Travellers are to be allowed to camp on Kirklees Council land for "reasonable" periods of time, despite objections from the Conservative group.

Kirklees Policy Management Board has agreed to equip sites with skips, bins and toilets to raise hygiene standards.

Under the new leadership of Councillor Robert Light (Con, Birstall and Birkenshaw), Conservatives called for zero tolerance with immediate action to evict travellers from council land.

"The suggestion that providing bins, toilets and free access to tips is going to solve the problem of rubbish being left on the site is a little naive," said Councillor Light. "Examples from other authorities show that.''

He said they supported some of the proposals, such as the idea of a co-ordinating officer on behalf of the Council to speak to the travellers.

The proposals came after a working party undertook a review of the council's current policy on travellers. They recommended traveller camps on council land should be tolerated for reasonable periods of time and felt private landowners should be encouraged to do the same. They also visited travellers' sites in Baildon and East Bowling.

The cost to the Council of evicting travellers and cleaning sites amounts to as much as £30,000 per year.

Leader of the Council, Kath Pinnock, said: "Of course, nobody's going to condone illegal camping and the working party does not condone the mess sometimes left by travellers camping illegally. But everybody realised the high price to pay by the Council in clearing up sites and the fact there are often children and elderly living on the sites - we have to think about them as well.''