West of England Gypsy Traveller Accommodation (and Other Needs) Assessment 2006-2016 1 October 2007 APPENDICES CONTENTS A Glossary of terms 1 B Unitary authority assessments 6 C Focus group summaries 20 D Methodology for estimating population size 39 E Survey questionnaire 42 F Information leaflet 80 G Summary of recommendations 66 H Selected references 70 West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT ii APPENDIX A: GLOSSARY OF TERMS Amenity Unit Usually a small permanent building housing bath/shower, WC and sink. On socially rented/public sites, there is usually one amenity unit per pitch. Authorised Site (also known as a ?Licensed Site?) A site which has planning permission for use as a Gypsy and Traveller site. Caravan Mobile accommodation consisting of kitchen area and bedrooms. Referred to as a trailer by many Gypsies and Travellers. (New Travellers may often live in converted trucks/buses/vans or other forms of living vehicles which fulfil the same function as a caravan). Chalet Term used by Gypsies and Travellers, usually referring to a mobile home which resembles a bungalow. Day Room Some amenity units have a larger area where residents can eat or relax; this is often referred to as a day room. Emergency Stopping Place A licensed short-term Gypsy and Traveller site (or sometimes a ?tolerated? but unauthorised location) to which Gypsies and Travellers can be directed when in need. Fewer facilities are available than on transit sites and usually residents would only be able to remain at such a site for a few days. Family Site A private caravan site owned and occupied by an (extended) family. Broadly equivalent to owner- occupation in mainstream housing. Gavver Romany word used by Gypsies/Travellers to refer to the police. Gorgio/Gorge/Gaujo - ?Settled Community/Country People/Flatties? ?Gaujo? (spelt in a variety of different ways) is a term used by Gypsies and Travellers to describe non- Gypsies and Travellers. ?Settled community?/?Country People/Flatties? are terms used by Gypsies and Travellers to describe people who are not Gypsy or Traveller by ethnicity or culture and who live in bricks and mortar housing. It should be noted though that there are difficulties in using such simplistic definitions as many Gypsies and Travellers live in housing. There is a danger that ?Gypsies and Travellers? and ?settled community? can be viewed as mutually exclusive and opposing terms, when in fact the reality is much more complex than that. Nevertheless, there is a need for some generalisation in defining social groups, and ?Gypsies and Travellers? and ?settled community? are used as such throughout this report. West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 1 Gypsies/Travellers (statutory definition ? 2005 Housing Act) Statutory Instrument No.3190 (2006) was implemented, in order to resolve the definition of Gypsies and Travellers in relation to the duties under the Housing Act 2004. For the purposes of section 225 of the Housing Act 2004 (duties of local housing authorities: accommodation needs of gypsies and travellers) "gypsies and travellers" means- (a) persons with a cultural tradition of nomadism or of living in a caravan; and (b) all other persons of a nomadic habit of life, whatever their race or origin, including- (i) such persons who, on grounds only of their own or their family's or dependant's educational or health needs or old age, have ceased to travel temporarily or permanently; and (ii) members of an organised group of Travelling Showpeople or circus people (whether or not travelling together as such). The term Gypsies and Travellers is sometimes used to encompass a wide range of different groups and cultures. Working within the guidance from government, the following groups tend to be specifically included as categories for respondents to ?self-define? in GTAA surveys: ? Romany Gypsies; ? Irish Travellers; ? New Travellers; ? Welsh Travellers; ? Scottish Travellers; and ? Travelling Showpeople (as defined in Circular 22/91) Gypsy (or English Gypsy) Member of one of the main groups of Gypsies and Travellers in Britain. Romany Gypsies trace their ethnic origin back to migrations, probably from India, taking place at intervals since 1500. Gypsies were recognised as an ethnic group in 1989. Gypsy and Traveller In this report, the term used to include all ethnic Gypsies and Irish Travellers, plus other Travellers who adopt a nomadic or semi-nomadic way of life. It does not include Travelling Showpeople. Household For the purposes of assessing need we have calculated on a single household/single pitch basis. We have adopted the typical housing needs and census category of ?household unit? and define this as people who share either living space or at least one meal a day together. Gypsies and Travellers may live in large extended households consisting of perhaps three generations, but equally each generation may occupy their own caravan within a single pitch. ?Suppression? of households due to shortage of accommodation, may lead to greater reliance on sharing a single pitch than is desired by family members. Interviewees could identify who they believed was a member of their household and if they required separate pitches from other household members. Irish Traveller Member of one of the main groups of Gypsies and Travellers in Britain. Irish Travellers have a distinct indigenous origin in Ireland and were recognised as an ethnic group in England in 2000. West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 2 Local Development Framework (LDF) A LDF sets out the planning framework for the local area (within each unitary authority of the study area). LDF?s replace Local Plans. Mobile Home Legally a caravan, but not usually capable of being moved by towing. Residential mobile homes are usually of a large size and may resemble either static holiday caravans or chalets. New Traveller Term used here to refer to members of the settled community who have adopted a nomadic or semi- nomadic lifestyle living in moveable dwellings. There are now second and third generation ?New? Travellers in England. Some New Travellers prefer the more neutral term ?Traveller?. Pitch/Plot Area of a Gypsy/Traveller site where a single household live in their caravans (trailers). Pitches may vary between large enough for one residential trailer (or mobile home) and one touring (small) trailer to spacious enough to hold one or two large mobile homes and several ?tourers? as well as working vehicles. On public (socially provided) sites rented pitches tend to be smaller and are easily delineated by fencing. On private family sites where several related household may own the site it may be less easy to identify separate pitches/plots. As pitch sizes vary considerably between public (socially provided) and private sites, we express figures for pitch requirements in terms of one pitch per household rather than specifying how many caravans/mobile homes should be accommodated on a pitch. Accordingly, a large household with a number of children may require more than one pitch if living on a public (or private rented) site with limited pitch size. Private Rented Pitches In the study area, several privately owned Gypsy and Traveller caravan sites have pitches which are rented on a commercial basis to other Gypsies and Travellers. In NS the local authority rents some pitches from owners of private sites to accommodate families in need. Private Site May be an owner-occupied site or one where an Gypsy/Traveller rents a pitch. Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) Sets out a spatial planning strategy for how a region (in this case bigger than the West of England study area) should be developed over the following 15+ years. GTAAs are fed into RSS decision making processes when deciding how many ?pitches? are required in an area. Registered Social Landlords (RSL) Not-for-profit housing organisation that bid for regional funding to establish and run Gypsy and Traveller sites (for example, residential, transit and emergency stopping places). Residential Site/Pitch A site/pitch intended for long-stay use by residents. No maximum length of stay is set. West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 3 Showman?s Yard Term used by Showmen to describe their site. Showmen (Travelling Showmen/Showpeople) People who move (or have moved) from place to place with living vehicles to provide travelling fairs or circuses and associated services. Most Travelling Showpeople are members of the Showmen?s Guild of Great Britain. Site An area of land laid out and used for Gypsy and Traveller caravans. Sites vary in type and size and can range from one-caravan private family sites on Gypsies? and Travellers? own land, through to large local authority sites. Socially Rented Site (often known as a ?Council Site?) A Gypsy and Traveller caravan site owned by a council or registered social landlord. In the study area, all socially rented sites are owned and managed by a local council. Tolerated An unauthorised development or encampment may be ?tolerated? for a period of time during which no enforcement action is taken. Trailer Gypsies and Travellers generally use the term ?trailer? for caravans. Transit Site Authorised Gypsy and Traveller site intended for short-term use by those in transit between to other areas. The site is permanent, but people who stay on it may only due so for a temporary period. A maximum period of three months stay is general. May have more facilities (for example, utility blocks) than and Emergency Stopping Place but usually far less than a residential site. Unauthorised Development A Gypsy and Traveller site established on Gypsy owned land without appropriate planning permission or site licence. Unauthorised Encampment A piece of land where Gypsies and Travellers reside in vehicles or ?bender? tents without permission. The land is not owned by those involved in the encampment and is often located on the edge of roads/carparks or in other unsafe and unsuitable environments. Unauthorised/?Roadside? Site Land occupied by Gypsies and Travellers without the appropriate planning or other permissions. The term includes both unauthorised development and unauthorised encampment. Winter Quarters Term sometimes used for a site occupied by Travelling Showpeople when not engaged in providing fairs or circuses. Originally occupied over the winter period when there are no fairs, Showpeople sites are now used much more flexibly and often involve year-round occupation. West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 4 Yard Term used for a pitch or site occupied by Travelling Showpeople. Some sites in the study area comprise a number of clearly delimited yards owned or rented by different families. Gypsies and Travellers may also use the term for a small site or a house with land which can accommodate trailers. West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 5 APPENDIX B: UNITARY AUTHORITY ASSESSMENTS B.1 BATH & NORTH EAST SOMERSET (B&NES) Figure B1: Number of Caravans (January and July) by type of site, Bath and North East Somerset, 1979-2007 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 J an- 79 Jan- 80 Jan- 81 Jan- 82 Jan- 83 J an- 84 J an- 85 J an- 86 J an- 87 Jan- 88 Jan- 8 9 Jan- 90 J an- 91 J an- 92 J an- 93 Jan- 94 Jan- 95 J an- 96 J an- 97 J an- 98 J an- 99 Jan- 00 Jan- 01 Jan- 02 J an- 03 J an- 04 J an- 05 J an- 06 Jan- 07 January and July Counts for Each Year Nu mbe r of Ca ra va ns Unauthorised Authorised Council Authorised Private Total Source: Derived from official counts 1.1 Caravan counts. These show minimal authorised provision over the whole period, and some remarkable ?spikes? in the figures, reflecting incursions of large groups of unauthorised caravans, especially in 1992 to 1995 and again since 2006, but still only exceeding 20 caravans on six occasions. Unauthorised encampments have averaged 26 caravans in the last three years (equating to 10 households), and no authorised provision whatsoever, strongly suggesting suppressed demand for further provision, but not in significant numbers. The figure of an average of 10 more caravans in July over January counts in past three years also suggests a demand for transit provision. 1.2 Population. From TES data, we have estimated the Gypsy/Traveller population of B&NES at about 22 households (90-100 people). 1.3 Local plan. B&NES has a criterion-based policy HG16 in its local plan (as proposed to be modified November 2006), with a small supporting statement. It pre-dates Circular 01/06 and other recent policy reviews and other recent policy reviews. 1.4 Council sites. There are none. 1.5 Private authorised sites. There are none. 1.6 Unauthorised caravans. B&NES has two unauthorised developments (one known to the LA) and three unauthorised encampments. 1.7 Travelling Showmen. One small development (unauthorised). 1.8 Housed Gypsies/Travellers. One household interviewed, three to five estimated. West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 6 1.9 Summary. This council has a poor record of provision of public sites, and has followed a restrictive policy on the granting of planning permission, with no authorised provision within the UA. Concerns must exist over the record keeping pertaining to UEs as shown by the repeated returns of 0 caravans to the DCLG and the necessity of amending return figures in 2006. B&NES recognises that its position may be indefensible as the numbers of unauthorised caravans rise within the UA. Our assessment is based upon current data, but we consider that through the political process of allocation pressure from other West of England districts, B&NES will require a higher allocation than here identified through use of official administrative statistics. Table B1: B&NES Gypsy and Traveller Residential Pitch Requirements 2006?2016 Current residential supply 1. Socially rented pitches 0 2. Private site pitches 0 3. Total pitches/households 0 4. Net movement from housing to sites 1 5. Unauthorised developments 6 6. Unauthorised encampments 8 7. End of temporary permissions 2006-2011 0 8. New household formation 2006-2011 3 9. Additional identified need 1 10. Additional need 2006-2011 19 11. Pitches unused 2006 0 12. Planning applications likely to succeed in 2007/8 0 13. New socially rented pitches planned 2007/8 0 14. Vacancies on socially rented sites 2006-2011 0 15. Supply 2006-2011 0 16. Requirement for extra pitches 2006-2011 19 17.Household growth 2011-2016 3 18.Total Requirement 2006-2016 22 Key to variables at pB18 Transit pitch requirements see 4.4 (pp 52-54 Main Report for calculation). Requirements for Showman households see 4.5 (pp 55-57 Main Report for calculation). Authority B&NES Transit caravan capacity Showman Households 2006-2011 20 1 2011-2016 0 0 TOTAL 20 1 West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 7 B2 BRISTOL CITY (BCC) Figure B2: Number of Caravans (January and July counts) by type of site, Bristol, 1979-2007 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 J an- 79 Jan- 80 Jan- 81 Jan- 82 Jan- 83 J an- 84 J an- 85 J an- 86 J an- 87 Jan- 88 Jan- 8 9 Jan- 90 J an- 91 J an- 92 J an- 93 Jan- 94 Jan- 95 J an- 96 J an- 97 J an- 98 J an- 99 Jan- 00 Jan- 01 Jan- 02 J an- 03 J an- 04 J an- 05 J an- 06 Jan- 07 January and July Counts for Each Year Nu mbe r of Ca ra va ns Unauthorised Authorised Council Authorised Private Total Source: Derived from official counts 2.1 Caravan counts. Bristol shows wide fluctuations, and exceeded 50 caravans on six counts over the 28-year period of (57 counts). Council provision has been increased, and the provision of both a residential and transit site has reduced unauthorised caravan numbers in recent years. The average unauthorised caravans has been seven over the last three years although BCC?s own records show wider fluctuations. 2.2 Population. The TES (as at Spring 2007) supports 14 Gypsy/Traveller children in caravans and 44 in housing. From this, we estimate the Gypsy/Traveller population of Bristol City as about 460-480 individuals (25% of the West of England total). 2.3 Bristol Local Plan. The adopted Bristol Local Plan (1997) contains a criteria based policy entitled "Gypsies & Other Travelling People" (Policy H12). This policy was slightly amended in the Proposed Alterations to the Bristol Local Plan (placed on Deposit Feb 2003 (not adopted). The criteria for considering applications for Gypsies and Travellers was slightly relaxed in terms of Green Belt land. In addition, a transit site at Kings Weston Lane, which was completed in 2000/01, and a residential site at South Liberty Lane which opened in July 2006 are safeguarded on the adopted Local Plan and Proposed Alterations proposals maps. The supporting text was amended in the 2003 Proposed Alterations to the Bristol Local Plan to make reference to these two sites. The adopted Bristol Local Plan contains Policy H13 ?Travelling Showground People? which identifies three sites for Travelling Showpeople at; Two Mile Hill Road in St George, Braggs Lane on Old Market; and at Parsons Yard on Hartcliffe Way. The Old Market site was deleted in the Proposed Alterations owing to access constraints. Both sites are identified on the Proposals Map. Work is not progressing on the Proposed Alterations. Bristol Development Framework. Bristol is now preparing a Local Development Framework (LDF) in accordance with its Local Development Scheme (LDS) (March 2007). The City West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 8 Council intends to comply with the pitch requirements specified in the Regional Spatial Strategy and intends to meet the requirements of Circular 01/2006 and Circular 04/07 (Planning for Travelling Showpeople) by setting out the criteria for the location of such sites in the LDF Core Strategy. This will be used to guide the allocation of sites for Gypsies and Travellers and Showpeople in the Site Allocations Development Plan Document as well as for the consideration of windfall sites. The timescales for production of the proposed Local Development Documents is set out in the City Council?s agreed 2007 LDS. 2.4 Council sites. The transit site at Kingsweston (20 pitches, opened in 2000) also allows overspill (summer months only), and is unevenly occupied. The South Liberty Lane site (12 pitches) opened in July 2006. A waiting list operates and is relatively lengthy given a maximum estimated turnover of two pitches between the years 2006-2011. 2.5 Private authorised sites. None recorded and severe planning constraints in existence. 