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INTRODUCTION

Gypsies/Travellers have been a feature of Scottish life for at least 800 years. In 1969 the first detailed national counts of these communities were undertaken by the Scottish Office as part of a major study ¹ of their numbers and needs and the problems facing their lifestyle at a time of increasing change. Although a few Scottish Councils and other agencies made sporadic counts in individual areas in subsequent years, no further comprehensive national count was undertaken until 1992 ².

In 1998, following recommendations from then Advisory Committee on Scotland's Travelling People, the potential benefits of a regularly up-dated information base on the presence of these communities at different seasons of the year were recognised. In the light of this, since the summer of 1998, each Scottish Council has been asked to undertake, on behalf of the Scottish Executive, a count of the number of Gypsies/Travellers within their area at the end of July and of January respectively.

The twice-yearly counts, already cover eight years and now for the first time provide a valuable time-series database on Scotland's Gypsy/Traveller communities, enabling assessment of their overall numbers and of consistency or change in patterns of use of different kinds of stopping places in summer and winter seasons.

A new series of summary reports on each count was introduced in January 2002. This eighth report in the series, gives the results of the count in July 2005. The report looks in turn at each of three location categories used: Council sites; privately owned sites; and unauthorised encampments. Finally, it gives an overview for Scotland as a whole with estimates of total Gypsy/Traveller populations across the three types of location, within the context of similar recent summer counts ³. It should be emphasised that the twice yearly counts have never been intended to include numbers of Gypsies/Travellers who have moved into settled accommodation because of problems identifying such individuals and families, but it is accepted that some of these who choose to travel at times within the year may appear within the private sites or on unauthorised encampments at the time of the count.

It is important to acknowledge the part played by staff in the Scottish Councils - particularly the managers of Council sites. Without their efforts in gathering information not only on their own sites and any privately-owned sites within their areas but also their knowledge of the scattered, unauthorised encampments, often in fairly remote areas and not easily identifiable places, the picture of Scottish Gypsy/Traveller presence revealed by these counts could not be created.

The introduction to Report No. 4 (July 2003), addressed some of the most important issues to be taken into consideration when interpreting the summary reports. The main points from that introduction ⁴ are summarised below or are referred to within the main text of the present report.

By their nature, each of the three types of stopping place used by Gypsies/Travellers generates different levels of information detail and data robustness. This is referred to briefly under the sections dealing with each category.

Although many tenants on Council sites now live for increasing periods on the same site, many within the Gypsy/Traveller communities continue to adopt a fully or partly-mobile lifestyle. A significant proportion continues to travel for all or most of the year, not just within Scotland but often between different parts of the British Isles. This means that the population at the time of any one count may include mobile households from England, Wales and Ireland while at the same time some Scottish-based households may be travelling south of the border. Attempting to count these communities accurately has always been a difficult and somewhat inexact science. By using a structured return form for each Council area, each of the levels of data discussed under the individual section headings is important in its own right. In combination they create a picture of overall numbers of Scotland's Gypsy/Traveller communities at different seasons.

Even though robust data on household numbers is only available for the Council sites, equivalent numbers can generate estimates both for privately-owned sites and for unauthorised encampments by applying a rough but consistent rule of thumb measure of one caravan equating with one household. Similarly, mean household size data available from Council sites can be applied to these other types of location to generate estimates of total numbers of people. Where data is missing for an individual count for a particular Council, total numbers can still be estimated by imputing data from the most recent count in its area for the equivalent season (with returns from every Council this was not necessary for the July 2005 count, although in a few of the summary tables it has had to be used to allow for occasional missing data in earlier years).

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

• The July 2005 count recorded a total of 289 households on Council sites, 117 on privately-owned sites and 285 using unauthorised locations.
• The total Gypsy/Traveller population estimated in July 2005 was 691 households, equivalent to 2077 people.
• Since the last summer count a further site has been closed (Moray) resulting in an overall loss of 82 all-year pitches since 1996.
• Of 37 Council sites provided between 1978 and 2002, 30 were 'all-year (active)'; three were 'seasonal (open)', i.e. open only during the summer months; and four were 'all-year (closed)'.
• On the 33 'active' Council sites (including seasonal sites), 362 out of 517 possible pitches were tenanted.
• Of 362 tenanted pitches, 295 had tenants in residence at the time of the count; tenants of the other pitches were temporarily absent.
• More than a quarter of Council sites had all their pitches let.
• Nearly two thirds of the tenants on Council sites had been based there for more than a year, the great majority of them for more than two years.
• One in three of the lettable pitches on active Council sites had changed hands over the preceding six months.
• Household size on Council sites ranged between one and six, with a total of 871 people, and mean household size of 3.0. Older people continue to account for a very small proportion of the total population.
• Twelve Councils identified privately-owned sites sometimes available for Gypsies/ Travellers. Of 20 identified sites, 11 were said to be available all year, the others being available only in the summer months.
• Seven of the privately-owned sites were operated specifically for Gypsies/Travellers, the others being holiday or touring sites occasionally accepting them at particular times of the year.
• A total of 117 households were recorded as occupying privately-owned sites, nearly all (101) being classified as long-stay (four weeks or more).
• Twenty-six out of 31 Councils indicated that unauthorised encampment by Gypsies/Travellers occurs within their areas, either regularly or occasionally. At the time of the count, of 142 identifiable locations, 53 were occupied with a total of 285 households.

