In the Firing Line

Exclusive: Council "Directly Responsible" for Breaching Fire Safety Laws on Traveller Sites, Campaigners Allege

In the aftermath of the devastating Ver Meadows fire, a damning new allegation has been made public: Hertfordshire County Council, the landlord of 11 local Traveller sites, has been reported to the safety regulator for a "Category One" failure, accused of knowingly authorising the dangerous overcrowding that breaches fire safety laws.

DRIVE2SURVIVE can reveal that campaigners have written to the government stating that the council is "directly responsible for breaching the very regulations" designed to protect residents. This follows a government letter to Drive2SURVIVE from Alex Norris MP, which confirmed that councils, as landlords, have clear legal duties to ensure sites are safe.

A Systemic Policy of Overcrowding

The most serious new claim is that the overcrowding on Hertfordshire’s sites is not accidental but the result of a deliberate, written policy. Campaigners allege that all 11 permanent local authority caravan sites in Hertfordshire are "massively overcrowded" and that this was "known to and formally agreed to in writing by the manager of the council's own Gypsy and Traveller unit."

As definitive proof, they have obtained a letter from the council’s authorising Gypsy and Traveller sections manager, which explicitly permitted overcrowding on the Redbourne site. Crucially, this written authorization was issued just weeks before the fire ripped through Ver Meadows on July 12th.

Government Confirmed Council Duties

The allegations follow a government response from Alex Norris MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Building Safety, Fire and Local Growth, who outlined councils' legal duties.

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, local authorities, as the "Responsible Person," must:

· Carry out and record fire risk assessments.

· Ensure appropriate fire safety measures are in place.

· Maintain fire precautions in efficient working order.

These duties are enforceable by Fire and Rescue Authorities, which have the power to prosecute for serious breaches. However, no fire risk assessments for Hertfordshire’s sites are publicly accessible online, raising questions about transparency.

"Impossible Catch-22" Created by Council

The campaigners' letter to Minister Norris presents a stark "impossible Catch-22" created by the council's own actions. They state that enforcing the fire safety laws—by spacing out pitches to safe distances—would immediately render hundreds of already vulnerable residents homeless.

They describe a community with "exceptionally high levels of illiteracy" and a "profound prevalence of serious, long-term health issues," making them disproportionately vulnerable to fire risk. Shockingly, they report that two months on from the Ver Meadows fire, the same overcrowding remains in place on "virtually every site."

Affordability vs. Safety

The government response also confirmed that councils must ensure sites provide safe, healthy living conditions. Yet, in Hertfordshire, residents are charged around £150 for a regulated electrical cable to connect to the site's power. For families in poverty, this cost is prohibitive, leading some to use cheaper, unregulated cables that may not meet safety standards—a risk councils have a duty to prevent.

Drive2SURVIVE Statement

“The fire at Ver Meadows was a tragedy waiting to happen. We now have evidence that the dangerous overcrowding on these sites was not an oversight but an authorised policy. Hertfordshire County Council has fundamentally failed in its duty of care as a landlord, creating lethal conditions and then charging residents for the basic equipment needed to be safe.

“Reporting them to the Health and Safety Executive as a Category One failure was a necessary step. The government must now intervene to protect these vulnerable families from a council that has broken the law and put lives at risk. Traveller families deserve safe homes, not a state-sanctioned death trap.”

Hertfordshire County Council has been Asked for comments repeatedly over the last 6 weeks. They Have refused to acknowledge or respond to anything.

For more information, please contact: www.Drive2Survive.org.uk