2.6 Unauthorised caravans. Bristol City has no unauthorised developments, reflecting the shortage of suitable land, but has since the council?s inception in 1996 kept records of unauthorised encampments. These records do not indicate caravan numbers, and on occasion has recorded encampments which did not consist of Gypsies/Travellers. This longitudinal data does provide useful information. Few of these occurrences would have appeared in the January official count, and perhaps one or two in the July counts. A few sites apparently in SG and B&NES are included (five in 2003-2005), presumably close to BCC boundary. Table B2: Unauthorised encampment records in BCC area 1996-2007 Year 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 (to Feb) Number of incidents 31 30 28 29 21 48 38 15 40 31 24 9 Incidents with more than 6 caravans 9 11 7 5 6 10 3 3 6 4 3 0 Highest number of caravans 40 21 30 20 20 50 40 20 16 35 18 N/ a Highway land 3 12 8 7 4 11 6 8 8 18 9 0 Other council-owned land 19 8 13 9 10 12 10 4 14 6 7 1 Other ownership 9 10 7 13 7 25 22 3 18 7 8 8 Source: BCC 2.7 Travelling Showmen. There is a policy in the 2003 draft deposit local plan confirming two existing authorised sites. A further large private authorised site which is exclusively occupied by Showmen although not listed as such, is also in existence. 2.8 Gypsies/Travellers in housing. BCC, according to TES/PLASC schools data, has more housed Gypsies/Travellers than live on sites. Over half of the total housed Gypsy/Traveller population in the West of England live in BCC. This reflects past policies of accepting Gypsies/Travellers as homeless, and may require further exploration on possible demand for transfer to sites. 2.9 Summary. Based on available administrative statistics, there is little evidence of demand for owner occupied sites (presumably because of shortage of suitable land), but further need for both residential and transit provision is anticipated. West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 9 Table B3: BCC Gypsy and Traveller Residential Pitch Requirements 2006?2016 Current residential supply 1. Socially rented pitches 12 2. Private site pitches 0 3. Total pitches/households 12 4. Net movement from housing to sites 4 5. Unauthorised developments 0 6. Unauthorised encampments 5 7. End of temporary permissions 2006-2011 0 8. New household formation 2006-2011 8 9. Additional identified need 9 10. Additional need 2006-2011 26 11. Pitches unused 2006 0 12. Planning applications likely to succeed in 2007/8 0 13. New socially rented pitches planned 2007/8 0 14. Vacancies on socially rented sites 2006-2011 2 15. Supply 2006-2011 2 16. Requirement for extra pitches 2006?2011 24 17.Household growth 2011-2016 6 18.Total Requirement 2006-2016 30 Key to variables at pB18 Transit pitch requirements see 4.4 (pp 52-54 Main Report for calculation). Requirements for Showman households see 4.5 (pp 55-57 Main Report for calculation). Authority BCC Transit caravan capacity Showman Households 2006-2011 0 1 8 2 2011-2016 0 3 TOTAL 11 1 Bristol City Council requires a total transit capacity of 20 caravans/pitches but already has a site with this capacity. 2 In addition to pitches currently in existence at the three Showmen sites in the city. West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 10 B3 NORTH SOMERSET (NS) Figure B3: Number of Caravans (January and July counts) by type of site, North Somerset, 1979-2007 0 50 100 150 200 250 J an- 79 Jan- 80 Jan- 8 1 Jan- 82 J an- 83 J an- 84 J an- 85 Jan- 86 Jan- 87 Jan- 88 J an- 89 J an- 90 J an- 91 Jan- 92 Jan- 93 Jan- 94 Jan- 95 J an- 96 J an- 97 J an- 98 J an- 99 Jan- 00 Jan- 0 1 Jan- 02 J an- 03 J an- 04 J an- 05 J an- 06 Jan- 07 January and July Counts for Each Year Nu mbe r of Ca ra va ns Unauthorised Authorised Council Authorised Private Total Source: Derived from official counts 3.1 Caravan counts. The total numbers of caravans did not exceed 60 in NS until 1992, but have remained above that for most counts since then, spiking at over 200 in 1999 and remaining at near 100 fairly consistently since 2002. Authorised provision (both council and private) has grown since the 1990s, and numbers of unauthorised caravans has correspondingly reduced. Unauthorised caravans have averaged 19 over the last three years, and the ratio of unauthorised to authorised caravans is now 23 to 77. 3.2 Population TES/PLASC (as at spring 2007) supports 45 Gypsy/Traveller children in caravans and 18 in housing. From this base we have estimated 73 households or 275-285 individuals This equates to 16% of the West of England total), of which some 28% are in housing rather than caravans. 3.3 Local plan North Somerset has a criterion-based policy H12 in its local plan (second deposit draft, 2004), with a supporting statement on existing provision. It pre-dates Circular 01/06 and other recent policy reviews. 3.4 Council sites A search for suitable sites was undertaken in the 1990s, and resulted in the grant of approval for three small sites which are classed as council sites. 3.5 Private authorised sites The Council records a further five private sites with planning permissions. One of these sites, Moorland Park, provides a number of socially rented pitches. An expansion of the Moorland Park site by 12 pitches, onto adjoining land has been approved subject to signing of a Section 106 agreement 3.6 Unauthorised developments The Council is aware of nine unauthorised developments (from enforcement complaints), one of which has come to an end during the period of the study. 3.7 Unauthorised encampments. Since 2004 the Council has kept records of unauthorised encampments. These unfortunately do not indicate caravan numbers, nor are they all of West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 11 Gypsies/Travellers, but provide some useful information. None of these 35 occurrences would have appeared in the January official count, and perhaps five in the July counts. They are mostly small numbers of vehicles for short periods (less than a week), two involving repossession proceedings. During the period of writing this report, two very large UEs occurred associated with family groups gathering to travel together to a fair. We are advised from analysis of NS UE records between 2005 and 2007 that the average size of UEs is seven vehicles. If emergency stopping places or transit provision, large enough to accommodate that number of caravans was available, 75% of all UEs would be able to accommodated, albeit large seasonal peaks such as experienced in June 2007, would still lead to significant numbers of unauthorised caravans at UEs. Table B4: UEs (example of duration) 2004-2006) Location Date notified Date vacated Other information Anglers Car Park, Kenn Road, Clevedon17/05/2005 N/A Private land Carlton Street Car Park, Weston 18/05/2005 18/05/2005 Clear/cleaned Hutton Moor Center 19/06/2005 24/06/2005 Clear/cleaned Playing fields, Strode Road, Clevedon 29/06/2005 02/07/2005 Clear/cleaned Aisecome Way-wsm 01/07/2005 N/A Private land Hospital Roundabout 11/07/2005 N/A No Gypsies noted Monpellier East, Weston 11/07/2005 N/A No Gypsies noted Flowerdown Bridge 14/07/2005 N/A Vacated leaving stripped van Top of Loxton Road, Weston 03/08/2005 09/08/2005 Site Clear/cleaned LIDL Car park & land 08/08/2005 09/08/2005 Private Land Drove Road recreation ground 06/10/2005 06/10/2005 Moved on Downside rd car park 06/12/2005 N/A Traveling showmen Private Land, near Waitrose, Portishead 04/04/2006 05/04/2006 Left on day of visit Top of Loxton Road, WsM 03/05/2006 12/05/2006 Clear/cleaned Worle Parkway Station 08/05/2006 N/A Railtrack Land Buckingham Road, WsM 11/05/2006 12/05/2006 Clear/cleaned Renault Locking Rd 12/05/2006 17/05/2006 Private Land Millenium Green 18/05/2006 N/A Land Leased Hutton Moor Center 05/06/2006 08/06/2006 Same family as at Renault Gordano School 06/07/2006 07/07/2006 Clear/cleaned Wraxall 07/07/20 17/07/2006 Clear/cleaned WSM Rugby Club 17/07/2006 19/07/2006 Clean up Lynx Crescent 18/07/2006 N/A Private Land WSM Football Club 21/07/2006 N/A Private Land Hospital Roundabout 10/08/2006 21/08/2006 Clear/cleaned A371Layby Locking 15/08/2006 19/08/2006 Land vacated A370 Layby M5 (Junction 21) 29/08/2006 01/09/2006 Land vacated Bookers car Park Weston 02/10/2006 N/A Private Land Source: NS data As can be seen from analysis of UE logs, the typical duration of stays in the region of less than one week implying that other than the relatively long-term UDs (often associated with pre-existing authorised sites) in NS, the majority of need can be addressed through the provision of transit pitches. West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 12 3.8 Travelling Showmen. No residential sites recorded. 3.9 Summary Other than occasional short-term UEs. All of the unauthorised caravans in NS are on Traveller-owned land without planning permission. This indicates a demand for this owner occupied type of private site. Provisional recommendation: establish/encourage waiting lists for authorised LA and private commercial sites as a first step to assessing extent of need within the authority. Table B5: NS Gypsy and Traveller Residential Pitch Requirements 2006?2016 Current residential supply 1. Socially rented pitches 8 2. Private site pitches 24 3. Total pitches/households 32 4. Net movement from housing to sites 5 5. Unauthorised developments 15 6. Unauthorised encampments 4 7. End of temporary permissions 2006-2011 0 8. New household formation 2006-2011 19 9. Additional identified need 5 10. Additional need 2006-2011 48 11. Pitches unused 2006 0 12. Planning applications likely to succeed in 2007/8 0 13. New socially rented pitches planned 2007/8 12 14. Vacancies on socially rented sites 2006-2011 0 15. Supply 2006-2011 12 16. Requirement for extra pitches 2006?2011 36 17.Household growth 2011-2016 13 18.Total Requirement 2006-2016 49 Key to variables at pB18 Transit pitch requirements see 4.4 (pp 52-54 Main Report for calculation). Requirements for Showman households see 4.5 (pp 55-57 Main Report for calculation). Authority NS Transit caravan capacity Showman Households 2006-2011 10 0 2011-2016 0 TOTAL 10 0 West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 13 B4 SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE Figure B4: Number of Caravans (January and July counts) by type of site, South Gloucestershire, 1979-2007 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 J an- 79 Jan- 80 Jan- 8 1 Jan- 82 J an- 83 J an- 84 J an- 85 Jan- 86 Jan- 87 Jan- 88 J an- 89 J an- 90 J an- 91 Jan- 92 Jan- 93 Jan- 94 Jan- 95 J an- 96 J an- 97 J an- 98 J an- 99 Jan- 00 Jan- 0 1 Jan- 02 J an- 03 J an- 04 J an- 05 J an- 06 Jan- 07 January and July Counts for Each Year Nu mbe r of Ca ra va ns Unauthorised Authorised Council Authorised Private Total Source: Derived from official counts 4.1 Caravan counts. The chart shows the highest (and rising) caravan numbers of any West of England authority, exceeding 200 on 14 counts (out of 30 since 1992). Caravans on private authorised sites have risen steadily since the mid-1990s (roughly doubling since 2000), reflecting grants of planning permission (mostly on appeal). Unauthorised caravan numbers fluctuate around about 50 caravans between July and January, but have fallen dramatically from the figures of the mid-1990s and 2000, when they were well over 100. The ratio of unauthorised to authorised caravans from the last three year averages is 24:76. 4.2 Population. TES (as at spring 2007) supports 45 Gypsy/Traveller children in caravans and 18 in housing. From this, we have estimated the Gypsy/Traveller population of SG as about 250 families (55% of the study area total). 4.2 Local plan. The adopted Local Plan (2006) has a criterion-based Policy H12, and a lengthy supporting statement. 4.3 Council sites Table B6: Council sites Pitch numbers (caravan capacity) Date opened (refurbished) Highwood Park, Patchway 17 (51) 1980 (1994) Northwood Park, Winterbourne South 17 (51) 1992 Source: DCLG 4.4 Private authorised sites Over the last five years numbers of private authorised sites have grown by nine providing fourteen pitches. The council records the following private sites with planning permissions, as follows: West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 14 Table B7: Private authorised sites Site No. No. of caravans No. of families No. of adults No. of children 14 5 2 6 5 15 4 1 4 1 16 2 2 17 6 2 6 6 18 4 1 5 9 19 - - - - 20 3 1 3 0 21 6 5 6 22 3 1 2 0 23 4 24 4 1 3 0 25 2 5 2 26 4 0 0 27 1 4 5 28 4 7 4 29 3 1 5 2 30 4 4 3 31 3 1 5 2 32 3 1 33 6 1 6 2 34 3 7 4 35 9 2 5 3 36 2 1 0 0 37 3 4 2 38 19 5 11 9 Totals 111 33 106 67 Source: SG data 4.5 Unauthorised developments South Gloucestershire has the most unauthorised developments (Gypsy-owned land) at fourteen, and four unauthorized encampments. SG has produced figures which show an increase of four sites (seven pitches respectively) between January and July 2006. UDs, represent 57% of the present total pitch capacity of authorised sites. Table B8: Variation in UD figures, 2006 July 06 No. of caravans No. of families No. of adults No. of children 19 6 23 44 5 1 6 3 3 2 2 2 1 3 0 8 3 10 19 1 1 2 - 24 11 34 41 8 4 12 12 3 1 5 2 75 35 100 123 West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 15 Jan 06 No. of caravans No. of families No. of adults No. of children 16 5 13 34 5 1 6 2 3 2 2 1 3 0 6 2 9 13 1 1 2 1 6 4 8 2 - - - - 3 1 5 2 45 18 53 56 Source SG data 4.6 Unauthorised encampments. Since 1996 the Council has kept records of unauthorised encampments (Table B6). These give caravan numbers (not only those occupied by Gypsies/Travellers e.g. may at times include migrant workers/homeless), but provide useful information on trends. Most UEs are only for short periods. Numbers of caravans on UEs have fallen, reflecting a matching increase in numbers of private authorised sites. We take this as an indication that a percentage (at least),of UEs are occupied by households requiring residential provision within the area. We note too that land which is not Gypsy owned, but where long term (greater than two years) encampments exist are listed by SG as ?UEs? although for the purposes of undertaking this GTAA we include those households as UDs in need of provision. Table B9: 2002-2007 Aggregate of UEs in SG 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Total number 85 69 49 48 52 More than 20 caravans 8 6 4 5 0 0 January-March 10 9 8 9 8 0 April 18 13 11 6 4 3 May 14 8 7 1 4 6 June 14 6 6 2 9 2 July 14 11 8 5 N/a August 6 4 5 13 14 N/a Sept 4 8 3 6 4 N/a Oct-Dec 5 10 3 3 4 N/a 4.7 Travelling Showmen. SG has by far the largest number of any West of England with 88 households recorded and estimated based upon survey data and Showmen?s Guild figures. 4.8 Gypsies/Travellers in housing. Based upon TES data, an estimated 35 to 38 households reside in SG. 4.9 Summary. SG has the biggest G/T population living in caravans and the highest number of unauthorised caravans of the four West of England districts. The unauthorised caravans are primarily on Traveller-owned land with no planning permission. SG is the only West of England UA to grant planning permission to owner occupied sites in the last five years (albeit usually following appeal), a factor which may increase demand in the area. Much of the UA is either urban or subject to severe policy constraints (Green Belt or AONB). A recent increase of caravans on LA sites has been recorded although the UA claims this relates to children reaching an age when they require their own sleeping van rather than suppressed households. Potential implications for future provision exist whether this increase relates to older children or ?doubling up?. West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 16 Table B10: SG Gypsy and Traveller Residential Pitch Requirements 2006?16 Current residential supply 1. Socially rented pitches 34 2. Private site pitches 33 3. Total pitches/households 67 4. Net movement from housing to sites 2 5. Unauthorised developments 18 6. Unauthorised encampments 9 7. End of temporary permissions 2006-2011 0 8. New household formation 2006-2011 32 9. Additional identified need 12 10. Additional need 2006-2011 73 11. Pitches unused 2006 0 12. Planning applications likely to succeed in 2007/8 10 13. New socially rented pitches planned 2007/8 3 14. Vacancies on socially rented sites 2006-2011 12 15. Supply 2006-2011 25 16. Requirement for extra pitches 2006?2011 48 17.Household growth 2011-2016 22 18.Total Requirement 2006-2016 70 Key to variables at pB18 Transit pitch requirements see 4.4 (pp 52-54 Main Report for calculation). Requirements for Showman households see 4.5 (pp 55--57 Main Report for calculation). Authority SG Transit caravan capacity Showman Households 2006-2011 25 42 2011-2016 0 15 TOTAL 25 57 West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 17 Key to Variables (Residential Pitch Assessment) Row 1. From schedules of sites and other data from local authorities, checked against the six-monthly official counts and survey returns. Adjusted as follows: a) adding one pitch in North Somerset on a private site rented by the local authority; b) including the residential site at South Liberty Lane, Bristol, which began occupation in 27 July 2006; c) disregarding the BCC transit site provision at St Antony?s, Kingsweston Lane (see under transit provision) at 4.4.11). Row 2. From local authority data, but with reservations. For instance, the figure for South Gloucestershire privately-owned pitches from the authority?s own figure for ?families? is, in our view, an under-count and should not be equated to pitches/households (official recommended method), because our survey revealed concealed households on such sites because of planning permission restrictions on numbers of permitted caravans planning permission. Applying our figure of 2.5 caravans per household produced a higher figure of 44 pitches on authorised private sites. Row 3. Sum of rows 1 and 2. Row 4. The 2006 guidance has two separate variables: ?number of households in caravans expressing a desire to live in housing? and ?in housing but with a need for site accommodation?. While our survey shows a suppressed demand from those in housing for site accommodation, a stated preference should not be equated to real demand. Only when there is a real choice of accommodation available are Gypsies and Travellers likely to surrender existing ?bricks-and-mortar? accommodation, and, in effect, volunteer for the uncertainty, and possible criminalisation associated with a travelling life. We have applied our survey findings, which show a net demand for sites (as shown). Further research by individual local authorities may clarify the extent of need for house to site transfer. Row 5. Based upon local authority schedules of Gypsy-owned land without planning permission, checked against recent count figures and advice from local authorities. Row 6. Estimating residential need arising from unauthorised encampments is particularly difficult. We have derived these figures from local authority schedules, cross-checked against recent count figures, and adjusted to take account of our survey findings (for example, residential pitch requirements of residents of unauthorised encampments). We have taken account of information received from local authorities pertaining to the extent to which residents of unauthorised encampments are in transit rather than seeking permanent accommodation but again express some reservations as to the robustness of local authority data in some authorities (see notes pertaining to recording of unauthorised encampments at 4.3.6). Row 7. The Leicestershire study includes figures for this, but our local authority data suggests none in the study area. Row 8. This includes suppressed household formation caused by overcrowding and/or intended marriage (from survey findings), and the benchmarking study (2007) assumption of a 3% per annum household growth rate applied to existing supply and need (Rows 3 and 5). Growth rate excludes households on unauthorised encampments. Row 9. This includes current waiting list data, and households known to be seeking accommodation and imminently expected to arrive, but not identified above. Row 10. Sum of Rows 4 to 9. Row 11. We assumed that there were no unused authorised pitches in the study area as at March 2006 which were available to accommodate households, for example, empty pitches in SG local West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 18 authority sites appear to have been empty for some time period and may require refurbishment for which grant monies have been made available. Row 12. Ten residential pitches are planned a private site in South Gloucestershire and twelve residential pitches at a private site in North Somerset. We assume no further new pitches are planned. Row 13. Four additional pitches are planned at Patchway (South Gloucestershire). It is assumed that there are no further new pitches planned. Row 14. Based upon local authority information on vacancy rates. Row 15. Sum of Rows 11 to 14. Row 16. Row 10 minus Row 15. Row 17. 