COUNCIL SITES

Provision of sites and pitches

Between 1971 and 1988, the Scottish Office ran a grant scheme to enable councils to provide sites for Gypsies/Travellers (the last sites being completed in 2002). This grant scheme lead to the construction of the 37 council sites that are referred to in this count. In the summer of 2005, the Scottish Executive announced new funding for Gypsy/Traveller sites over 3 years to March 2008. However it is too soon for this to have lead to new site provision.

Nearly all Council sites are open throughout the year. In a few areas, as well as year-round use, additional seasonal need was identified for the summer months. To meet this, Highland has provided a seasonal site at Newtonmore, on the main route between Edinburgh and Inverness/Fort William. Aberdeenshire identified only seasonal demand, for which a large summer site was provided in Banff. Scottish Borders has provided a small seasonal site for Gypsies/Travellers in association with a conventional tourist site near Peebles, although need for year-round provision has also been identified.

While most Councils met their initial identified need with the provision of a single site, in some cases more than one proved to be necessary in different parts of the area. Of seven Councils with multiple sites, Highland has the largest number with three year-round sites in addition to a seasonal site. Three Councils (Argyll & Bute; Fife; North Lanarkshire) have each provided three sites and another three (Dumfries & Galloway; North Ayrshire; South Lanarkshire) have each provided two.

When the funding scheme was started in 1971 it seemed likely that sites of around 15 pitches would provide the most effective balance between matching need and the costs of development. In practice a variety of site sizes has emerged from as few as six pitches up to the largest at 30 (upgraded and expanded from 20 pitches in 2003). Each pitch has space for a large residential caravan plus vehicle parking space, together with its own amenity unit providing bath or shower and toilet facilities, space for domestic appliances and household storage. Sites are managed through a variety of Council departments, mainly housing, social or community services or environmental services

Gains and losses of sites and pitches

Table 1 shows that between 1978 and 2002 a total of 599 pitches were provided across the 37 sites. Nearly all of these (562) were intended for use all-year round, the other 37 being for summer use only.

Nearly half the sites (16) have been upgraded at some stage in their life (Table 1). Three of these upgrades (North Lanarkshire [Motherwell], Angus and Aberdeen) also provided increased capacity.

Although these upgrades increased overall pitch provision, the benefits of any such increase have been counteracted by losses, not just of small numbers of individual pitches, but by the closure, whether temporary or permanent, of complete sites.

Loss of individual pitches is sometimes a pragmatic decision by a Council in the light of changing circumstances within a site. Examples include allocation, from the outset, of one pitch on the North Ayrshire [Arran] site to a resident manager making it a seven rather than eight pitch site. Similarly one pitch on the Inverness site and two in Stirling have more recently been re-allocated for community use, reducing effective capacity to 19 and 18 pitches respectively.

Much more serious has been the permanent closure, since 1996, of four complete sites. In North Lanarkshire the sites at Mossend, Motherwell and Annathill, Coatbridge have been closed following local problems. This has left North Lanarkshire, initially with the highest pitch provision of all Scottish Councils, with only a single 16-pitch site at Airdrie.

The site at Paisley in Renfrewshire was closed following vandalism in 1998. The most recent loss is that of the 20-pitch site at Elgin in Moray; this suffered from vandalism in the past and is now closed as the land is required for the Elgin flood alleviation works.

The effect of these changes is that, despite provision over the years of 19 additional pitches through upgrading, the minor loss of individual pitches and the effective closure of four complete sites has led to a net loss of 82 pitches overall. This reduces the present Scottish total to 517 pitches, of which only 480 are an all-year resource.

Table 1 - Sites provided from 1971-2003 with subsequent changes in pitch capacity and occupancy(% tenanted pitches)in July 2005

NOTES
* 1 Capacity of site as originally designed and funded.
* 2 Additional pitches provided (generally at time of site upgrade).
* 3 Pitches lost from lettable potential (see text for reasons for individual sites).
*4 Net number of pitches provided and theoretically lettable in July 2005 ( A + B - C = D).
*5 Includes tenanted pitches with occupants either present or temporarily absent (N/A = sites now long-term or permanently closed).
*6 Mainland Councils with no site provision: E. Ayrshire; E. Renfrewshire; Inverclyde.
*7 Councils with no identified demand: Comhairle nan Eilean Siar; Orkney; Shetland.
** A joint return is made for East Lothian and Midlothian Councils.

Site occupancy

Each pitch on a Council site is clearly demarcated and intended to accommodate a single household unit. Occasional variants occur, as when a very large household is allocated two adjacent pitches, albeit still as a single tenancy. Alternatively more than one household may be recorded on a single pitch, reflecting visitors staying at the time of the count or two closely related households allowed joint tenancy of a single pitch. In practice, such adjustments are rare or short term, reflecting site managers' pragmatic responses to circumstances. Provided there are vacant pitches on a site, any Gypsies/Travellers coming to an area may apply for a tenancy, so long as they are not already tenants on a site in another Council.

