I cannot understate the huge impact this would have on the lives of our family.