3% annual growth applied to combined supply and need figures for 2006 to 2011 (i.e. Rows 3 and 16). This will be affected by outcomes in the period 2007 to 2011, particularly reallocation between authorities and progress with pitch provision up to 2011. West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 19 APPENDIX C: FOCUS GROUP SUMMARIES APPENDIX Ci: INTRODUCTION TO FOCUS GROUPS Four focus group meetings were held as part of the Gypsy Traveller Accommodation Assessment, three with adults and one with young people. The three adult groups included one with Irish Travellers and two with English/Romany Gypsies, while the young people?s group was with Irish Travellers. It had been hoped to have a focus group with New Travellers, but arrangements for this fell through when Travellers were not on site. After consultations with the Showmen?s Guild representatives, it was decided that the good questionnaire response rate amongst Showmen had sufficiently captured relevant information and views for this group. It had also been hoped to have two young people?s groups, whereas in the event just one was held with mainly primary and early secondary age children. Gypsy Traveller interviewers took a lead role in bringing the adult groups together in each case. The topic guide was discussed in advance between the researcher and the Gypsy Traveller interviewer, and checked with members at the start of each group. In the case of the young people, a worker from the Traveller Education Service co-facilitated the group. The group meetings were recorded and transcribed. The reports were prepared by the researcher in consultation with group members. In general the topics covered in the adult groups reflected those in the individual questionnaires, but the group setting facilitated more detailed discussion and exchange. While each group was different, there were numerous common themes arising from members? experience and views of the different issues. Summary of themes in adult focus groups Accommodation ? Difficulties of gaining planning permission for self-owned sites and the stress involved ? Differential views of council site provision, with a range of problems currently experienced on some sites, but some clear ideas about the kind of provision that worked best such as good size accommodation blocks, a site design which promoted privacy, and separate provision for different cultural groups ? Differential experiences of living in conventional housing, ranging from appreciation of the facilities to high levels of stress associated with hostility and scrutiny from neighbours. ? The aspiration for accommodation expressed in all the groups was for a self-owned family site. For many this was seen as unattainable because of planning permission and funding difficulties, and for others involved years of stress going through appeal processes. ? Interest in the possibility of mortgages for private site acquisition Travelling ? Continued significance of travelling in terms of meeting up with family, visiting fairs, economic activity, and for general enjoyment and relaxation. ? Greatly increased obstacles to travelling including lack of places to stop, harsh enforcement by police and bailiffs, and the lack of space to keep a touring caravan particularly in social housing. Culture Three key issues were identified in relation to cultural values, experience and identity. ? The maintenance of the tradition of travelling ? The centrality of family and extended family ? The experience of discrimination West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 20 Discrimination and harassment ? Discrimination from officials and private businesses (e.g. pubs) were major continuing themes, involving many traumatic experiences. ? Harassment was also regularly experienced by members of all the groups: for example of Gypsies on sites seeking planning permission, brutal treatment by bailiffs, bullying in schools, and prejudiced and suspicious attitudes, for example in shops. ? Hostility and abuse from members of the public were also reported More positive relationships with the settled community ? At the same time examples were given of more positive relationships with public sector workers including health workers, and with local residents. In two cases a petition from local people in support of a Gypsy planning appeal had had a significant impact. Gypsy Traveller groups, participation and representation There were three linked aspects of this theme: ? Numerous examples of efforts over time to engage with consultation processes and promote improved services for their community ? Disillusionment and ?consultation fatigue? because of disappointing responses to these efforts ? Continuing enthusiasm and commitment, expressed also through engagement with the GTAA, to join meetings, support training and awareness raising events, and link with other groups to promote greater equality for Gypsies and Travellers. Young people?s group This group was rather different, focusing mainly on young people?s activities and interests, their experiences of school, and their aspirations for improvements to the site. West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 21 APPENDIX Cii: FIRST FOCUS GROUP HELD ON 3 RD APRIL 2007 1. Introduction The focus group was co-facilitated by a Gypsy Traveller interviewer and a researcher. The Traveller brought the group together in her home. 2. Group composition It consisted of 7 Irish Traveller women, variously living in housing, on a permanent council site and a transit site. The group members were of different ages, some had children, some grandchildren. 3. Current accommodation They were asked about their views of their current accommodation, and where they would most like to live. The discussion is reported thematically in relation to different types of accommodation. 3 i) Council site There were mixed views about the council site. When they moved on initially they were very glad to be there. They had experienced many years of instability and disruption before then, having to move on repeatedly and frequently. They therefore appreciated the facilities and the stability of not being moved on. ?It?s better to have proper facilities - when you?re at the side of the road all the time, especially when you have small children ? you need proper washing facilities and toilet facilities. ..You need education for your children. ..You?re never in one place long enough? However in subsequent years they had also realised some limitations of the site. A range of issues emerged throughout the group discussion. As Travellers began to access information available to the rest of the community, they became clearer about the standards they expected. ?Travellers found it a novelty, but now Traveller women are getting a bit more education they know what they want.? Difficulties included a range of problems experienced with the accommodation units provided, involving the size and condition of the blocks; the location of the bathroom opening off the kitchen; the lack of showers (baths only); the outside toilet; and the small size of the kitchen, which cannot be used for family meals and visits. Generally there was a picture of families having to share too little space, especially as children became older and needed their own accommodation, or when family visited. The group also reported problems with sanitation, public health issues and services on the site, including rats causing damage and health risks, maggots around the drains, the lack of a warden regularly on site to respond to requests for repairs; the lack of postboxes on their pitches, with deliveries only occurring about twice a week when a warden visits; the lack of play facilities on the site or within walking distance, combined with the lack of a pavement along the busy road outside the site; and lack of fire hoses. Note: The local authority running this site has plans to refurbish it in the coming year 3 ii) Housing The women in conventional council housing stated that they had moved into housing in order to have a suitable amount of space and to have proper facilities. ?This was why we moved into a house because we weren?t getting what we should have been getting in the caravans. We didn?t want to leave our culture, but when we came into a house we had our space and our children were comfortabler, but if we had our own way we would rather be in our place ?and keep our culture.? Therefore they had mixed feelings about living in housing, they missed having their extended family and friends around them. For some of those in housing, relationships with settled neighbours could be problematic, with some Travellers under pressure (see section 7). They aspired to have their own land. West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 22 ??our own bit of land, even our own land with a bungalow on. In a Council house, you can?t keep your family, you can?t keep the caravan outside, you don?t have your own friends, you?re isolated.? We are who we are and you can never change it, can you.? 3 iii) Roadside/ transit sites All of the women had spent many years living without a settled site and being regularly moved on, some in an earlier period and two more recently. They had experience of the stresses and dangers of roadside living, including harassment and vigilante attack. Two of the women had recently moved onto a transit site in the area, but felt that it scarcely offered them more facilities than they could access on the side of the road. For example there is nowhere to wash clothes or to shower. As a transit site the maximum stay is 13 weeks, which is too brief for families to be able to access education and health services. Many of the women considered 20 pitches is too big and that smaller transit sites would be better They subsequently discussed the need for transit sites to accommodate periods of travel. There is a need for a network of transit sites around the country, including in the West of England area. The facilities they wanted on transit sites included water, showers, toilets, and a communal launderette for washing, but not full facilities as on permanent sites. 4. Aspirations for accommodation There was a strong view among most of the women that what they really wanted was their own family site where they could have space and all their family round them. ?..I would like a little place of my own with a little bit of land so I could have all my own family together, ?cause I don?t like being separate from my own people and my culture and all these things. ..I?d go anywhere, for my own bit of land, my own house ?If we have our own bit of ground to ourself we'd be more happy together. We'd have each other to fall back on if there were any problems.? Major obstacles to realising this ambition were the difficulties in getting planning permission, and the high price of land. They expressed interest in being able to access mortgages for buying land, and compared the greater facility for accessing mortgages in Ireland with the situation in England. ?But you're not going to get mortgages from your local bank because we haven't got an income. In Ireland you go to the council and they give you a mortgage and you can buy your own place ..It would be lovely if it happened here in England.? 5. Travelling The women were asked whether they go travelling, what they like about travelling and what is difficult. They acknowledged that mobility is forced on some families. For those in housing, travelling in a caravan is now impossible as they have no space to keep a caravan. The Travellers who live on a permanent site do travel in the summer, just for a few weeks while the children are on school holidays, and valued this very much. It enables them to sustain their culture and to keep it alive for their children and grandchildren. Travelling involved visiting relatives, or Gypsy fairs where they will meet other Gypsies and Travellers. Talk of travelling clearly brought happy memories, but tempered with the reality of returning to more settled life so the children could attend school. ?..Lovely big green fields for the kids to go playing ball ?Stow Fair, I?d love to to go Stow?.Don?t need to be travelling too long, just a couple of weeks would do. Then you?re back into your schooling.? However it is very much harder travelling now than in the past, there is nowhere safe to stop and roadside camps are dangerous. ?It?s very hard these days to go travelling ? you need a place to go. Can?t stay at the side of the road like years ago, it?s all changed.? In particular they are vulnerable to harassment and attack when travelling. ?I remember two years ago we went and one morning we got up and we were all stoned and it was all paint over our caravans, calling Gypsies and Gippos and whatever was on the vehicles. It took hundreds of pounds damage. You can?t just do it like years ago. I?m afraid to go away now West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 23 on our own. I?d go to fairs, I know there?s other Gypsies going there, you can go because you know it?s safe staying there. Like fairs and that, you can go there but nowhere else.? The theme of the central importance of travelling and the associated cultural memory was therefore linked with regret about the restrictions on travelling and fundamental changes to the nature of Travelling life. ?The travelling days is gone, you need to be more settled.? 6. Culture They were asked what was most important to them about their culture, what they most wanted other people to know about it. The importance of travelling, and the continuity of culture through generations, were linked themes. ?The culture never change, you are who you are.? Another key theme was the importance of family life and families being able to stay together. ?..With Travellers their family is the no 1 point.? They highlighted the negative impact of accommodation policy and practice on their ability to sustain their culture. ?Even if you were on a transit site and your children get married, there?s no room on that site, they would move onto another site ?maybe onto another town, so your children have gone from you. They never figured out what the future was for the Travelling community, they never done a survey into it.? The strength and endurance of the culture, despite significant obstacles, was therefore intrinsically linked to the experience of discrimination. ?It?s a question of who you are, there?s a lot of discrimination.? 7. Harassment and discrimination, relationships with other local residents They were asked about any experiences of harassment or discrimination. This topic also occurred spontaneously at other points in the discussion. The first issue raised was that a local pub will not admit them and has had a ?No Travellers? sign over the door for several years. ?..not welcome at any of the pubs round here. Been here 14 years?Just over the door ? ?No Travelling people allowed in?. They also spoke of being watched in shops and regarded suspiciously. ?..If you walk into a shop they follow you all around to see whether you?re stealing or robbing. If you?ve got children they?re checking you up.? In terms of relationships with other local people, for those in housing, relationships with settled neighbours could be distant or difficult. Travellers could feel scrutinised and liable to be scapegoated. Some had tried to engage on a neighbourly basis but then experienced neighbour surveillance and complaints. While they continued to exchange greetings, this experience could lead to avoidance of active engagement with settled neighbours in order to protect themselves. However some neighbour relationships were non- problematic. ?..I do say hello but they report us. They report us to the Council. ..When I was in my first house, I used to get on with the neighbours but if anything happened, the fault was ours. ..It feels like we're a sore thumb ? we're always sticking like the odd ones. ..No my neighbours are OK.? The site residents reported verbal abuse, fly-tipping and associated dangerous driving at the site entrance. Like their housed counterparts, they sought to be friendly with other local people and behave in ways that give them no cause for complaint, and therefore felt betrayed when they experienced hostility in return. ?People come out with the rubbish and causes a riot. They come round careless when they drive into the site. Some people call us Gippos, smelly?We try to be friendly with everyone. All they do is knife us.? Travellers who are living on the roadside experienced more severe harassment and discrimination. ?Stones, name calling. When I was away travelling I was afraid to sleep. Petrol bombs one night and a friend of mine's car was on fire.? West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 24 As reported in section 6, this is also a significant issue for those who only travelled in the summer, who avoided roadside camping as a result. 8. Training and education opportunities The mothers of older children talked about the need for training opportunities for boys that would include both literacy and vocational training. Some of the boys had missed out on education so they could not read or write, but now wanted both to catch up and develop other skills. There was also recognition of the economic advantages of education, and that those with fewer educational achievements had to work longer for less pay. There was reference to courses in Ireland that provided information about rights and assertiveness training and had a lasting impact. ?They give you a lot of self confidence, they give you a speech on the right and wrongs. I stand on my own two feet?That course was very good.? Some Traveller women in Ireland are gaining qualifications and are employed in professional jobs. Similar courses would be welcomed in England. There was also reference to a desire for adult education courses or groups in subjects such as swimming, sewing, health and beauty, such as had run in the past for Traveller women. While some join general community courses, for example literacy, there was a view that groups just for Travellers would be beneficial and increase their confidence. 