Although theoretically designed to accommodate a single caravan per pitch many sites will allow a second smaller one within the pitch in certain circumstances either because a household needs separate sleeping accommodation for some of its members or if someone needs to travel off-site for work for short periods while the rest of the family remains on-site.

Site management records, enhanced by managers' extensive experience of local situations and events, mean that it is the Council sites which provide the richest and most robust data. This covers numbers of pitches and households, occupancy patterns, tenancy duration and population structure at a level of detail that is not possible on the privately-owned sites or unauthorised encampments. It is also possible to assess movement on and off sites over a period of time.

Overall site usage varies considerably from site to site in terms of the status of pitches at the time of the count, i.e.:

• 'let (occupied)', i.e. tenanted pitches with tenants in residence at the count date;
• 'let (absent)', i.e. tenanted pitches whose tenants are temporarily away from the site;
• 'vacant (available)', i.e. pitches available for potential tenants;
• 'not available', i.e. pitches not available for letting for some reason.

Table 2 - Site use in July 2005
(Percentage pitch status) (Base = 33 sites)

Overall occupancy patterns in July 2005 were:

• Of 517 pitches on 33 sites, 362 (70%) were tenanted(2004 = 63%);
• 295 pitches (57%) were let (occupied), equivalent to more than four out of five of the tenanted pitches overall (2004 = 49%);
• 67 pitches (13%) were let (absent), similar to 2004 (14%), but higher than January figures, reflecting the greater propensity for movement during the summer season;
• almost all pitches without tenants (136 or 26%) were still classed as vacant (available)(2004 = 30%);
• 21 pitches (4%) were classed as not available. While markedly lower than the equivalent proportion for the previous summer (7%), this reflects the complete loss of the Moray site which had still been open though largely unavailable at the earlier date.

Table 2, shows the pattern of occupancy ranked in descending order of percentage of tenanted pitches (i.e. including both those with tenants present and temporarily absent). On a proportional basis this shows that levels generally remain high. More than half of the 33 sites (17) had at least three-quarters of their pitches tenanted, nine of these with every pitch tenanted. While, at the other end of the scale, one site had no tenants at all in July, three had fewer than a quarter of tenanted pitches and a further five had less than a half.

Of the 24 sites with untenanted pitches, in turn accounting for just under one third of all pitch provision, the great majority were classed as still available for prospective tenants. However, in practice proportions vary from site to site from all or nearly all available (North Lanarkshire; West Lothian) to none (Argyll & Bute [Lochgilphead] and South Lanarkshire [E. Kilbride]). Once the tenanted and empty-but-available pitches are accounted for this leaves a small balance (4%) classed as unavailable for use. Less than a quarter of sites (nine) recorded pitches in this category, mostly around ten to fifteen percent of their respective pitch totals, though one (Aberdeen City) recorded almost one in three unavailable, mainly due to incidents earlier in the summer which led to the whole site being temporarily evacuated.

While useage based on percentage occupancy is important, it is also necessary to set it in the context of the size of individual sites. Figure 1 shows the marked variations in pattern. Here the fully tenanted sites, including those where some of the tenants are temporarily absent, range in descending order from large all-year sites such as those in South Lanarkshire [Larkhall], West Dunbartonshire, Fife [Kirkcaldy], Angus and North Ayrshire [Irvine] together with the large aberdeenshire seasonal site, down to middle-sized sites such as Highland [Kentallen] and Fife [Kelty] and small sites such as South Ayrshire.

The three seasonal sites show distinctive patterns of use. The Aberdeenshire site, which tends to be used as an all-summer base for Gypsies/Travellers from fairly far afield, was fully occupied at the time of the count. While three-quarters of the pitches were occupied on the small Highland site at Newtonmore, in many ways this was chance since it has a much more transient role as a staging post for families moving between southern and northern Scotland and can change between being full and empty within a matter of days. The third site, in the Scottish Borders is again fairly small and generally short-term in use but on this occasion had about a third of its spaces occupied.

Factors affecting site occupancy

The returns ask for comments about particular events on a site over preceding months possibly affecting the situation at the time of the count. The number and detail of such comments is variable but they can enhance the overall picture.

Comments from the July 2005 returns again identify the effects on sites of a variety of problem incidents which continue to occur periodically in various parts of Scotland:

'Due to problems with two separate families (X) had to be evacuated for a couple of weeks. A major dispute which settled Travellers then got involved in. There are still families fleeing violence......... Families are now starting to return.'

'Experiences of violence, family feuds and domestic violence. Large mixture of different families on site.'

'(X) has had an increased number of tenants due to the problem of the (Y) site and the closing of the (Z) site.'

Tenant Movement

On almost half the sites (15) some tenants were temporarily away at the time of the count, however this accounted for only 13 percent of total tenancies (68 households) (see Table 3 for pattern on individual sites). Absences of this kind - usually permissible for up to 12 weeks in the year without relinquishing tenancy - are generally higher in the summer months.

