Congratulations to Alison Cridland for an excellent feature on the bill to amend the law affecting Travellers (The Argus, February 5).

A story the previous day about travellers camped at Benfield Valley, however, needs some clarification (The Argus, February 4). Brighton and Hove City Council's travellers' strategy is well respected across Sussex and has become a model for good practice across the country.

In particular, it emphasises that the decision to use a Section 61 order to evict travellers depends on a number of different factors, including the need for partnership working between the police and the local authority as a whole and not just the request of one ward councillor. The Sussex Travellers' Forum seeks to extend this partnership working across the region as a whole.

The council has fulfilled all its duties under the law and within government guidelines and its own strategy with respect to these travellers. It is managing the situation as well as possible, given the leaseholder has proved extremely difficult to contact.

The site is visited daily and the council's liaison officer is working closely with her counterpart within Sussex Police.

Coun Roy Pennington

-Chairman, Sussex Travellers Forum