9. Health services A brief discussion about health services considered some difficulties of access to doctors and dentists, including both physical barriers such as lack of transport, and social barriers such as prejudice and discrimination, bureaucratic obstacles or lack of confidence. There was regret that a specialist health visitor for Travellers was no longer in post. ?...I think it?s probably the address of the site, even for a dentist it?s very very hard, ?cause of who you are. You cannot get a dentist. ...Also there are a lot of young mothers who can?t drive and can?t get to a doctor. ..She can?t go to M?s doctor ?cause he won?t accept her so she would like to see a health visitor.? 10. Gypsy Traveller groups, participation and representation The issue of Gypsy Traveller representation and associations was discussed. Over the years most of the group had been involved in meetings on the site or with other authorities ?I?d like to set up a group. ?We were into a few meetings in the [name of venue]. The last time it was last November. ?There?s a room on the site and before all the women would get together for a meeting and give all their views and all the things they weren?t happy with.? However there was some disillusion with consultation processes, having experienced previous disappointment and lack of progress. ?Of course we have meetings?.5 years fighting. We did [form a group] but we?re no farther than we are now. I don?t think a Traveller?s protest would make any difference, they would just turn a blind eye.? Despite the setbacks, there was evidence of continuing enthusiasm for involvement. They expressed interest in further meetings to consider the research, to engage in discussions with authorities, and to promote the needs of their community. ?..We would like them to listen to what we would like.? West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 25 APPENDIX Ciii: SECOND FOCUS GROUP HELD ON 8 TH MAY 2007 1. Methodology The focus group was co-facilitated by a Gypsy Traveller interviewer and a researcher. The Gypsy brought the group together in a community centre. 2. Group composition It consisted of 5 Romany Gypsies including the interviewer. Four were women, one was a man. There was a range of ages including two younger women. One lived on a private rented site, the others lived in housing. 3. Site provision The lack of sufficient site provision, difficulties obtaining planning permission, and consequent pressure to move into conventional housing, were major themes through the discussion. There was acknowledgement that one council had recently built a new site. However over previous years many families had been forced to move into housing as a result of the lack of sites. ?A lot of the Travellers are in houses ?cause they?ve nowhere to go and it?s against their culture ?cause they don?t want to live in houses.? The design and location of most existing council provided sites were also seen as problematic and discriminatory, built in unsuitable and dangerous locations, or hidden away. ?..My main problem with the council is that they build the sites near tips and near big places where there?s chimneys and smoke coming out. Obviously it?s not healthy for the Travelling people, the kiddies. ..You are right about the sites, there?s ? site,? it?s been hidden as if we don?t exist. All trees planted so they hide us all behind the trees, so no-one can see it. Why do they have to do that?? 4. Living in housing The group members? experience of living in housing illustrated a number of themes. These include difficult relationships with neighbours, which can also affect non-Gypsy partners; scrutiny, surveillance and discrimination; and the isolation, stress and negative health impact on Gypsies of living in housing. The younger women also felt isolated and cut off from friends in a house. ?Wherever we stay or don?t you can?t communicate. No matter how good you are..? ..I felt just like in a prison being watched 24/7. ..It doesn?t work though as we?re in these four walls?.My husband ain?t a Traveller, he?s a Gorge, been in a house all his life. And even he can?t stand it, he said it?s like we?ve been tortured since we?ve been there. ?..When I moved in with my partner, the family next door to her? wouldn?t accept me, especially the boy, he wouldn?t accept me, he called me a pikey. ..I live in a house but would love to live in a site ? get more friends.? Additionally there was a theme of the importance of buying/ owning their house as a protection against discriminatory attitudes and actions from neighbours. This course of action could also provide a source of funds to assist a move to more suitable accommodation when difficulties continued. There was an aspiration to return to Gypsy Traveller culture, to live on a site rather than in a house and with other Travellers around. ??I?ve had so many racial people against me trying to get me evicted because I?m a Traveller? so when they tried to evict me I thought I?d got try to buy the house.? .. So I end up getting a council house, staying in it a for a while, getting a decent job and things and bought it and they still won?t leave us alone, so that?s why I?m selling and need a bit of ground and get out there?I?ve got to live on my own, don?t like living round the houses, I feel trapped. Everyone is looking at us.? 5. Self-owned sites and planning permission Indeed, as with other focus groups, the aspiration of most group members was for a self-owned site with planning permission. They wanted to be able to provide for themselves, and like other people in the community they also wanted to live within reach of services and facilities. ??Now since I?ve got on my feet, I?m going to move and get a decent place where I can go back to my own culture and live with the Travellers.? West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 26 ..You could have a 100 Travellers around you, even if you didn?t speak to any of them, you can look out your window, you can sit outside and have your cup of tea, it?s that sense of freedom.? ??But I need help to find this land that?s near communities, like doctors, shopping, not in the woods down a lane.? However the difficulties of obtaining planning permission, compounded by hostility and harassment from other local people, were substantial themes of the discussion. Facilitating Travellers? access to land and to planning permission was seen as a rational and cost-effective solution for local councils. ??.So there?s no respect for us, so all I can say is I think we have been down the bottom of the pile for too long and there?s a lot more that needs doing to help us and to get more land. If we can get the land we don?t mind doing it up ourselves if we can get planning permission. ..There?s a lot of Travellers that buy pieces of land, they buy the land before they get planning permission because they know ? I?m not saying they?re all prejudiced - but as soon as people know you?re Travellers they don?t want you near them. I?ve experienced that, bought a piece of land in ?. We moved on before planning permission. We had 300 people against us. They made excuses about the SSSI, what about the gas bottles, what about the pollution...? ?What I?d like to point to the council is, if they got planning permission for the Travellers who have got the money buy their own property it will save the council a lot more money from building these Travelling sites in the long run.? There was a sense of unfairness in relation to examples of settled people, particularly those in high status positions, who seemed to have obtained planning permission with little difficulty. This compared to the range of reasons brought forward for not granting planning permission to Gypsies, which were mainly thought to be a front for prejudice. Difficulties over planning permission also impacted on the attempts of those in housing to retain aspects of their cultural lifestyle, in particular the regulations concerning use of caravans parked in people?s private gardens. While they can be parked there unused, they are not allowed to accommodate visiting family members in them, despite the importance of family links for Gypsies and Travellers. ..At my house I have a big enough piece to put a caravan on and if my sister comes ?and sleeps in that caravan I can get done for it, I can have a caravan but I can?t live in it or sleep in it. It?s not a council house it?s my own house, and there?s room for a static caravan but you still got people looking at you.? 6. Culture They were asked what they would want other people to know about their culture and what they valued about their culture. Three themes emerged specifically under this heading, although these themes also permeated other aspects of the discussion. They were the experience of discrimination, which was the first response to the question and is considered further in section 8, the desire to provide their own sites as above, and the importance of families. The centrality of families and the importance of maintaining close links with extended families was twinned with the theme of the obstacles to maintaining these links because of the restrictions on travelling and the opposition to them stopping with or near relatives. ?They come from miles, if we?re having a wedding, Travellers come from all over Britain, they come but they can?t because they can?t stay as we have nowhere to put them. And we all get together and its like a big convention. That?s why they goes to the fair as we have nowhere else to go. You can?t say come to my bit of ground?.? There were references both to shared experiences with other cultural groups of Travellers and to cultural differences. For example there were felt differences between English Gypsy and Irish Traveller culture, which could lead to difficulties when accommodated in close proximity on sites. ?There?s advantages and disadvantages with council sites, no disrespect ? but you get ..English Gypsies and Irish Travellers, there?s good and bad in everyone, but they both got different cultural ways of living and they don?t mix. So I think there?s a problem mixing the Gypsies and Travellers together on sites?? However there were also positive opportunities like conferences and training events that enabled different groups to share experiences. An example was a regional event that had facilitated exchange West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 27 between New Travellers and Romany Gypsies. This revealed similar experiences of hardship and discrimination, as well as reflection by Romany Gypsies on the historical continuity of their own experience compared to that of New Travellers. ?It was a group of New Age Travellers [they could tell their story about] how they were evicted?The younger generation they were brought up and bred the same as us in trailers or buses..., but that?s all they knew. They were treated very badly and it was sad to hear their story, but its like one Travelling man said ?Look my love, you?ve been through bad experience and I do feel sorry for you but we?ve had this all our life? ? 7. Travelling The group was asked about whether they travelled, what they liked or would like about travelling, and also what was difficult. Travelling or the possibility of travelling was very important to all of them, they valued the freedom and space, getting together with relatives and meeting up with the wider Gypsy Traveller community at fairs. This was as true for the younger group members as for their parents? generation. Families travelled for social and cultural reasons, and for economic reasons. ?..You?re free. ..We goes away like as much as we can really.. ..We?d go to our relatives and stay a week with them and another and so on. ..You see all your relatives and family and everybody and associate with those that speak your language. I tell you it?s the nicest thing in your life.? The experience of travelling now was compared to an earlier period when it was much easier. There was reference to different ways that economic nomadism had adapted to the constraints, for example through the man in the family travelling away on his own, and staying in bed and breakfast accommodation or hotels for a few days instead of in a caravan. Nonetheless the cultural preference was for the whole family to travel together. Unfortunately even discussion of going to fairs was overlaid with experiences of increasing restriction and discrimination, for example in pubs. The initial positive responses to the topic of travelling were immediately followed by discussion of the difficulties, in terms both of lack of stopping places and of a secure base from which they could travel away and return. Similarly reference to the positive experience of staying with relatives had to be qualified by the need to avoid causing them difficulties because of planning restrictions, both on self-owned sites, and as above, in owner-occupied housing. ??but to be honest if you stop in the wrong place you?re up and gone, up and gone, we don?t want that, we want a place we can call our own and we can settle there and go away when we want and have something to come back to. ?And you?re afraid to stay too long ?cause you don?t want to get them into trouble, ?cause they don?t have planning permission to have other families on there, so you can only stay for a short time. ?I think councils should be a bit more lenient with people that have their own land to have some transit stops for when their family visits.? 8. Discrimination, harassment, and relationships with authorities, private bodies and members of the settled community 8 i) Discrimination and harassment experienced from police, bailiffs and other authorities Discrimination and harassment against Gypsies and Travellers were major themes throughout the discussion. One aspect of this was unfair and even inhumane treatment by police, bailiffs and other authorities. They had traumatic experiences on this theme, which they described graphically. They compared their experience very unfavourably with how a settled family might be treated by police in similar circumstances. They experienced heavy handed raids by multiple officers, at an early or very late hour, a lack of respect for cultural mores such as required clothing to be worn in the presence of the other sex, disregard for the sensitivities of young children, and disproportionately detailed and disruptive searches, causing extensive damage but finding nothing. They also described subsequent refusal by the police to pay compensation for damage caused. At a further extreme one family had been subject to a police raid that resulted in their caravan homes being removed and impounded early in the morning in the rain, leaving a family with traumatised West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 28 young children, including a baby, homeless. A young boy in the family was questioned without the presence of an adult, and all the family?s belongings were searched without regard for cultural boundaries. To survive in the following weeks the family had to rely on culturally inappropriate homelessness provision. The police similarly agreed subsequently that the raid was based on unfounded suspicion, but also refused to compensate the family for the damage done. ?I woke up one morning ?.All these men came towards me there were 12-15, frightened me to death, even though they said they were police they could be anybody?They came in and checked everything out, they took three of my homes away, I was left homeless. They made us take everything out and it wasn?t even 7am and it was pouring down with rain, my daughter had a little baby?I had to put things everywhere in sheds, my other daughter was crying her eyes out. I packed my car up and it was like we was the hill billies and we were directed to the housing people? with all my worldly belongings in the back of car? And ?a month later, they rang me to say they had checked my caravan out there?s nothing wrong, you can come and collect it. I said you took it you bring it back? They brought it back, they damaged the towbar, the jockey wheel, I had two big dents in the side of the caravan, so I put in a claim for compensation, nobody would take responsibility, not the police nor the recovery company, and that was it?.That devastated us, we were stuck in a flat...breaking our hearts because our homes was taken away, and then a month later they says ?Your caravan is fine?. We?ve got no faith.? A parallel issue was discussed in relation to the behaviour of bailiffs as well as police during evictions from unauthorised camping places, ignoring the needs of families with young children at an early hour and failing to show civility and cultural respect. ?My argument is with the gavvers and bailiffs, this is the thing I?m trying to sort out with the bailiffs. If you?re going to evict Travellers off a piece of land they shouldn?t be on, they should go up after 9am so it gives the women time to get the babies fed and dressed before they go in. But they don?t, they go in at 6am, 6.30am. They?ve got no morals.? In some of these extracts there is clear evidence of Gypsies and Travellers engaging in negotiations with authorities in support of their rights, for example for compensation for damage done, although without receiving redress. They also expressed determination to take issues forward, in conjunction with national Gypsy Traveller groups. ?I?m going to go to ?police station to try to make an appointment to see the Chief Inspector and talk about the Travelling people, about these signs up in pubs and why the Travellers are getting banned from shops. And I?m going to make him sit down and listen to the way what we want. Then if he doesn?t listen I?ll put it on the website ?? This theme of participation, self-organisation, and promoting rights and responsibilities is considered further in section 9 below. There were feelings of unfair treatment of Gypsies and Travellers in relation to other minority ethnic groups, who received recognition for their culture or religion from the police, education, courts, social workers and representatives of other public bodies. ?They?re protected what about us.? The group members were also aware of discriminatory treatment in relation to ethnic monitoring, with other minority groups having recognised categories, but Gypsies and Travellers being rendered invisible. Alongside confronting and dealing with prejudice, ignorance of their