Although absence was low at the time of the count itself, the return also looks back at the extent to which tenants have availed themselves of this option during the previous six months. In past counts, Councils were asked for the percentage of their tenants being absent in this way. For the July 2005 count the question was changed to the numbers of tenants having temporary absences. Figure 2 shows that while absence is fairly common for a variety of reasons, whether seeking work, visiting relatives or just simply 'travelling', there is no particular pattern in terms of size, type or location of site. Of the 29 all-year sites with tenants (Airdrie site empty), one in three had at least half their tenants away at some point in the preceding six months. On the other hand, eight sites had had no-one away. The three seasonal sites would have been open for only four months at the time of the count and it is not surprising that the Scottish Borders and Highland seasonal sites would not have had absences since they tend to be en-route sites. However, the Aberdeenshire site is rather different, generally being used as a base for households working throughout that area of Scotland for much of the summer and here at least a small amount of temporary absence is predictable.

Table 3 - Temporary absence of tenants at time of count
(Base = 15 sites)

Length of stay on sites

The counts continue to show tenants living on the same site for increasingly long periods, albeit with occasional short periods of temporary absence discussed above. For the 32 sites with tenants at the time of the count (excluding the four closed sites and the open but untenanted North Lanarkshire site), the following overall pattern emerges. Proportions are broadly consistent with those in the previous summer.

Longer stays

• 46% of tenants had been there for more than two years (2004 = 44%);
• 15% had been there for between one and two years (2004 = 21%);

Medium stays

• 11% had been for between six months and a year (2004 = 13%);
• 12% had been there for between three and six months (2004 = 12%);

Short stays

• 16% had been there for three months or less (2004 = 12%).

The two groups which show greater differences between the two years are the smaller share of the one to two-year duration and the slightly larger share of the short-term tenants. It is likely that these both reflect some of the disturbances on a number of sites, in particular the temporary evacuation of the Aberdeen City site in the early summer referred to earlier.

Figure 3 shows the duration pattern as a percentage of each site's tenants. A number of the longer established and larger sites stand out by reason of their tenancy longevity, indicating a population which has settled on a long-term basis, particularly given the preponderance within the wider 'longer stay' category of those who had stayed more more than two years, with only a few more recent arrivals. However, at the opposite end of the scale, clearly there is evidence of more movement between some sites with substantial proportions of households who have been resident for only a short time and certainly less than a year. Again the difference in pattern is visible on the three seasonal sites with the two transient sites being essentially very short stay, whereas the Aberdeenshire site had all its tenants for most of the summer.

Tenancy change

Households relinquish their tenancy and move elsewhere for a variety of work or family reasons or just for a change of area. In some cases they may have to leave the site because of failure to conform to their tenancy requirements. Moves sometimes reflect disturbances on the site resulting from inter-family feuds, something which figures in managers' comments about factors affecting the operation of their site over the preceding months.

Figure 4 shows the pattern of tenancy changes over the previous six months in relation to the number of tenancies on each site at the time of the count. For the all-year sites it is ranked in descending order of tenancies. Seven of the 32 sites recorded no changes over that period. However, on the others there were many with levels of change which, while small in actual numbers of change were substantial in relation to total tenancies.

A number stand out, though comments on the count forms indicate particular reasons in some instances. The Dumfries & Galloway sites tend to have through traffic both between England/Scotland and Ireland/Scotland. The smaller of the two sites [Glenluce] has recently suffered from low levels of tenancy because it has been too small to accommodate large groups of transient Irish Travellers who have been unwilling to split as a group in order to take up even short-term tenancies and have found alternative places to stay in the locality. Among the larger sites, West Lothian has had high proportions of change though this is in relation to recently low levels of tenancy resulting from disturbances and reluctance of households to move on to the site. The Inverness site has also been subject to more intensive use as a result of the disturbances at the Aberdeen site (in turn causing its own levels of tenancy change) and the loss of the Moray site. The Fife [Kelty] site has also been affected by 'violence, family feuds and domestic violence'. Once again the seasonal sites have particular patterns. The Aberdeenshire site had a few changes over the four months it had been open, reflecting its use as a relatively static summer base. In contrast the Highland [Newtonmore] with only seven pitches of which only five were in use at the time of the count had already had as many as 39 changes within four months reflecting its essentially transitory function.

Demand for places on sites ties in closely with turnover and the relative stability of sites. Fewer than half the sites had waiting lists for tenants in July 2005. A total of 63 households were on waiting lists across 14 of the all-year sites sites. This is a lower number than in 2004 (72 across 13 sites) (Table 4). However, only 35 households were recorded as having been turned away from ten sites for lack of space.

Only two sites (South Lanarkshire [Larkhall] and Perth & Kinross) had large numbers on their list, these are both old established and fairly stable sites with high levels of long-term tenancies and low turnover. Most of the others are also older and settled sites, though there continues to be demand for places on the most recently opened site in Fife. The two small seasonal sites with high levels of turnover and generally short-term use predictably have little need for a waiting list, though there is clearly demand for the longer duration summer spaces on the Aberdeenshire seasonal site

Table 4 - Waiting lists in July 2005
(Base = 14 sites)

People

As well as information on the numbers of households using Council sites, the Council site management records provide a profile of the people on each site, albeit only in terms of the age and sex structure and mean household size (NB - no individual household or person can be identified through the count). This enables mean household size for the total Council site population to be derived, which in turn can be used in conjunction with caravan numbers on private and unauthorised locations to create a more general estimate of the whole Gypsy/Traveller population in Scotland.

