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Section 7: Future Assessment of Accommodation Needs

Accommodation in a New Millennium

7.1 Our predecessors recommended the adoption by local authorities of a varied and flexible system of provision to meet a range of needs within the Traveller population....

'Local authorities consider, as part of their 'Best Value' arrangements, the means of site provision and management which best meets the needs of the client group and the provision of the service'.

(Appendix C - Recommendation 16)

7.2 In light of the discontinuation of the capital grant scheme there is clearly a need to reconsider methods of provision. It has already been noted that the end of the grant scheme means that pitch targets no longer have relevance, and without the targets the policy of toleration and non-harassment has become untenable. Once proposals in the pipeline have been developed, there is little pressure which can be applied either to those local authorities which have met their former pitch targets or to those which have not and who are applying a policy which Travellers and their representatives believe to be discriminatory and inconsistent.

7.3 The Committee believes that to leave the situation in this position is unacceptable as it benefits neither Travellers nor authorities. Elsewhere within this report, the Committee has declared its wish to see a continuation of a co-ordinated response involving a partnership between central and local government, the voluntary sector and Travellers themselves. In the future, the Scottish Executive may wish to fundamentally review services and policies.

7.4 As a first step it is recommended that local planning authorities be required to assess the need for Traveller site provision in their areas and that policies on Traveller site provision be included within the relevant statutory plans. Local authorities should consider within the community planning process the needs of the Traveller community and incorporate within structure plans and housing plans both an assessment of need and an action plan of how to meet these needs.

7.5 While local authorities will no longer have the provision of grant aid to provide Traveller sites, they do continue to have a statutory duty with regard to homelessness in terms of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987. We have already made reference to the responsibility on the part of local authorities to maintain and upgrade their existing site provision as part of 'resource husbandry'. A person is regarded as being homeless if he or she has a caravan but no place where they may legally put it and reside in it. It is under this context that local authorities should determine the needs of their area. The determination of accommodation needs of Travellers within an area should be carried out in conjunction with Travellers themselves and those working in this field to ensure an accurate reflection of need is arrived at and the action plan to meet it.

7.6 This Committee has already been instrumental in getting a regular twice-yearly seasonal count of Travellers established. This is undertaken by the Scottish Executive and is discussed in more detail in section 10 of the report. The Committee strongly recommends that it be continued in order to provide an on-going basis for objective assessment of Traveller numbers on a national basis. The count assists local authorities in their understanding of Traveller movements and needs, when planning for the movement of Travellers through their area and the necessity for short or long term places for them to stay.

The Complexity of Accommodation Need

7.7 Secure accommodation and the freedom to enjoy the privacy of family life are fundamental needs for all members of society. Travellers' particular accommodation needs in relation to the changing patterns of their lives for health, age and work reasons, require careful consideration in planning and maintaining accommodation stock. There is a need for a range of accommodation facilities to support the diversity within the group. Many Travellers are fully sedentary, either as owner-occupiers or renting private and council housing accommodation. Some housed Travellers also have a need to travel for periods, such as short-term work opportunities and family socialising. Many mobile Travellers make use of council Traveller sites and/or privately owned sites. Others make individual arrangements with land-owners, or occupy roadside and other derelict areas when necessary. There is evidence of more Travellers now maintaining a pitch on an official site even while travelling extensively for work. Some, mainly older Travellers and those with school-age children, stay on site for longer periods or do not travel (for more details see : Duncan, 1999, Gentleman, 1993, Douglas, 1997 and Lomax, 2000).

7.8 The idea that Travellers themselves should have a say in the arrangements for the provision of places where they may stay, whether on sites or in houses is not a new one. Previous Committees also made recommendations to this effect, both in the second and third reports (Appendix C - Recommendations 33-35).

Discrimination

7.9 While there are always vociferous and quite overt racist reactions to any proposed new Traveller site, experience has shown that once the site is running there is little or no conflict between the Travellers and the settled community. Travellers, in general, wish to be left alone to lead a peaceful and private life and do not seek opportunities for conflict with settled neighbours (Duncan, 1996).

7.10 Travellers who live in housing sometimes experience racist taunting and attacks on their property, similar to the experiences of some other minority ethnic groups. As a result, such Travellers tend to give up housed accommodation and go back 'on the road'' even when this is not their preferred form of accommodation. This is often the case when they move out to alleviate the bullying and conflict which their children experience.

Allocation of Housing

7.11 Over the past thirty or forty years, as some of the former possibilities ceased to be available, more Travellers have moved or tried to move into public sector housing. For the less well-off Traveller seeking housing to rent within the public sector there have been problems in both accessing and maintaining tenancies to the satisfaction of the authorities. This has come, in part, due to the allocation systems in use by social landlords and the Travellers' desire to maintain their lifestyle within a settled setting.

7.12 The lack of existing recognisable accommodation has meant that Travellers have tended to be treated as emergency housing cases. The immediacy of the need for housing has meant that Travellers have been allocated what is available then and there rather than retaining the ability to be on a waiting list for housing of their choice.

7.13 Accordingly, Travellers have ended up in low demand housing which is, by its very nature, readily available. This, added to Traveller desire to stay within their own community, has led to ghettoisation in larger towns within Scotland where, in effect, 'a Traveller area' has been created. The Committee has repeatedly stressed the need for improved recognition by local authority housing of these requirements (Appendix C - Recommendations 117-123). With the changing face of social housing, it is felt that the same recognition should be granted to Travellers by all social landlords.

Management of Sites

7.14 Equality does not mean 'the same' treatment, therefore operation of a Traveller site should not automatically be subject to the same management régime as council house tenancies. The nature of caravan dwelling brings its own particular difficulties, so careful consideration has to be given in order to allow Travellers to enjoy the same rights and responsibilities as other citizens:

• caravans are relatively small so a second caravan may be necessary to allow privacy for the elderly, teenagers and young people who still reside with their families;
• the caravans of visitors who stay overnight, for a break or during family illness, will need to be accommodated;
• power and telephone facilities, while available on sites, usually do not allow for Travellers the same advantage of cheap deals as for house occupiers. Meter cards are the norm and are often available only within limited hours from the site manager or the council offices;
• pitch rentals are often higher than council house properties, despite Travellers supplying their own accommodation; parity in rentals should be sought (Douglas, 1997);
• sites may be at a distance from shops, schools and other public services and public transport needs should be assessed accordingly (Douglas, 1997);

• information should be made available on how to access a range of public services, e.g. the local GP centre, schools, other contact numbers and transport services.

7.15 There is good evidence that access to appropriate accommodation is problematic for Travellers and as a result access and uptake of other services also become difficult. Accommodation is the fundamental issue which dictates their ability to benefit from other services.

7.16 For council house tenants there are no restrictions on having visitors or the length of time they stay. Yet, for Travellers on sites, this simple freedom to socialise, which settled people take for granted, is often denied. Some have experienced even monitoring of their visitors at the site entrance. On some popular sites space is at a premium so pitches for guests' caravans may be limited or even not available. Some flexibility with regard to accommodating extra caravans, especially of close relatives, has been found to produce satisfied and co-operative tenants and leads to a well run site.

7.17 Occupation of a pitch on a Traveller site should be linked to automatic access to health and education services. Information on these in verbal form, easy read format or video should be made available at the site office, together with contact details for assisting with instant access.

7.18 Horses and dogs are a traditional part of Traveller culture. While ownership of horses is fairly specialised today, the majority of Travellers still own dogs. Official Traveller sites should accommodate dogs but under clearly specified regulations for the safety and well-being of other residents and visitors (See Guidance on Site Management, 1998 and also section 3).

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