culture, and unfair treatment, ran a theme of developing awareness of Travellers? rights to culturally appropriate services. ?I think everyone of these official people, solicitors, these people that work with children ???social workers and people like that don?t understand it. You need some education.? ?If you don?t understand my language, how do you expect me to understand yours?? There was also evidence of some officials and professionals seeking to inform themselves. Although there has been a relative lack of information to give to such professionals, this is an area where Gypsies and Travellers are working hard to improve public education and raise awareness, as discussed further below. Health services were not a major theme in the discussion, however similar references were made to both discriminatory attitudes and also to better relationships with health staff, and to Gypsies and Travellers? political struggle for equality, cultural recognition and human rights, such as the Pride and Prejudice movement. West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 29 ?I had trouble with a doctor ?cause I was a Gypsy? I asked him why he was against the Travelling community, he says it?s because we keep moving around. I said ?That?s our culture because we do move around?. ?The doctor I?ve got now is brilliant.? ?We have Pride and Prejudice and we?re fighting this 8 ii) Discrimination and harassment experienced from public and private bodies, and relationships with the settled community Despite the Race Relations Acts, this group, like the first group, referred to the continuance of ?No Travellers? signs at pubs. However they were also aware of good practice from the police in some parts of the UK, such as in Wales, in enforcing the law on this issue. ?The Travellers aren?t allowed in ?There?s a note across the door ? ?No Travellers allowed?. ?In Wales at the moment the inspector of the police, they?ve been round every pub and shop in Wales that say ?No Travellers allowed?, and they?ve been made to take them down.? The same theme of discrimination recurred throughout the discussion in relation to shops, leisure facilities and other private businesses. If a small group of Travellers cause difficulties, all Travellers are labelled, in a way that does not happen with settled people. As discussed above, relationships with neighbours could be fraught because of the continuing hostility and prejudice expressed by members of the public. Inevitably this creates a barrier between Gypsies and Travellers and settled people, even when Gypsies seek to try and establish friendly relationships, as discussed in the first group. ?It?s like anything, if you know someone hates you before you start, you put up the barrier and think why be nice to these people. It makes you a different person, ?cause you could be nice as pie to all these people here, but if I thought you were prejudiced against us I would think, what chance do we stand, she doesn?t like us, she doesn?t want us here. ?We can mix with them because I?ve lived with them all these years but they don?t like us, they don?t like Gypsies and I know a lot of people that don?t like Gypsies. ?Oh but I didn?t know Gypsies were like you?. I say ?But we?re all the same?. Memories of more violent treatment were also shared, indicative of the long history of discrimination and harassment. Gypsies and Travellers experience racism along with other BME groups. They were aware of these shared experiences, and gave examples where Gypsies and Travellers had been treated in a similarly racist way as members of other BME groups. However there was also disappointment that prejudice and discrimination could be experienced from members of other BME groups, from whom they hoped for solidarity, as well as from the white population. Pressure on businesses from other members of the public contributed to this treatment. As with public services, relationships with settled people could also be positive, especially in the context of shared interests, for example: ?I?ve Gorge friends who accept me as a Traveller and Gypsy but I do Country and Western.? 9. Gypsy Traveller groups, participation and community organisation Numerous examples were given of the work of Gypsies and Travellers in participating as active citizens in tackling problems. This included informing themselves of their rights and seeking to implement them, engaging with authorities and settled people individually and through Gypsy Traveller associations, and joining or promoting training events and conferences, both self-organised and in partnership with settled people to increase cultural awareness. This section highlights these themes. Members of the group were aware of government policy that is aimed at promoting equality and cohesion, and the difficulties Gypsies and Travellers experienced in having these policies implemented. ?There?s all contradiction now. There?s supposed to be equality and community cohesion. They want ?people to mix with the settled community. We say ?OK we?re all right with that. But they won?t let us live there when we do get a place.? ? West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 30 Major themes of this group were the lack of support in living within their cultural traditions, challenging discrimination, and limited accessible information about sources of help. However there was also appreciation when such support was forthcoming from authorities. Members had been active in organising both national and local conferences and training events to promote Gypsy Traveller rights and cultural awareness, and to increase the knowledge and understanding of service providers and the settled population. The importance of providing practical support and financial recognition for Gypsies and Travellers? involvement in these events was alluded to, which is also a theme of the wider discourse on participation. ?Richard O?Neill that does the Pride and Prejudice, he fights very hard. ?In November we had a ?Neighbours and Strangers? event and it was 120 people and it was a diverse group? ?We should be planning another one for this year.? As with the first group, the difficulties and frustrations of participation, involving ?consultation fatigue? and disillusionment with lack of progress, were referred to. ?I?ve spoken to a lot of Travellers before I come here, and they said they?d come but they don?t see they?re getting anywhere. They say this Traveller rights thing has been going on so long now and why haven?t we got planning permission for where they live. It?s a waste of time. ?This Travellers? thing, it?s been going on for years and years, but we ain?t got no further than when I was 10?? Alongside this, there was also a strong determination to continue, to apply negotiating skills, and to initiate or join processes and events that could promote Gypsies? and Travellers? wellbeing. There is also an equal challenge to authorities to engage and respond. ?Travellers I find will work with Gorge people, but when we go into an office to talk to them about what we want, but they say ?No we?ll do it our way?, and a lot of Travellers won?t go in and talk to people. ?This is something that is a must and can?t be put off. ?If there is results there?ll be more Travellers and meetings. ?I do try to encourage Travellers to take part of these things, don?t give up, say what you think.? West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 31 APPENDIX Civ: THIRD FOCUS GROUP HELD ON 17 TH MAY 2007 1. Methodology The focus group was co-facilitated by a Gypsy Traveller interviewer and a researcher. The Traveller brought the group together in a public meeting place. 2. Group composition It consisted of 5 Gypsies and Travellers including the Traveller interviewer, all women, of different ages. Two of the women lived on their own land but were going through a planning appeal process, one lived on a council site, the fifth lived on a self-owned family site. Two members had married into the Gypsy Traveller community, three were born into it. 3. Sites and planning permission i) The need for stable sites and sufficient space on sites The need for stable sites was an implicit theme throughout the discussion. One facet of this is that stability is a requirement in order to access education. Two members who had travelled in the past emphasised the importance of a stable base so that children and grandchildren could be educated. ?..With my grandchildren I do want them to have a good education? As I said I didn?t have education... ..I travelled the roads with all of them for 12 years, it was only because I settled down to put them in school, I stopped travelling, otherwise I'd still be doing it now.? The need for additional sites, pitches and space was also referred to, in order to accommodate families growing up and cultural requirements for privacy. There had been experience of unsympathetic or discriminatory attitudes from authorities in relation to the need for living and sleeping space. ?They don't seem to take into account children grow up and continue living in that lifestyle and want their own. ? I had one council woman say to me ?Basically you?ve got a mobile home, why can?t one of your daughters sleep up with you, and you and your partner sleep in another room?? I said ?Hang on a minute, if you had a daughter would you want her sleeping next to you in your bedroom?? 3 ii) The struggle for planning permission The difficulties for Gypsies and Travellers of obtaining planning permission for their sites were important themes of the group discussion. Two members were going through the lengthy process of planning appeal, and commented on the stress caused by living with this uncertainty and the inhibitions it placed on normal activities, such as travelling for a family holiday. ?..Probably the same as.. It?s the not knowing. You?ve constantly got an axe hanging over you. ..But actually going away travelling for fun, seeing other bits of family, stopping around doing that, not for the last two years. But that's only purely because of the stress of having to put in a planning appeal and waiting the outcome to see if you're allowed to live there or not. ..I've got an enforcement order which has been adjourned pending the outcome of my appeal so I'm still living on egg shells. Of course you're going to get stressed. ?You're going to feel like that because you've got nowhere else to go. ?It?s so basic, it?s a basic right to have somewhere secure to live.? Another group member had experienced prolonged difficulties over planning permission in the past, with several stages and layers of planning appeal. It was the view of other group members that this had almost certainly taken a large toll on her health, which was not good. Group members knew of similar or longer struggles for planning permission for themselves or amongst their family group. One member in particular stressed her family?s long historical connections to the area alongside her identity and rights as an English citizen, but had experienced difficulty in getting planning permission for a site very close by other family members. In a probable reference to policy changes in 1994, when the government emphasised that Gypsies and Travellers should provide for themselves, there was a view that policy and practice were contradictory, given the obstacles Travellers face in achieving planning permission for sites. They had experienced a failure of joined up government and considerable ?buck-passing?. As with the second West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 32 group, the members considered that planning permission was much more readily granted to settled people than to Travellers, and that authorities were unwilling to help Gypsies and Travellers. ?It seems to me there?s a lot of new houses being put up everywhere but when it comes to Travellers? permission? They don?t like seeing the caravans there. When it comes to asking the council for anything to help with Gypsies they just say they ain?t got funds.? 3 iii) Views of local authority sites: site design, allocation and repair policies Group members felt that their difficulties in obtaining planning permission for their own family sites reflected a desire on the part of authorities to locate Gypsies and Travellers together on large sites ?like ..cattle?. They thought that many Travellers would prefer not to live on council sites, but had no choice. Smaller sites of about 10 pitches were seen as preferable and much easier for both residents and authorities to manage well. Sites needed to be designed to provide some privacy for families. ?They are trying to put us all on one authorised site. To me it seems like driving us in there like a load of cattle. If we get too many people in there it?s going to cause disruption.? ?We don't want to go on big sites where it?s going to be like the commanche reservation?We want little sites, that will be nice. We can look after the sites ourselves.? They were aware of the inherent discrimination in site licence conditions whereby plots cannot be passed on to children when the licence holder dies, unlike tenancies. And the repair and decoration service for licencees on council sites was also experienced as discriminatory compared to that for house-dwellers. There were clear views from several group members that it was not appropriate to mix English Gypsies and Irish Travellers on the same site, because of different cultural patterns, for example in relation to the keeping of animals. There were several stories of difficult experiences including intimidation from a few Irish families, and a perception that once some Irish families moved onto a site, the whole site would in time become an Irish Traveller site. It was thought that some sites should be for English Gypsies only. ?You should be able to come and go as you like. The council puts English and Irish together and it don't work? ?I think the biggest issue is if you put a transit site in and you get a lot of different people from different countries, which is mainly Irish people, I have no disrespect for them whatsoever, but when that lovely site was done down near ?and they put a load of Irish people on there, well they are a different culture to us, they're not actually the Romany Gypsy?? At the same time there was acknowledgement of good relationships with other Irish Traveller families known to them. ?..As I?ve said before, no disrespect to people around me, but I?ve got Irish people around me, they?re lovely people, but we?re local people?? 3 iv) Views of living in conventional housing None of the group lived in housing, and a strong view was expressed that housing is culturally alien for Gypsies, comparing lack of respect for differences in lifestyle with that experienced by other groups. ?I had someone say to me ?Why don?t you live like a normal person in a house?? And I said ?I suppose you call an Eskimo who lives under the snow brought up like that, not a person then, what would you call that person?? ?What would you call people that lives out in the jungle and different places? That?s their culture and the way they live, exactly the same for a Gypsy?. I said ?You live in my caravan for a night or day and I?ll try your house?. ?Oh no I wouldn?t like that?. So I said ?I don?t want to live in a house. So why make someone do something they don?t want to do?? And he couldn?t argue with me when it came to it. 4. Travelling and culture Several members of the group had travelled for many years in the past, but had sought a settled base in order to access education, because of the many barriers to travelling, and, as with the second group, to provide a secure base from which to travel. Travelling remained a key aspect of their culture West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 33 and identity, enjoyable for its own sake and for being able to visit family, but was fraught with difficulties as discussed in the previous groups. ?Travelled for a good few years of my life, and everything, still like travelling, doing a little bit of it now, but ?I think the days of the travelling Gypsy for 12 months of the year is going straight out the window. Yes we are going to travel, we are going to keep our culture up as far as we can, and obviously travel to fairs, to be honest that is the only place we see one another now. We don't really see one another when we go along the road or stay by the road, because you get moved on so by the time one of you comes along to meet the other, one of you has been moved on, so yes we do want a firm base to come back to.? The difficulties seemed to weigh more heavily than the many positives. Some enforcement while travelling was experienced as very heavy handed. They referred to very unsympathetic treatment from police and bailiffs, as in the second group. ?It?s quite difficult to travel now?.They block the laybys?. ?You're on there one night, the police arrive and you're up and gone.? ?We had some police come 6.45 banging on the window, I said ?I've got a baby in here 6 months old. How can I be up and out in 10 minutes?? He said ?If you're not out in 10 minutes we won't turn you out, we'll drag you out.? ?They just chuck you out. The come sometimes 2 in the morning when you can't ring or get any help from anybody with an eviction order just to shift you on.? However sometimes landowners and police could be sympathetic. ?Last year me and ??. went to Appleby Fair. I ..pulled up down the back line, on this verge. Was there two days, no trouble nothing from the farmer, he was good as gold. ?I think it depends what district you're in, all depends on what policeman is on. I've had some police come up to me saying ?Put the kettle on and we'll have a chat?, and then you get some come along and got to play hard. ?The old policemen used to be all right, they'd say ?Come on, when are you moving on, couple of weeks? OK, make sure you do?. It?s not like that no more.? Close links with family and extended family are central aspects of Gypsy culture. It was very important to some members to live close to extended family. There was great pride in the culture, in its continuity through the family, and in the mutual care and support provided by families. However, as with any group, there were variations. One member referred to a different pattern of families preferring to live on their own. ?Culture is that I am a Romany Gypsy, very proud of who I am, family also, culture is very family orientated. ?I think everybody has choice, you want to be with the family. ?Well I think at the end of the day everyone should understand that the culture lives on. ?It?s born in you. You bring up your children in the way you were. ?We think a lot of children and the elderly people and you won't see many old people put into homes as we look after our own.? Another aspect of cultural pride relates to cleanliness. Specific hygiene rules of Gypsies and Travellers are often poorly understood by non-Gypsies. It is an area where stereotypes can be fundamentally challenged. Members reported discussions with non-Gypsies on these topics. He was trying to make out Gypsies are stinking filthy, dirty people. And like I said to him ?I had a premature son, they came out to check at the side of the road to see if it was clean enough to bring my son home. I let them come? and they said to me that my caravan was cleaner than people that lived in houses with running water. ?I said to him ?At the end of the day, you talk about Gypsies as dirty. When you do your washing, do you wash your underwear with the tea towels you wash up with? He said ?Yes?. I said ?Well us Gypsies don?t ?cause at the end of the day you must wipe your cups up in your pants.? ?Everybody should understand everyone else?s different values.? 