In July 2005, 32 sites had households living on them at the count date for whom population data was available. The population on these may be summarised as follows:

• 289 households
• 871 people
• mean household size of 3.0, within a range from one to six persons.

Mean household size is slightly lower on this occasion, compared with the equivalent figures for previous summer counts (3.6; 3.1; 3.4; 3.3; 3.4; 3.2;3.8; 3.0).

Within this population, the age-structure remains broadly as in previous counts and almost identical to the 2004 structure. As usual, there is little or no difference in pattern between males and females:

• Pre-school-age children account for 11% of the total (2004 = 11%);
• School-age children (5-16) account for a quarter (25%) of the total (2004 = 26%);
• Adults (17-64/59) account for just over half (58%) of the total (2004 =59%);
• Older people (65/60+) once again account for only 6% of the total (2004 = 6%).

Figure 5 shows age structure on each site, ranked according to the percentage of adults (aged17-64/59) on the site. It should be remembered that these are proportions against small base numbers of households (in brackets against the site name) on any one site. Most of the all-year sites have a fairly good spread of people in the different age categories with only one site (North Ayrshire [Arran]) just containing two single males. However almost half (13) contained no elderly people, particularly sites with fairly small numbers of households in residence. Elderly people tend to be more common on the more established sites with longer settled households. The concentration, on the two small seasonal sites, of adults with young children may reflect the fact that these tend to be used by fairly mobile groups who are stopping off en-route, rather than as a longer term family base. In contrast, the larger seasonal site in Aberdeenshire includes the full age range as whole families are generally spending much of the summer months there.

PRIVATELY-OWNED SITES

Privately-owned caravan sites offer an alternative to Council-owned sites. In the past these have occasionally been set up by Gypsies/Travellers themselves for their own extended family group but sometimes accepting other families. Occasionally owners of conventional holiday or touring caravan sites are prepared to accommodate Gypsies/Travellers at certain seasons.

The twice-yearly counts seek information about both kinds of site. However, compared with Council sites the range of data is more limited and less robust. Council site managers generally are aware of any private sites in their areas, either as a possible alternative resource for Gypsies/Travellers looking for a place to stay in their area or just as a part of their general intelligence gathering within their patch. In some cases they have been able to develop good relations with private owners and learn more about their sites but generally the return has to depend on simple observation and estimation. Private sites are less formally laid out and managed than Council sites, without clearly defined pitches and sometimes with communal facilities. Estimating numbers of households staying on them usually has to be based on a simple count of caravans. Here, as a general measure for the returns, one 'caravan' is regarded as one 'household' and is used in conjunction with Council site mean household size when estimating total numbers of people. Variations from this rule of thumb probably balance out over the small numbers involved. Although information about length of stay can be assessed in broad terms, other information about residents (available in the case of the Council sites) is not sought since, while it could make a useful contribution to the picture, it is unlikely to be obtainable. Private site-owners have no obligation to provide any information for the counts and indeed, particularly in the case of holiday/touring sites, may be reluctant for it to be known that they sometimes accept Gypsies/Travellers.

Total numbers of private sites appear not to have varied a great deal over recent years. Across all the counts from 1998 to 2005, both in summer and winter, the figure has been in the region of 20, with a mix of all-year and summer-only sites. Variations from count to count reflect occasional missing returns from individual Councils, variable knowledge of sites' existence where Council personnel change over time or perhaps most likely, changing willingness of holiday site owners to accept Gypsies/Travellers, particularly if there have been problems on local Council sites.

Twelve Councils recorded the presence of private sites. The only differences between 2004 and 2005 in the list of Councils with and without sites was the addition of a site in Aberdeenshire and the loss of one from North Lanarkshire, a Council which in the past had a number of privately-owned sites which now seem to have disappeared.

Table 5 summarises the availability and use of private sites recorded in the July count. In total, 21 sites were identified, more than in the summer of 2004 (17) although detailed information was not available for them all.

Table 5 - Availability and use of privately-owned sites in July 2005

(base = 13 Councils)

* Site type G = provided specifically by/for Gypsies/Travellers; H = primarily for holiday/touring use
** Frequency of use over previous six months A = Continuous B = Occasional C = Not at all

The following Councils recorded no private sites of any kind:
Aberdeen; Argyll & Bute; Clackmannanshire; Comhairle nan Eilean Siar; Dundee; E/Midlothian; E. Dunbartonshire; Edinburgh; Glasgow; Inverclyde; Moray; N. Ayrshire; N. Lanarkshire; Orkney Islands; Renfrewshire; Shetland Islands; S. Ayrshire; W. Dunbartonshire; W. Lothian

Seven sites were said to be provided for/by Gypsies/Travellers (2004=7), generally only available to members of those communities but probably more likely to be available for longer-term stays. All of these were occupied at the time of the count.

