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SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
- Over the last two years (both summer and winter) there has been an increased number of Gypsies/ Travellers recorded as staying on private sites and using unauthorised encampments. Numbers on official Council sites have remained broadly stable since 1999.
- In January 2007 the number of Gypsy/Travellers in Scotland was estimated at 551 households: 295 on Council sites, 159 on privately-owned sites and 97 using unauthorised locations. Comparable figures for January 2006 were 299 on Council sites, 107 on private sites and 119 on unauthorised encampments.
- With a mean size of 3.0 persons on Council sites, the total population is estimated at 1653 people: 885 on Council sites, 477 on privately-owned sites and 291 using unauthorised locations.
- Older people continue to account for a much smaller proportion of the total than in the Scottish population as a whole.
- Although 37 Council sites were developed for Gypsies/Travellers between 1978 and 2002, five complete sites have subsequently been permanently closed, reducing the total to 29 all-year and three seasonal.
- The loss over the years of five complete sites, together with a small number of individual pitches means that the overall pitch total has been reduced from 580 to 510. Of these only 473 are open throughout the year.
- Of Council sites open in January, 66% of possible pitches were tenanted. Six out of ten of these had their tenants in residence on the count date. The others were temporarily away from the site.
- Just under a quarter of Council sites had all their pitches let, but two were completely empty.
- One in three tenants on Council sites had been based there for more than five years.
- Only 14% of the lettable pitches on the Council sites had changed hands over the preceding six months.
- Twelve Councils identified privately-owned sites sometimes available for Gypsies/ Travellers.
- Eight 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.
- Of the 159 households recorded on privately-owned sites, nearly all (141) had been staying there for four weeks or more.
- Twenty-six Councils indicated that unauthorised encampment by Gypsies/Travellers occurs within their areas, either regularly or occasionally.
- At the time of the count, of 124 specified locations of unauthorised encampments, 20 were occupied by a total of 97 households.
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