5. Discrimination, harassment, and relationships with authorities, private bodies and members of the settled community Overall there was a range of both negative and positive experiences of attitudes and actions from members of the community, and from public and private bodies. West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 34 Discrimination and harassment were addressed as a specific topic but ran thematically through other parts of the discussion. Experiences of unfavourable treatment from accommodation services have been referred to. While there was recognition that in any ethnic group a minority of people might not meet their social responsibilities, they all felt unfairly labelled as a result. ?I think they?ve got to understand as well that there?s good and bad amongst all of us and yes you do get the ones that ?.leave a mess but that?s the minority not the majority. ?They all get treated the same. ?We all get painted by the same brush and its not fair..? Their children, grandchildren and the young person in the group had had negative experiences at school of name calling, bullying and exclusion resulting from responses to bullying. ?Certain of the group would go round calling you stupid Gypsies, have a bath, all that stuff about living in a cardboard box. Our two boys go to the same school and are called dirty Gypsies all the time?.The children get used to it, they just carry it in the back of their mind.? Members also reported some hostile attitudes and actions from members of the public and small businesses. The group challenged such attitudes and retained their dignity, but also had become hardened to them. ?They're so obnoxious these days. They're fine until you want to live beside them and that's when they don?t want you in their back garden.? ?We've all got experiences, but you get used to the way of dealing with it. You get thick skinned. You don't take any notice of it. ?You just think they're the lesser person for being like that.? Given their vulnerable accommodation position, prejudiced and discriminatory actions can impact directly on their security of accommodation by influencing decisions. However council workers, community leaders or other members of the public could prove to be allies with an active sense of fairness. In one case a woman?s unjust accusation of being bitten by a Gypsy?s dog contributed to loss of the site licence, but evidence in court from a council worker who had observed the scene helped to reverse the situation. In another case a local vicar removed anti-Gypsy posters. ?So it?s not everyone that wants to move you off, that's not right. -You get a few, but not all of them. There were signs going up about the new Gypsy sites around the village. It was all posted through the village but someone ripped down. -I can tell you who ripped them down, it was the local vicar? In both these cases there was also more wide-ranging community activity in the form of petitions to support their right to a site. These had a positive impact in appeal hearings and suggest a more positive picture of community relationships in some parts of this area. ?At the time I got a petition up from [village] to like all the residents, how they felt. Had 291 people voted for me to stay in the village. The judge at the time said he never seen a case like it, he said usually it?s to get Gypsies out of the village, not to keep it and he granted it straight away for me to have a piece of land at .. He couldn't believe it. ?About two years ago I did get a petition from all the local villages that had known the family and could go back years and years, local facilities and health centres and what have you, and I took that to the actual appeal as well? We had just over 600 signatures, local people..? There were further positive experiences in relation to local health services, where members had very good relationships with GPs and hospital staff, including one GP who had informed himself about Gypsy culture and history. ?I would say that the local hospitals and doctors are fantastic. ?I?ve got a brilliant doctor. He?s really up on all Gypsies and Travellers for years and he tells me they originated from India and all different things.? 6. Gypsy Traveller groups, participation and representation Group members expressed awareness of their rights both as Gypsies and as citizens and consumers generally. The right to somewhere to live remains a key issue for them as Gypsies. ?It?s a basic right to have somewhere secure to live. It should be a human right.? West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 35 The response to a question about whether they ever experienced discrimination in service provision in shops was broadened to reframe this as an issue of consumer rights and the courtesy owed to customers. Members also drew attention to their contribution as citizens of this country, both currently in terms of paying rates and taxes, being self-reliant and participating in electoral processes, and in the past in fighting during World War 1 and 2. ?..We are ..just fighting for a place to live at the end of the day. I'm not saying it should be given to us, we'll pay the rates and taxes, go on the electoral roll, we want to have a vote, a voice for the country, the same as everybody else. ?My grandfather was in the first world war and was an ordinary soldier but he did his bit in the first world war, 1914-18. And my mother did five years in the ATS attached to WRENS, for the last world war, 1939-45, my father did seven years in the RAF and he volunteered before the war actually started, so he was in that. So nobody asked them then if they were a Gypsy and if you're a Gypsy you can't fight in the war.? They were asked whether they had had contact with Gypsy Traveller associations or organisations. The responses indicated that this was a recent experience for them. As with other groups, the issue of disillusionment because authorities had not listened to them was present. ?We want to help ourselves. In this day and age nobody should be ignored or their voice not be heard, may be voice heard but nothing done about it, it?s very demoralising. That?s why you find a lot of Gypsies and Travellers won?t be bothered to try, they say ?What?s the point?? However more prominent was the theme of active willingness to engage in groups, associations and partnership work to promote Gypsy Traveller issues, again reflecting the same approach as the other adult groups. The process of involvement in the Gypsy Traveller Accommodation Assessment was seen in a positive light, and generated enthusiasm for future meetings. ??It?s mostly just come up in the last couple of years that anyone?s ever taken any interest. ?These meetings now ? I think they?re doing the world of good with it because we are being listened to. ?Be nice to meet those from another district.? West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 36 APPENDIX Cv: FOURTH FOCUS GROUP HELD ON 12 TH JUNE 2007 WITH YOUNG TRAVELLERS 1. Introduction The focus group was co-facilitated by a worker from the Avon Consortium Traveller Education Service and a researcher, in a community room on a council site. Following an earlier visit by the ACTES worker, she and the researcher visited the families on site on the afternoon of the group and brought the children together. It had been hoped to have two groups, a younger group for older primary and early secondary pupils, and an older group of teenagers. However in the event a small mixed age group of primarily younger children was formed. Discussion covered some of the children?s aspirations for the site, play and leisure facilities, and education. It did not prove possible to retain the children?s focus on broader topics such as travelling. 2. Group composition It consisted of six young people of different ages, both boys and girls. 3. Views of the site The young people were asked first what they liked about living on the site. A number of issues related to social, sport and leisure activities or the lack of them emerged. i) Animals An important and culturally specific theme was the significance of having animals. Most of the children wanted animals close to them on the site, and expressed a need for stables for their horses. Dogs were also mentioned. However not everyone was completely supportive of having animals in close proximity. ?We like the site because there are animals?and we like to grow up with animals on the site. ?What we're asking for really is only stables, we have all the stuff we need. ?What if the horses go off the site, there'd be no fun, ?cause every time I come home from school, I get to feed the horse, I get to play with him.? I don't like the way the horses are ?cause they stink.? ii) Other leisure pursuits A liking for other sports and leisure pursuits for young people was also discussed, including football, music, snooker and discos. They referred to activities and discos that used to be held in the community room at weekends, but no longer took place. They would like to have more activities provided. ?Should be things in here like a snooker table, for underage people. Should be a football club to keep us out of trouble. Every Saturday night there was a disco for boys and girls here.? There was a favourable reference to Play Bus visits but a wish for more frequent visits. There seemed to be variability between the children about whether they accessed sports and leisure facilities off the site. Some children did access them, but some seemed to have little access to other facilities, and winter time was particularly restricting. ?We'd like something after school to do ?cause it?s really boring. It?s OK in the summer time when you have like swimming pools to go into and have time, but in the winter time it?s not really good and it would be nice if you had a park to go down to play with people.? A recurring theme was the lack of play space or park on the site. Several of the children referred to an open park area that used to run along the side of the site and could be used for games and sports, but was then removed. The desire to have the park reinstated was expressed repeatedly. ?Some of us wants parks, ?There was a park but they took it all way? and filled it with a lot of muck there. Some of us have competition, racing and sports and all that. We'd like to do it, but we can't where there's no proper grass.? The nearest public park was said to be some distance away, and parents would not allow children to go independently because of the dangerous road outside. West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 37 Later in the discussion it emerged that at least one of the children meant that there should be play equipment on the individual plots rather than a communal play area. This had also been a theme in the discussion with some of the adult residents on 3 rd April. Mixed age ranges perhaps contributed to this wish for private facilities, as there was reference to issues between children. ? I'd like to have things, like a park but I wouldn't like to have a public park, I would like a private park because some children gets onto us.? 4. Education and future aspirations The children were asked what they wanted to say about school. There were mixed views. Some were fairly positive about school and spoke of enjoying reading, writing, art and painting. In terms of friendships, the clearest response was in terms of friendships with extended family. Yes, they go to the same school as us, we're all cousins.? Amongst those who had a positive attitude, a wish was expressed for more support with homework, in the form of a homework club on the site - ?A homework club ? they helps with the homework?. Other members of the group expressed more negative views and problems with school. ?School's boring. I haven't been to school for 14 weeks.? The children were also asked about what they would like to do when they are older, which brought the following list. ?Get married Have horses Play football Boxing club Kick boxer? West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 38 APPENDIX D: METHODOLOGY FOR ESTIMATING POPULATION SIZE 1. PLASC ethnic monitoring data includes school-children self-identifying as ?Travellers of Irish heritage? (IHT) and ?Gypsy/Roma? (RG), but many may not self-identify. Travelling show- children and ?New Travellers? are not separately categorised, and may be included in figures for ?Other White? or unclassified. Nationally IHT and RG categories comprise the tiny proportion of 0.15% of the total school population of 6.8 million, recognised as a considerable undercount with many families unwilling to declare their ethnicity through fear of discrimination (see Clark, 2006). 2. For the study area and overall South-West region PLASC data produces the following information: IHT and RG categories for the SW region are in similar proportions to the national percentages, although slightly lower than average in West of England. PLASC records appear broadly consistent with our findings on relative proportions of Irish Traveller and English Gypsy families across discrete unitary authorities when considered against the data on average numbers of dependent children living within ?ethnic? Gypsy and Traveller households. Table D1: January 2007 PLASC Data: Gypsy/Traveller children as % of school population Area IHT RG Total Total school pop (000) % Total school pop B&NES x 0 0 22,63 N/A BCC 23 7 30 38.65 0.07 NS 4 21 25 25.47 0.10 SG 49 21 70 35.89 0.20 West of England 76 49 125 122.5 0.1 SW region 330 670 1000 639.06 0.16 Key: IHT =Travellers of Irish Heritage; RG = Roma/Gypsy 3. As discussed within Chapter 3 (3.3.3 Demographics) the Gypsy/Traveller population is youthful, with our survey finding a large number of young people under the age of sixteen. PLASC data records a higher number of young people attending at primary than secondary school (Table D2) indicating a decline in the post 11 age group. In contrast, our survey indicates a relative large cohort of 11-16 year olds demonstrating that the PLASC data in this respect does not give a clear picture of the demographics of the survey population and that use of PLASC data alone to estimate population would be misleading. The dramatic decline in secondary age pupils who identify as being of IHT or RG is reflective (in our opinion) of both a reluctance to self-identify as Gypsies/Travellers in secondary school settings - perhaps through fear of bullying ? and the decline in young people of ?ethnic? Gypsy/Traveller who are ?out of school? 3 although not necessarily out of contact with the TES. 3 Clark C (2006) ?Education? in Clark, C & Greenfields, M (2006) Here to Stay: The Gypsies and Travellers of Britain Hatfield: University of Hertfordshire Press West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 39 Table D2: January 2007 PLASC Data on ethnicity Area IHT (P) RG (P) All pupils (P) IH (S) RG (S) All pupils (S) B&NES x 0 10,120 X 0 12,510 BCC 20 7 23,450 3 x 15,200 NS 4 18 12,570 X 3 12,900 SG 35 12 18,540 14 9 17,350 West of England 59 37 64.6 17 12 57.9 SW Region 180 440 315.3 150 230 323,760 Key: P = Primary; S= Secondary; IHT =Travellers of Irish Heritage; RG = Roma/Gypsy 4. Avon Consortium Traveller Education Service keep more detailed data than can be gathered from PLASC on Gypsy/Traveller children as children who do not self-identify for PLASC records may be ?captured? by TES records. TES records include Travelling show-children Gypsies who are housed (but only in first two years), children being home-educated within the West of England study area, and transient children whom they support during their period in the four unitary authorities. The most recent TES data (2007) is as follows: Table D3: 2007 TES data numbers of children supported by the Service AVON CONSORTIUM TRAVELLER EDUCATION SERVICE South Gloucestershire Total number of school aged children supported by the Service 163 Of these - number housed - number on sites (including visiting fair/circus) 20 143 Bristol Total number of school aged children supported by the Service 58 Of these - number housed - number on sites (including visiting fair/circus) 44 14 North Somerset Total number of school aged children supported by the Service 63 Of these - number housed - number on sites (including visiting fair/circus) 18 45 Bath & North East Somerset ? Total number of school aged children supported by the Service 29 Of these - number housed - number on sites (including visiting fair/circus) 2 27 Total (4 UAs) Total number of school aged children supported by the Service 313 Of these - number housed - number on sites (including visiting fair/circus) 84 229 5. Removing ?visiting? fair/circus children from the equation and double-checking to avoid duplication of children counted in both data sets results in the following numbers for children supported by TES/included in PLASC data in 2007 (most recent figures). B&NES: 10; Bristol: 59; North Somerset: 66; South Gloucestershire: 184. Total 319 children. In some authorities comparing both PLASC/TES datasets may show a larger number of Gypsy/Traveller children than were hitherto known by either the TES or individual schools. West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 40 6. By triangulating these data sets against our survey data and national patterns of Gypsy/Traveller households/educational engagement it should be possible to estimate total Gypsy/Traveller population from school roll data, even with the limitations of the data. Gypsies and Travellers tend to have a higher average number of children than the non BME sedentary population, which increases the proportion of school age Gypsy/Traveller children to the total population. The 2005 Leeds study found 28.3% of Gypsy/Travellers were of school age, compared with 14.2% of the general Leeds population in the 2001 census (Baker, 2004). 7. Our survey findings reported that 54% of those people whose information was included within the survey were recorded as being ?children? of respondents albeit including those of pre- school age as well as under 18s who have left education. 26% of interviewees reported that they did not have ?children? living with them, with very young couples or older (often housed) English Gypsies and Showpeople most likely to be living in single person or dual adult accommodation. 