Thirteen sites were classed as holiday/touring sites (2004=10). While these sometimes accept Gypsies/Travellers (2004=10), their accessibility is less predictable and five had no Gypsies/Travellers in residence at the time of the count.

Of the total of 117 households recorded on private sites....

• 101 (86%) were classed as long stays of more than four weeks.
• 16 (14%) were classed as short-stays of up to four weeks (2004 = 24);
• Most of the long-stay households were on the Gypsy/Traveller sites, only one site having small numbers of short-stay households, though one holiday/touring site had a sizeable group of long-stay households:
• Eleven sites, of which nine were Gypsy/Traveller sites, were said to have been in continuous use over the preceding six months. Occasional use was recorded for eight. five being holiday/touring sites. Only one holiday site had not been used at all within that time.

Over the eight summer counts since 1998 the numbers of households recorded on privately-owned sites has averaged around 150. Over this period there have been some marked fluctuations with a low of 76 in 1999 and a high of 198 in 2001. These appear to reflect changes in the number of sites specifically for Gypsies/Travellers together with the more uncertain availability of holiday/touring sites prepared to accept, or admit to accepting them and even just differences in local knowledge about private sites from time to time. While on the face of it, the 2005 figure of 117 is below the average it should be noted that this is almost certainly an under-estimate since two of the holiday sites known to accept Gypsies/Travellers in Highland were said to have been occupied occasionally and one continuously but no actual numbers were available (similar sites in Highland accounted for 12 households at the July 2004 count).

UNAUTHORISED LOCATIONS

Stopping on unauthorised locations continues to be a feature of the Gypsy/Traveller community especially in the summer months. Since 1998 the use of unauthorised locations has accounted on average for almost one in three households in the summer (31%). The summer share has generally been increasing and this is also true of the winter share even though this is much lower (Figure 6).

A number of factors appear to be contributing to increased numbers of unauthorised encampments. On Council sites, increasing levels of long-term tenancy reduces the scope for short-term or passing users. The limited numbers and generally small size of private sites and the likelihood that their owners may be choosy about who they take on, means that for many this is not a viable alternative, particularly for fairly short-stay visitors. Some households may no longer be permitted on a Council site, whether for rent arrears either there or in another Council's area, because of previous tenancy history or the fact that they will not be accepted by existing residents. Finally, there are individual households, as well as larger groups, who would not use an official site under any circumstances or are passing through for work or personal reasons only stopping for short periods before moving on elsewhere....

'Large numbers of Irish Travellers who do not want to split as a group. Therefore not adequate space to take them on site - I.e. groups of 16 with only 10 pitches available. Council holiday site taking Travellers.'

'....Three illegal encampments with total of appr. 60 caravans - refuse to use local sites.'

Summer has traditionally been the time of greatest mobility within Gypsy/Traveller communities. At this season, work opportunities are improved, the prospect of travel around Scotland is more attractive or the influx of visiting Gypsies/Travellers from south of the border or from Ireland is greater. Compared with earlier generations, mobility is now much easier, particularly among those with better vehicles, while improved road networks allow greater distances to be covered within a day or two whereas in the past more frequent intermediate stops would have been necessary.

Patterns of movement are often based on a regularly travelled route through the season and many places are returned to year after year and generation to generation, either because of some traditional significance or because there has been some tolerance of their occasional presence. Stopping places tend to be pieces of vacant land such as roadside verges, urban waste land, rural countryside or the shores of sea or loch. By their nature these have little or no access to any kind of services and are likely to be uncomfortable and often hazardous places to stay, even for short periods.

Most Councils, particularly those with an official site or where there is known to be a fairly regular Gypsy/Traveller presence at certain times of the year, build up knowledge about likely stopping places within their areas. Here, Council site managers have a valuable role to play. Much depends on continuity, which may be difficult in larger and more remote areas or where staff involved change over time sometimes with the loss of what is essentially personal local knowledge. Information may also come through a variety of local contacts such as staff in other parts of the Council or perhaps from local police. Anecdotal reference has been made by site managers in recent years to the increasing awareness within the communities themselves of the timing of the twice-yearly counts leading to a tendency to move away a day or two before the count date, often returning to the area shortly afterwards.

Even more than for private sites, the amount of information for the twice-yearly count is sparse compared to that for Council sites and often depends on observation or on ability/willingness of a Council site manager or other official to make some kind of positive contact with any Gypsies/Travellers stopping at a particular location. Here, much depends on the circumstances of their presence. If they are hoping to get access to a local Council site or are accepted briefly on an unauthorised place, they may be ready to provide some information about themselves. Others who are merely passing through or trying to spend as long as possible before being having to move may be more reluctant to respond to approaches from anyone in authority who may be seen as more of a threat than a help. Minor modifications to the return form for the twice-yearly counts were introduced in January 2002 to improve the information available on unauthorised locations and this has proved useful in building up an increasing list of places known to be used at various times and the frequency with which they are used within and across the years is becoming clearer with each count. As Councils develop strategies for dealing in a positive way with unauthorised camping, they are clearly becoming more knowledgeable. This has led to a few Councils including with their completed count forms some supplementary information on each instance of camping. This may include the ownership of the land on which they are stopping, dates and duration of stays, numbers of caravans and/or vehicles and sometimes of people and, occasionally even the reason for the stay and the state of the place after the departure of the occupants. While still essentially isolated snapshots, these help, bit by bit, to build up a clearer picture of how, when and why particular places are used.

