The council is to launch an inquiry over the 56 unauthorised traveller sites that have so far sprung up on public and private land across Leeds this year.
Councillors on yesterday's environment and neighbourhoods scrutiny board in Leeds Civic Hall decided to hold an inquiry into the council's strategy for dealing with travellers.
One of the points of discussion, which will involve a wide array of interested parties, will be the costs of providing permanent sites in Leeds to supplement the existing one at Cottingley Springs.
Councillors were told that it cost the authority £270,000 a year in clean-up costs following illegal encampments - not including legal fees to evict travellers from land.
The inquiry will ultimately produce a report a report, which will include recommendations on how to tackle the issues. It's expected to report back by the end of the year.
Executive board member for neighbourhoods and housing, councillor Peter Gruen, said:
"There has been a sharp increase in the number of sites that have been opened up by travellers and action has been taken to move them on. I would encourage councillors to proceed with a scrutiny board inquiry today."
Labour Ardsley and Robin Hood councillor Lisa Mulherin added:
"This is a highly emotive subject. If we're having an inquiry we need to make sure that we can see full costs of illegal encampments, including full costs. I think we also need to have witnesses from local who have lived alongside encampments."
Councillors were told that some sites had consisted of between 50-70 caravans and were the largest in recent memory.
The inquiry will also look at the total spent on moving travellers on from unauthorised camps compared to the cost of providing official sites.
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