8. We consider that the high percentage of ?children? in our survey may not necessarily be reflective of the true percentage of the Gypsy/Traveller population and for population calculations prefer to assume that ?children? are approximately one-third of the total Gypsy/Traveller population in the study area. In part this conclusion has been reached as a result of limitations in survey data (for example use of the 67 pilot questionnaires in South Gloucestershire which omitted a question on whether school age children were engaged with education). 9. In order to estimate population size, we have applied an assumption mid-way between the Leeds report findings and our survey data on household composition to calculate the proportion of children to adults resident in West of England. Estimates based upon PLASC/TES-recorded school data, survey responses and information on Showmen children attending school who are not included in PLASC data (and not included as ?visiting travelling Showmen? on TES data) allows us to estimate the numbers of children in the study area. 10. By applying a further calculation based on the assumption of children equating to a third of the Gypsy/Traveller population, we calculate an overall total of 1,933 individuals. Dividing this figure by the average household size identified in our survey data, equates to approximately 500 Gypsy/Traveller households in the study area. West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 41 APPENDIX E: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRES WEST OF ENGLAND ACCOMMODATION NEEDS SURVEY OF GYPSIES, TRAVELLERS AND SHOWMEN (SITE VERSION) Received Q?aire entered Coding Validated If needed: please explain new legal definition of Gypsy/Traveller and that planning permission/eligibility for residence on a Gypsy site no longer requires that a person still travels as long as they?ve only stopped because of health or education needs of their family: ?persons of nomadic habit of life whatever their race or origin, including such persons who on grounds only of their own or their family?s or dependents? educational or health needs or old age have ceased to travel temporarily or permanently, but excluding members of an organised group of travelling show people or circus people travelling together as such?. Showmen: Showmen: Excluded from this definition but new updated Government guidance recognises that they have the same need for accommodation as everyone else and requires local authorities to identify suitable land for sites Explain: this survey covers accommodation needed in the next 5 years only. Information will have to be updated in the future to take account of further need such as families moving or adult children needing pitches. Explain: this information is confidential. The only people who will see this questionnaire are the research team who are NOT part of the council. The only time people will be identified is if the person interviewed wants us to ?look into something? or the interviewer is told something which means that there is a real risk of danger to a child. Names are only taken to avoid interviewing the same person twice. LOCAL AUTHORITY AREA: (please delete as appropriate) BANES BRISTOL CITY C N S SO GOUNCIL ORTH OMERSET UTH LOUCESTERSHIRE Date of interview: Time began: Co-interviewer: rview each questionnaire to have Time finished: Interviewer: Number of inte ( a unique number): Name of person/s interviewed Address /location West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 42 (please include postcode) Telephone Number (only if needed for future contact) Cultural background e your cultural background? 1 How would describ Romany Gypsy 1 Irish Traveller 2 New Traveller 3 Showman 4 Other (plea eg English G se write) ypsy, Welsh Gypsy, mixed culture etc. 5 Accommodation cupied now? 1 2 Type of site oc Council owned serviced site Self owned site with planning permission 2 Self owned site without planning permission 3 Privately owned serviced site eg caravan/mobile home park 4 Unauthorised encampment (land owned by others, roadside) 5 Transit site (council/private) 6 Other accommodation (please specify) eg park home 7 Bricks and mortar (or ?settled?) housing: If in bricks and mortar housing use different questionnaire 2a How many caravans/statics/rides do you and your household have on this site? AV How long have you been at your present location? CAR ANS STATICS/MOBILE HOMES RIDES 3 West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 43 Less than one week 1 More than a week and less than a month 2 1 to 6 months 3 7 months ? 1 year 4 One to 5 years 5 Go to Q5 More than 5 years 6 Go to Q5 4 If less than one year, where did you live before? (Location: nearest town, road, area) etails Please write d evious location? nth 1 How long did you live at pr5 Less than one mo One month to six months 2 7 months - 1 year 3 More than one year 4 Don?t know 88 6 Why did you leave there? ed on Evicted/Mov 1 Felt like a change/Went travelling 2 Site Closed 3 Bad conditions on site 4 Couldn?t get planning permission 5 Family/Personal reasons 6 Other: details below please 7 Travelling Local councils have a duty to try to help Gypsies and Travellers who want to travel. The next uestions will help us to think about how that can happen (for example, providing transit sites). ou travel? q 7 Do y Yes 1 No 2 8 If you had a secure base or more suitable place to live, would you travel? Yes 1 No 2 Go to Q11 9 What time of year do you normally travel? Spring (20 March ? 20 J 1 une) Summer (21 June ? 22 S mbeepte r) 2 Autumn (23 September ? 21 December) 3 Winter (22 December ? 20 March) 4 9a How long would you travel for (in any one Less t year)? han one month 1 One month to 3 months 2 More than three months but less than 6 months 3 West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 44 More than 6 months 4 10 If you had a secure base or more suitab travel for?? Please circle al that apply Yes No le place to live, would you l Cultural reasons (horse fairs 1 2 and shows), Work/employment related easons 1 2 r Family Reasons 1 2 Other, please specify 1 2 10a If you do travel, which members of the household trav d, just Dad c. lease write details el? Eg whole househol et P Offer to provide details of transit sites if required 1 Would you or anyone in your household use transit sites or temporary stopping places? places eg stay of up to one week 1 1 Yes, temporary stopping Yes, transit sites eg up to 3 months 2 No 3 12 Where should such trans motorway/ring road or town ? LOCATION eg Off M4 between Bristol and Bath lease write details 3 Is there anything else you would like to say about transit/temporary sites? (e.g. should there e transit pitches for family members at residential sites, separate from residential sites, etc.) lease write details your household planning or intending to travel within the next six onths? it sites or temporary stopping places be? (Location: by IF POSSIBLE PLEASE SPECIFY P 1 b P 14 Are you or anyone in m Yes 1 No 2 Don?t know 3 Satisfaction with present home 15 How happy are you with the site where you live? Is it right for your family? West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 45 d Neutral Dissatisfied Very Dissatisfied N/A Very Satisfied Satisfie 1 2 3 4 5 0 16 Why satisfied or dissatisfied? Please write details 1 7 Would you say that your current accommodation (i.e. site/pitch or caravan) is?? Too small About the right size Too big Don?t know 1 2 3 4 7a) If too small Not enough living space Not enough bedrooms for the family (also means space in caravan) Too crowded outside Other (details) 1 1 2 3 4 17b) If too big Too much living space Too many bedrooms/caravan too big for the family Too much room outside Other (details) 1 2 3 4 18. What sort of place did you live at last? Council owned serviced site 1 Self owned site with planning permission 2 Self owned site without planning permission 3 Privately owned serviced site eg caravan/mobile home park 4 Unauthorised encampment (land owned by others, roadside) 5 Transit site 6 Bricks and mortar (or ?settled?) housing: Owner occupied 7 Council 8 Housing Association 9 Private rented 10 West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 46 Other (please specify) 11 19 Is it better or worse living here? Better About the same Worse Don?t know 1 2 3 4 0 What sort of accommodation would be best for your family? Please choose top three preferences and mark A, B and C in order of preference. Council owned serviced site 1 2 Self owned with planning permission 2 Privately owned serviced site eg caravan/mobile home park 4 Unauthorised encampment (land owned by others, roadside) 5 Transit site 6 Bricks and mortar (or ?settled?) housing: - Owner occupied House/Bungalow 7/7a - Council/RSL house/bungalow 8a 8/ - Private rented house/bungalow 9/9a Other (please specify ? e.g. traditional stopping places/Green Lanes) 10 21 Where wou Please write details 2 Have you ever lived in a house? ld you want to live? (Location: nearest town, road, area) 2 Yes 1 No 2 22a Would you move into a house if you had the chance? Yes 1 No 2 West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 47 23 Is there anyone in your household or likely to join your household who may need accommodation in the next 5 years? Yes 1 If yes how many? No 2 Go to Q25 If additional members of family likely to join soon (in next 12 mo ) include them with note at Q55 24 If yes what type of accommodation would they want (includes staying where you are) please mark top three preferences as A, B and C Council owned serviced site 1 nths Self owned site 2 Privately owned serviced site eg caravan/mobile home park 4 Unauthorised encampment (land owned by others, roadside) 5 Transit site Bricks and mortar (or ?settled?) housing: - Owner occupied 6 - Council 7 - Housing Association 8 - Private rented 9 Other (please specify) 10 25 What stops y mmodation you want? do live in the sort of accommodation I want 0 ou living in the sort of acco I Expense 1 Can?t get planning permission 2 Physical work involved in setting up site 4 Need help and advice about how to get planning permission 5 Need help and advice about how to get housing 6 Want to move to live/stay living near to my family 7 West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 48 Need space for my work and equipment/rides 7 Other ? details please 8 25a Do you know how to find out about getting planning permission for a site? Yes 1 No 2 26 Does anything make it difficult for you (or for people your know) to find out information o you want us to pass on your details to people who can help you to get planning information and advice? QUESTIONS 27a/b/c for SHOWMEN ONLY about planning permission? D enough room to store your rides and equipment? Yes 1 27 Do you have No 2 27a How/Where do you store your equipment when you aren?t travelling? 27b Do you think your family will stay in the business in the future? Yes 1 No 2 West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 49 If not: why? 27c How long do you need a site for: 6 months of the year 1 All Year round 2 etails: ealth o know this information to help plan services not to pry into your private fe Are you registered locally with a doctor? Yes 1 D H We want t li 28 No 2 28a If no Do you have a doctor somewhere else? YES NO How far do you have to travel to see them (approximately) Do you use Casualty/A&E services NO YES 9 Do any members of your household have a disability that affects their normal day to day activities? Yes 1 2 No 2 Go to Q32 29a What type of disability / disabilities? P 9b How many members of the household have a disability? 1 2 3+ lease provide details 2 West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 50 30 Does this disability mean you need adaptations to your home? Yes 1 No 2 30a Is your present home suitable for the person with a disability? Yes 1 No 2 30ba If not: please provide details 31 Does anyone in your household have health problems? Yes 1 No 2 1a If yes please tick Health Problem How many people in your household have this health difficulty? How many people get medical help for this problem? 3 Arthritis Asthma/Lung Problems Diabetes Heart Problems Nerves/Depression ?Other? (please specify) DO YOU WANT US TO PASS ON YOUR CONTACT DETAILS TO HEALTH STAFF SO HAT YOU CAN GET ADVICE ABOUT A HEALTH OR DISABILITY PROBLEM? PLEASE GET SIGNATURE/MARK IF THEY WANT YOU TO PASS ON THEIR DETAILS T West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 51 32 Have you used the Traveller Health Project? Yes 1 No 2 32a If yes: Did you find the project helpful? Yes 1 No 2 32b Anything else you want to say about the Travellers Health Project? 3 Is there anything else you want to say about disability or health issues? Homelessness 34 Have you had any experience of homelessness services? Yes 1 3 No 2 34a If yes: what service was provided by homelessness services? Permanent Housing 1 Temporary Housing 2 Advice 3 Bed & Breakfast 4 Other (please specify) 5 35 Did you have any problems with homelessness services? Yes 1 No 2 Details: West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 52 Accommodation Support 36 Are you or any of your family currently receiving any housing related support to help you to stay living in your home or to move to a new one? (eg help to cope with form filling and applying for services or housing advice) Yes 1 No 2 36a r family need advice or information which will help you to stay living in your home or to move to a new one? (eg help to cope with form filling and applying for services or housing advice) Yes 1 IF NO: Do you or any of you No 2 37 needed and ask if can pass on their contact details. (obtain signature or mark) ducation 8 If you have school age children are they attending school? Yes 1 If yes: take details of what is E 3 No 2 n/a 3 Go to Q 40 If no: why not? e.g. bullying at school; can?t get a place; only here temporarily; t wan em to attend secondary school 8a If yes: Did you have any problems getting them into their present schools? Yes 1 don? t th 3 No 2 If yes: details 39 Do you know about the Traveller Education Service? West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 53 Yes 1 No 2 39a Have you found the TES helpful Yes 1 No 2 Details: 39b Are you/your family aware of the Traveller Education Distance Learning Option? Yes 1 No 2 9c Do you want to know more about the Distance Learning Option? Yes 1 3 No 2 If yes: can we pass on your details to the TES? ou live? Yes 1 40 Has education of your children played a part in deciding where y No 2 0a If ? P 1 because they Yes 1 4 yes: Can you explain why education has played a part lease write down any issues mentioned 4 Have your children ever had any problems at school are Gypsies/Travellers/Showmen? No 2 If yes: Details please 42 Can you tell us about your skills? Can you: Yes Quite Easily With Difficulty No Read a newspaper West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 54 Write a letter Fill in a simple form 42a) Why is that? Didn?t go to school much ? evictions Didn?t go to school much/taken out of school ? bully Problems learning (dyslexia etc) t hool - didn?t like it ol as soon as could (age when left if possible) at I needed from my family Went through school (age left if are educated Went to college/further education 43 Does our family gon to college or taken training courses Yes 1 Didn?t go to school much ? had to work ing Didn?t get on a sc Left scho Learnt wh possible) My family Other: details please anyone/has anyone in y e No 2 43a If yes t do they do? e.g. caring; building trades; business skills/computing 44 Would you or anyone in your household like to access training or education? Yes 1 : wha No 2 44a If yes raining/education would you/they like? Please write details arassment/intimidation 45 Have you experienced any harassment or intimidation? what sort of t H West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 55 Yes 1 No 2 Go to Q50 46 Do you think this harassment or intimidation was because you are a Gypsy, Traveller or Showman? Yes 1 No 2 etails: 7 Who committed this harassment or intimidation? E.g. neighbours, people passing the site, tc. Please write details hool etc. Yes 1 D 4 e 48 Was any harassment or intimidation reported? eg to Police, sc No 2 49 Was it dealt with satisfactorily? Yes 1 No 2 f no: why? If appropriate: tell them about Support Against Racist incidents (SARI) who help with such incide re on the information leaflet. ouncil Services 0 Do you use any of these council services? vice better or easier to use for Travellers/Gypsies/Showmen? 