Across the 31 Councils, the position on known locations in July 2005 can be summarised as follows:

• Twenty-six out of 31 Councils noted that unauthorised camping was known within their areas, either regularly or on a seasonal basis.
• Of the three Islands Councils only Orkney continued its occasional reference to a known and occasionally used place, albeit unoccupied on this occasion;
• Five Councils (Clackmannan; Comhairle nan Eilean Siar; E. Renfrewshire; Glasgow; Shetland Islands) said that this kind of unauthorised use was not known within their areas.

A total of 142 individual locations was identified across the 26 Council areas, markedly higher than in the three previous summers (2004 = 122; 2003 = 119; 2002 = 107) , possibly reflecting increasing local knowledge about places sometimes used for this purpose.

The other seven Councils (Dundee City; East Dunbartonshire; Falkirk; Inverclyde; Orkney Islands; Scottish Borders; West Dunbartonshire) recorded no occupied locations and in most cases these had not been used at all over the previous six months. A few had been used once or twice, but only in one Council had there been more frequent use on two out of its four locations.

Most of the unauthorised occupancy is concentrated within a fairly small number of. Of 19 Councils with this kind of presence, just six (Highland [38]; Stirling [38]; Fife [32]; Moray [30]; North Ayrshire [28]; Perth & Kinross [20]) accounted for two thirds of all the households whereas the next five (Dumfries & Galloway [16]; Angus [15]; Aberdeenshire [10]; East/Midlothian [10]; Edinbrugh City [10] accounted for only one-fifth. This leaves eight sharing the remaining 13 percent

For unauthorised encampments the count asks for numbers of caravans present on the count date and the length of time they had already been there. It also asks for information on the frequency of use both over the previous six months and the longer term.

Table 6 shows patterns of occupation immediately prior to the July count date for those places where duration of stay was known. Of these locations:

• One in three (16) had been in use for only a few days before the count;
• One in three (17) had been in use for one or two weeks;
• One in three (17) had been occupied for a longer period;

In terms of their frequency of occupation over the longer term, for almost a third it was not known, but otherwise more or less equal numbers had been occupied every few weeks (17) or every few months (15) with only a few (7) had been used more rarely. In terms of use over the first half of 2005, of those for which the use was known (37), only two had not been used at all over that period, 14 had been used once or twice and the largest proportion (21) had been in more frequent use.

These encampments accounted for a total of 285 households in July, by far the highest summer figure recorded since the counts began. It is not clear why numbers were so high on this occasion, though raised offical awareness of unauthorised encampments in the light of Council policies on this issue may have contributed. At the same time, as noted earlier, it is known that disturbances earlier in the summer caused a movement off some Council sites which may have caused households to move, at least temporarily, on to authorised encampments.

Table 6 - Characteristics of unauthorised locations occupied in July 2005
(base = 19 Councils)

Key to columns

Household numbers on unauthorised encampments vary markedly from place to place. Numbers on individual places ranged from one up to 24 households (one caravan being equated with one household). Just under one in three locations (31%) each had between one and five households with a similar proportion between six and ten (29%). A quarter had larger groupings of between ten and 15 households, while one location in Fife had as many as 20 households stopping there and another in Stirling had 24.

Table 7 shows that there is no clear consistency in the summer levels of unauthorised encampments from year to year in terms of the percentage of all Gypsy/Traveller households in each Council recorded on such places. The table, covering the past three years, is ranked in two groups. The first eight Councils show significant proportions of households using them in all three years (ranked in descending order of usage in July 2005). The second, but larger group shows Councils with more uncertain patterns. Given that these are percentages of the total households in each Council, much depends on the numbers of official pitches available or tenanted, the number of private sites plus any chance presence on unauthorised places on the count date itself, but it shows that, apart from a few Councils which tend to attract this type of use on a fairly regular basis, in individual Councils there can be very marked differences from year to year. In part these likely to depend on the level of Gypsies/Travellers visiting Scotland from elsewhere, but other factors such as local problems on Council sites also come into play.

Table 7 - Year on year variations in use of unauthorised encampment, 2003 - 2005
(% of all Gypsy/Traveller households)

The following Councils recorded no occupancy of unauthorised places at any of the three counts:

Clackmannanshire; Dundee;E. Dunbartonshire;
E. Renfrewshire; Falkirk; Glasgow; Renfrewshire

THE OVERALL PICTURE

The Gypsy/Traveller communities covered by the twice-yearly counts are made up of three groups: those based on Council sites for all or most of the year; those using privately-owned sites, generally by preference; and those who, by preference or necessity, use unauthorised encampments, mostly roadside or waste-land and generally for very short periods of time. These categories are not fixed and there is movement between them. Some households, particularly older people, have become almost permanently settled on an official site and may rarely stray from it. Other households, or even just some of their members, from both official and private sites may move off for a while, stopping on unauthorised locations before returning to their base site, while households recorded on unauthorised places may just be waiting to move on to an official site when there is a vacancy.

