A new study on how councils in Cumbria are accommodating the needs of Gypsies and Travellers in the county has found that more authorised sites are needed to address current overcrowded conditions.
The report carried out by Salford University and commissioned by Cumbria’s six district councils, the county council and the Lake District National Park Authority states that a large number of families have to resort to staying on unauthorised roadside encampments or live in trailers in the grounds of private houses.
The report, which will be discussed and finalised at a meeting at Penrith Rugby Club on Monday April 14th, was compiled by a team of Salford University researchers using questionnaires from housing and planning officers, consultation with key stakeholders and a total of 130 interviews with Gypsies and Travellers living in Cumbria.
Councils across the country are required to produce Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessments (GTAAs) following the Housing Act 2004, which requires local authorities to respond to the accommodation needs of Gypsy and Traveller communities and ensure they have equal access to services.
The report estimates there are at least 771 Gypsies and Travellers living in Cumbria, even though there are no local authority-run sites. There are, however, two private sites (in Carlisle and Eden) and at least 120 Gypsy and Traveller households living in bricks and mortar accommodation (two-thirds are owner occupiers, a quarter are council tenants and the remainder are either Registered Social Landlord or private tenants). The report says that some local authorities in other parts of the country have no authorised private sites and currently there are no local authority-run sites in 138 of the 353 local authorities in England.
The report found that residents on private sites are broadly positive about their accommodation. Other key findings include:
- Two thirds of Gypsy and Travellers living in Cumbria feel local to the area.
- The vast majority of school-age children regularly attend school or receive home education.
- The predominant household type in Cumbria is young families, and only a minority (25%) are households over 60 years old.
- The Cumbrian Gypsy and Traveller population consists mainly of English nationality Romany Gypsies (51%) with the next largest population consisting of Travelling Showpeople (almost a fifth of the population) and 1 in 10 Irish Travellers.
Eden District Councillor Richard Turner, Chair of Cumbria Housing Group, will be chairing the event in Penrith which discusses the report and how it will shape the Regional Spatial Strategy. He said:
"This is the first step in addressing the shortfall of suitable sites for this section of our community. We now have an evidence base which will point us in the right direction and we shall now be looking at how we can best implement the report's recommendations. While this may take some time, the work so far clearly shows what can be achieved by working together both as local authorities and with the Gypsy and Traveller community."
Joel Rasbash, Equality and Diversity Officer at Cumbria County Council, said:
"This is a useful piece of research which will help local authorities address the accommodation needs of all communities living in the county. It’s crucial that in shaping the Regional Spatial Strategy we listen to the full range of voices living in the county and take on board the opinions of all community groups."
Dr Phil Brown, Research Fellow in the Salford Housing & Urban Studies Unit at the University of Salford, said:
"Families are living in a whole host of different ways - some in bricks and mortar; some are living on authorised sites, and some on unauthorised sites. What seems to be the case in general is that there are not enough pitches available for the number of people who need them."
The team at Salford University has so far carried out almost a third of all Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessments (GTAAs) throughout the UK. "We’re helping many local authorities respond to the drive by central Government to work out how much extra accommodation is needed," Dr Brown said.
As well as longer term accommodation needs, the Salford University team has also produced a separate report on the annual Appleby Horse Fair, which takes place in Cumbria every year and is the largest gathering of Gypsies and Travellers in the UK.
Research Fellow Dr Lisa Hunt said:
"We interviewed almost 250 Gypsies and Travellers at a number of different temporary stopping places at the fair in Appleby. The Fair is a crucial event for many different communities but the organisation of the Fair still needs some improvement. There was concern about provision of clean toilets and access to water; however, the majority of respondents viewed their experience of the Fair in very positive terms."
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