It should also be recognised that there are many households who, while still regarding themselves as part of the Gypsy/Traveller communities, have chosen to settle in houses on a long-term or permanent basis. These may follow similar occupations and may indeed choose to travel, whether for work or holiday, for part of the year but, for most practical purposes, they have become part of the settled population though without relinquishing their particular identity. From time to time over the past century widely varying estimates of the size of this element have been put forward by various sources though none has ever been successfully validated. As explained in the introduction, Gypsies/Travellers in settled accommodation are not included in the counts because of difficulties in identifying them . However, it is accepted that some of them who choose to be 'on the road' particularly in the summer season, may appear within the numbers recorded on the privately-owned sites or on unauthorised encampments at the time of the counts.

Only Council sites provide robust data on household and person numbers, but data from these enable estimates to be made of equivalent numbers on private sites and on unauthorised locations in order to build up a picture of the total population at both summer and winter seasons. Data is now available for a run of eight successive years, enabling a fuller picture of consistency or change over time. Figure 7 summarises the pattern for Scotland as a whole for the eight summer and seven winter counts from July 1998 to July 2005. The estimated number of 691 households across the three location categories represents an total population of 2077 people. These figures are substantially higher than in the two previous summers. All the counts have confirmed the marked difference between summer and winter seasons with lower total numbers in winter and both higher overall numbers and the greater use of unauthorised locations in the summer. The higher summer figures reflect the additional presence of Gypsies/Travellers from other parts of Britain and also of members of these communities identified above who are house-based but made come out for part of this season.

Within the overall households numbers, those occupying pitches on Council sites in July 2005 were among the highest within the eight-year range (290; 290; 248; 270; 281; 256; 259; 289) accounting for two out of five of the total households (42%, compared to a three-year mean of 44%). Nevertheless, the overall share of the Gypsy/Traveller population using official sites is substantially lower than in the winter months.

Private site usage, less than one-fifth of all households (17%), was amongst the lowest recorded in summer since 1998 (158; 76; 180; 198; 131; 117; 146; 117), although, as noted earlier, missing data means that there was probably some under-estimation.

In contrast numbers on unauthorised locations were, by a large margin, the highest recorded over the same period (156; 154; 161; 168; 202; 186; 178; 285), accounting for almost one in three of all households (31%). Over the previous summers since the counts started number have hovered between 150 and 200 but the increase to 285 in 2005 is very substantial.

Figure 8 shows the July 2005 pattern for each Council of the mix of Gypsies/Travellers between the three types of location ranged by total number of households.

Table 9 draws together the count returns for the past three summers for each of the three locations together with the overall figure for each Council. It also provides an estimate of the total number of people that these represent.

With a population of this kind which has always been based around a partially-mobile lifestyle, the total numbers and proportions inevitably fluctuate from year to year, just as they do between summer and winter. The 2005 summer count shows an overall increase with approaching 700 Gypsy/Traveller households using one of the three types of stopping place, and a particular increase in the number on unauthorised locations, though the reasons for this have not become clear.

The reduction in the total number of pitches available on Council sites in recent years has been exacerbated by a further closure since the last summer count. Inevitably these closures have had knock-on effects both on neighbouring Council sites and on unauthorised encampments. While the three seasonal sites provide some extra opportunities in the summer months, their role and the people using them are different and so they only meet particular kinds of need. However, even among the all-year sites while only one was completely untenanted at the time of the count a number of others still have fairly low levels of occupancy largely arising from acts of vandalism or inter-family disputes, leading to possible tenants being unprepared to move on to them and preferring to take their chance with unauthorised camping. Elsewhere there are high occupancy levels and apparent security and stability.

' The site will be full again by the end of August and we have hopes of a peaceful and relaxed winter season.'

Finally, a feature referred to in one or two Councils in January 2005 has been commented on again in July. Although early count forms asked for information on any movement of Gypsies/Travellers into conventional housing, as little or none was forthcoming this was discontinued. This suggests that in certain circumstances this may now be seen as an option though probably still only in a small number of instances:

' Unfortunately Travellers [sic] still not willing to settle on site due to ongoing feuding. However, there now seem to be a trend to move into housing and stay. This results in less Travellers looking for pitches. It also takes Travellers away from on-going feuds.'

Table 9 - Numbers by type of stopping place for summer counts from July 2003 to July 2005

This Table provides a summary of the Gypsy/Traveller population for each Council in terms of numbers of households for:

Column A = Council sites; Column B = Private sites; Column C = Unauthorised encampments; Column D = total for all categories

NOTES
* For consistency throughout, on privately-owned sites and on unauthorised locations, one caravan is equated with one household.
** Population is an estimate based on the number of families x mean household size (on Council sites) for each year.
*** No return was made by Scottish Borders Council for July 2002 or 2003. Data from 2001 has been imputed for this table for 2003.
X No official sites are provided by E. Ayrshire, E. Renfrewshire, Inverclyde or Moray.

Where a Council made no return, data from the most recent available return is imputed in order to give as realistic a picture as possible.

The Islands Councils are excluded as they have no official sites and record nil values for private and unauthorised categories at each count.

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