49a I nts and show where details a C 5 er How could they be madeS West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 56 Swimming Pool/Leisure Centre Library ouncil Skips ther (details please) ncome /Savings mil have enough savings or earnings to buy your own land for a site (if you could get planning permission) or buy a bungalow/bricks and mortar property if you wanted one? Yes site 1 C Council Offices O I 51 Does your fa y Yes bungalow /house 2 No 3 51a If you could get a mortgage to buy land and could get planning permission would you and your family be interested in providing your own site that way? Yes 1 No 2 Future consultation sultation? Yes, on this survey 1 52 Would you like to be involved in future con Yes, generally 2 No 3 52a If yes: Are you interested in taking part in a focus group? Yes 1 No 2 If yes: make sure have contact details ave you used any Gypsy, Traveller or Showman support or advice organisations such as Friends, Families and Travellers, the Travellers Advice Team, the South West Alliance of Nomads, the Gypsy Council, the Romany Rights Association, The Showman?s Guild; South West of England Gypsy and Traveller Forum, etc. Yes, know of them 1 53 Are you aware of or h Yes, member/have rt 2 used/take pa No 3 Offer to provide contact details/ give leaflet 55 How many people live in your household and need to live with you? W know who wants to live with you on a site or in bricks and mortar accommodation nterviewer: please can you specify ages of household ? this is important for Please can you use these age categories if possible? e need to . I planning services and site provision for the future. West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 57 Under 5-10 11- 5 yrs 16 yrs 17-18 yrs 19-25 yrs 26-59 yrs 60-75 yrs 75+ yrs PERSON AGE Male/Female ave a disability/health problem which means they need adaptations to their home? artner/Husband/Wife hild 1 Chi Chi Child 5 Parent(s) Sister (how many) Brother (how many) next year (for example if a son or daughter is getting married or elderly parents want to move to site)? No. of people Any other information you want to give 57 Will they need accommodation with your family? Yes 1 Do they h P C Child 2 ld 3 ld 4 Grandchild (how many) ther relation/family O member 56 How many more people are likely to come and live with you in the No 2 Some (give number) 57a How many more caravans do you think you will need in the next 5 years for your ly? 1 2 3 5 or more (spec mber) fami 4 ify nu West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 58 58 Do you h requ ave anything els nt to say about your accommodation irements? e you wa Please write details Closing statement: for helping us. All information will be treated as confidential. e want to interview as many Gypsies, Travellers, Showmen and other travelling people as possible. Do you have any relatives or know any other Gypsy, Traveller or howman, on a site, on th roadside or that we could approach? [Interviewer: check they are in the study area] Thank you W S e in a house in the West of England cont Have cards with survey contact detail nd out. hank respondent and end interview If so please can you either give us their contact details, or give them our act details. s and information ready to ha T West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 59 WEST OF ENGLAND ACCOMMODATION NEEDS SURVEY OF GYPSIES, TRAVELLERS AND SHOWMEN (HOUSED VERSION) eceived Q?aire R entered Coding Validated If needed: please explain new legal definition of Gypsy/Traveller and that permission/eligibility for residence on a Gypsy site no longer requires that a person still travels as long as they?ve only stopped because of health or education nee planning ds of heir family: ounds only of their own or their family?s or dependents? ducational or health needs or old age have ceased to travel temporarily or ermanently, but excluding members of an organised group of travelling show eople or circus people travelling together as such?. men: Excluded from this definition but new updated Government guidance cognises that they have the same need for accommodation as everyone else and itable land for sites. xplain: this survey covers accommodation needed in the next 5 years only. formation will have to be updated in the future to take account of further need such as families moving or adult children needing pitches. Explain: this information is confidential. The only people who will see this questionnaire are the research team who are NOT part of the council. The only time people will be identified is if the person interviewed wants us to ?look into something? or the interviewer is told something which means that there is a real risk of danger to a child. Names are only taken to avoid interviewing the same person twice. LOCAL AUTHORITY AREA: (please delete as appropriate) BANES BRISTOL CITY COUNCIL NORTH SOMERSET SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE t ?persons of nomadic habit of life whatever their race or origin, including such persons who on gr e p p Show re requires local authorities to identify su E In Date of interview: Time began: Time finished: Interviewer: Co-interviewer: Number of interview (each questionnaire to have a unique number): Name of person/s interviewed Address /location (please include postcode) West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 60 Telephone Numbe for future contact) r (only if needed Cultural background wou d describe you kg 1 How l r cultural bac round? Romany Gypsy 1 Irish Traveller 2 New Traveller 3 Showman 4 Other (please write) eg English Gypsy, Welsh Gypsy, mixed culture etc. 5 Accommodation 2 Type of accommodation do you live in now? Owner occupied house 1 Owner occupied bungalow 2 Owner occupied flat 3 Council house 4 Council flat 5 RSL/Housing Association house 6 RSL/Housing Association flat 7 Council/RSL bungalow 8 Private rented house/bungalow/flat 9/9a/9b Other (e.g. park home) ? 10 please specify SITE: use different questionnaire 3 How long have you been at your present location? Less than one week 1 More than a week and less than a month 2 1 to 6 months 3 7 months ? 1 year 4 One to 5 years 5 Go to Q6 West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 61 More than 5 years 6 Go to Q6 year did you live in the West of England Area before? 4 If less than one Yes 1 No 2 ich area 4a Tick for wh BANES BCC N.SOM S.GLOS 5 If no: what area did you live in before? (e.g Kent/Wiltshire etc). d you live at your previous location/address? t 1 6 How long di Less han one month One onth to six months m 2 7 months - 1 year 3 More than one year 4 Don?t know 88 7 Why did you leave there? where bigger 1 Needed some Evicted/Moved on 2 Bad conditions of house Site Closed 3 Bad conditions on site 4 Couldn?t get planning permission 5 Family/Personal reasons 6 Other: details below please 7 8 If moved into housing from a site/caravan do you like living in a house? (see under Q 15-17 for satisfaction with accommodation) Yes 1 No 2 n/a 3 8a Can you keep a trailer here? Yes 1 No 2 8b Do you (still) keep a trailer? (either here or somewher else) Yes 1 e West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 62 No 2 Travelling o travel. The next uestions will help us to think about how that can happen (for example, providing transit sites). 9 Do you travel? (if yes go to Q11) Yes 1 Local councils have a duty to try to help Gypsies and Travellers who want t q No 2 place to live? Yes 1 10 Would you like to travel if you could keep your house/secure No 2 Go to Q13a If travel: 1 What time of year do you normally travel? Spring (20 March ? 20 June) 1 1 Summer (21 June ? 22 September) 2 Autumn (23 September ? 21 December) 3 Winter (22 December ? 20 March) 4 2 How lon1 g would you travel for (in any one year)? 1 Less than one month One month to months 2 3 More than three months but less than 6 months 3 More than 6 months 4 had a se13 If you that apply cure base or more suitable place to liv uld you travel for?? Please circle all Yes No e, wo Cultural reasons (horse fairs 1 2 and shows), Work/employment related reasons 1 2 Family Reasons 1 2 Other, please specify 1 2 13a Do you still want to travel? Yes 1 No 2 If don?t travel and would like to: reasons why (e.g. nowhere safe to stop; age or health stops them from travelling; can?t keep a caravan at their house) West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 63 13b If you do travel, which members of the household travel? Eg whole household, just Dad etc. lease write details P 4 Would you or anyone in your household use transit sites or temporary stopping places if you travelled? Yes, temporary stopping places eg stay of up to one week 1 1 Yes, transit sites eg up to 3 months 2 No 3 15 Where should such transit sites or temporary stopping places be? (Location: by torw EASE SPECIFY LOCATION eg Off M4 ween Please write details ffer to provide details of transit sites if required 16 Is there anything else you would like orary sites? (e.g. should there be transit pitches for family members at resid Please write details 17 Are you or anyone in your household planning or months? Yes 1 mo ay/ring road or town ? IF POSSIBLE PL et Bristol and Bath b O to say about transit/temp ential sites, separate from residential sites, etc.) intending to travel within the next six No 2 Don know ?t 3 Satisfaction with present home Very Satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied ied N/A 18 How happy are you with where you live? Is it right for your family? Very Dissatisf 1 2 3 4 5 0 would rather be on a site; don?t like the neighbourhood, etc.) 19 Why satisfied or dissatisfied? Please write details (e.g. West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 64 0 Would you say that your current accommodation is?? 2 Too small About the right size Too big Don?t know 1 2 3 4 20a) If too small Not enough living space Not enough bedrooms for the family Too crowded outside Other (details) 1 2 3 4 b) etails) 20 If too big Too much living space Too many bedrooms for the family Too much room outside Other (d 21. What sort of place did you live at last? Bricks and mortar (or ?settled?) housing: Owner occupied 1 Council 2 Housing Association 3 Private Rented 4 Site Council owned serviced site 5 Self owned site with planning permission 6 Self owned site without planning permission 7 Privately owned serviced site eg caravan/mobile home park 8 Transit site 9 Unauthorised encampment (land owned by others, roadside) 10 Other: details 11 2 Is it better or worse living here? 2 Better About the same Worse Don?t know 1 2 3 4 West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 65 23 ONLY if moved from a site into a house (relates to Q8) hat is good about living in a house? What is bad about living in a house? 4 What sort of accommodation would be best for your family? Please choose top three preferences and mark A, B and C in order of preference. Council owned serviced site 1 W 2 Self owned with planning permission 2 Priv serv caravan/mobile h k 4 ately owned iced site eg ome par Unauthorised encampment (land owned by others, roadside) 5 Transit site 6 Bricks and mortar (or ?settled?) housing: - Owner occupied House/Bungalow 7/7a - Council/RSL house/bungalow 8/8a - Private rented house/bungalow /9a 9 Other (please specify ? e.g. traditional stopping places/Green Lanes) 10 25 Where wou cation: nearest town, road, area) Please wr 26a Have ld you want to live? (Lo ite details you ever lived in a caravan/on a site? Yes 1 No 2 26b Would you move onto a site if you had the chance? Yes 1 No 2 West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 66 7 Is there anyone in your household or likely to join your household who may need accommodation in the next 5 years? Yes 1 2 If yes how many? No 2 Go to Q29 If additional members of family likely to join soon (in next 12 months) include them with note at Q47 mark top housing: 28 If yes what type of accommodation would they want (includes staying where you are) three preferences in order A, B or C. Bricks and mortar (or ?settled?) - Owner occupied 1 - Council 2 - Housing Association 3 - Private rented 4 Site Council owned serviced site 5 Self owned site 6 Privately owned serviced site eg caravan/mobile home park 7 Unauthorised encampment (land owned by others, roadside) 8 Transit site 9 Other (give details) e.g. Green Lanes/Traditional stopping place 10 29 What stops you living in the sort of accommodation you want? n I want 0 I do live in the sort of accommodatio Expense 1 Can?t get planning permission 2 Physical work involved in setting up site 4 Need help and advice about how to get planning permissio 5 n Need help and advice about how to get housing 6 West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 67 Want to live near/stay living near to my family 7 Need space for my work and equipment/rides 8 Other ? details please 9 0 Do you know how to find out about getting planning permission for a site? Yes 1 3 No 2 What makes it difficult for people to3 0a find out information about planning permission? Do you want us to pass on your details to people who can help you to get planning information and advice? QUESTIONS 31, 31a, b, c and 32 for SHOWMEN ONLY 31 Do you still travel with rides/with a fair? Yes 1 No 2 If NO go to 31c 31a ling? How/Where do you store your equipment when you aren?t travel West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 68 31b How long do you stay in housing each year: 6 months of the year 1 All Year round 2 31c Would you like to live on a Showman?s site? Yes 1 No 2 If yes: what stops you? 32 Do you think your family will stay in the business in the future? Yes 1 No 2 If not: why? ealth into your private fe 33 Are you registered locally with a doctor? Yes 1 H We want to know this information to help plan services not to pry li No 2 West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 69 33a If no Do you have a doctor somewhere else? YES NO How far do you have to travel to see them (approximately) Do you use Casualty/A&E services YES NO D sability that affects their nor al day to day activities? Yes 34 o any members of your household have a di m 1 No 2 Go to Q38 34a What type of disability / disabilities? Please provide details rs of the household have a disability? 1 2 3+ 35 How many membe 36 Does this disability mean you need adaptations to your home? Yes 1 No 2 37 Is your present home suitable for the person with a disability? Yes 1 No 2 37a If not: please provide details 38 Does anyone in your household have health problems? Yes 1 No 2 38a If yes please tick eople in this health difficulty? How many are getting help/treatment? Health Problem How many p your household have Arthritis Asthma/Lung Problems West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 70 Diabetes Heart Problems Nerves/Depression ?Other? (please specify) DO YOU WANT US TO PASS ON YOUR CONTACT DETAILS TO HEALTH STAFF SO HAT YOU CAN GET ADVICE ABOUT A HEALTH OR DISABILITY PROBLEM? PLEASE GET SIGNATURE/MARK IF THEY WANT US TO PASS ON THEIR TAIL T DE S 39 Have you used the Traveller Health Project? Yes 1 No 2 39a If yes: Did you find the project helpful? Yes 1 No 2 39b Anything else you want to say about the Travellers Health Project? 40 Is there anything else you want to say about disability or health issues? omelessness 41 Have you had any experienc ices? Yes 1 H e of homelessness serv No 2 West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 71 41a If y ervice was provided by homelessness services Permanent Housing 1 es: what s ? Temporary Housing 2 Advice 3 Bed & Breakfast 4 Other (please specify) 5 42 Did you have any problems with homelessness services? Yes 1 No 2 ccommodation Support 3 Are you or any of your family currently receiving any housing related support to help you to stay living in your home or to move to a new one? (eg help to cope with form filling and applying for services or housing advice) Yes 1 Details: A 4 No 2 43a IF NO: Do you or any of your family need advice or information which will help you to stay living in your home or to move to a new one? (eg help to cope with form filling and applying for services or housing advice) Yes 1 No 2 If yes: take details of what is needed and ask if can pass on their contact details. Obtain signature or mark ? Yes 1 Education 44 If you have school age children are they attending school No 2 n/a 3 West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 72 Go to Q 46 If no: why not? e.g. bullying at school; can?t get a place; only here temporarily; don?t want them to attend secondary school 44a If yes: Did you have any problems getting them into their present schools? Yes 1 No 2 If yes: details 45 Do you know about the Traveller Education Service? Yes 1 No 2 45a Have you found the TES helpful Yes 1 No 2 Yes 1 Details: 45b Are you/your family aware of the Traveller Education Distance Learning Option? No 2 Do you want to know more about the Distance Learning Option? Yes 1 45c No 2 If yes: can we pass on your details to th e TES? 6 Has education of your children played a part in deciding where you live? Yes 1 4 No 2 46a If yes: Can you explain why education has played a part? Please write down any issues mentioned West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 73 7 Have your children ever had any problems at school because they Are Gypsies/Travellers/Showmen? Yes 1 4 No 2 If yes 48 Can you tell us about your skills? Can you: ifficulty No Read a newspaper Write a letter Fill in a simple form Didn?t go to school much ? ctions ?t go to school much ? had to Didn?t go to school much/taken out of school ? bullying Problems learning (dyslexia etc) Didn?t get on at school - didn?t like when left if possible) Learnt what I needed from my family My family are educated Went to college/further education Other: details please ourses : Details please Yes Quite Easily With D 48a) Why is that? evi Didn work it Left school as soon as could (age Went through school (age left if possible) 49 Does anyone/has anyone in your family gone to college or taken training c Yes 1 No 2 49a If yes: what do they do? e.g. caring; building trades; business skills/computing; West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 74 50 Would you or anyone in your household like to access training or education? Yes 1 No 2 50a tion would you/they like? Ple 1 Have you experienced any harassment or intimidation? Yes 1 If yes what sort of training/educa ase write details Harassment/intimidation 5 No 2 Go to Q56 52 nt or intimidation was because you are a Gypsy, Traveller or Yes 1 Do you think this harassme Showman? No 2 ls 53 Who committed this harassment or intimidation? E.g. neighbours, people passing the site, school Please write details 54 Was a ported? eg to Police, school etc. Yes 1 Detai : children, etc. ny harassment or intimidation re No 2 55 Was i th satisfactorily? Yes 1 t dealt wi No 2 West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 75 55a If no: why? f appropriate: tell them about Support Against Racist incidents (SARI) who help with such ouncil Services 6 Do you use any of these council services? ervice How could they be made better or easier to howmen? Swimming Pool/Leisure Centre Library ouncil Skips ouncil Offices ther (details please) 6a Are there any other issues on which you would like advice or support? Yes 1 I incidents and show where details are on the information leaflet. C 5 S use for Travellers/Gypsies/S C C O 5 No 2 If yes: please delete those not required Planning Benfits Othr details please) ( and mortar property if you wanted one? Yes site 1 ( Income /Savings 57 Does your family have enough savings or earnings to buy your own land for a site if you could get planning permission) or buy a bungalow/bricks Yes bungalow 2 /house No 3 you could get a mortgage to buy land and could get planning permission would you and your family be interested in providing your own site that way? Yes 1 57a If No 2 West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 76 Futu 60 ed in future consultation? Yes, on this survey 1 re consultation Would you like to be involv Yes, generally 2 No 3 60a If yes: Are you interested in taking part in a focus group? Yes 1 No 2 If yes: make sure have contact details 1 Are you aware of or have you used any Gypsy, Traveller or Showman support or advice organisations such as Friends, Families and Travellers, the Travellers Advice Team South West Alliance of Nomads, the Gypsy Council, the Romany Rights Association, The Showman?s Guild; South West of England Gypsy and Traveller Forum, etc. Yes, know of them 1 6 , the Yes, member/have used/take part 2 No 3 Offer to provide contact details/ give leaflet 2 How many people live in your household and need to live with you? We need to k 6 now who wants to live with you on a site or in bricks and mortar accommodation. West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 77 Interviewer: please can you specify ages of household ? this is important for nder 5-10 11-16 yrs 17-18 yrs 19-25 yrs 26-59 yrs 60-75 yrs 75+ yrs PER E Male/Female Do they have a disabi alt problem which means need adaptations to their home? artner/Husband/Wife hild 1 Child Child 4 hild 5 arent(s) any) rother (how many) er r 3 How many more people are likely to come and live with you in the next year (for example if a son or daughter is getting married or elderly parents want to move to be with you)? 4 Will they need accommodation with your family? Yes 1 planning services and site provision fo h rr t e futu e. Please can you use these age categories if possible? U 5 yrs SON AG lity/he h they P C Child 2 3 C P Sister (how m B Grandchild (how many) Oth elation/family member 6 No. of people Any other information you want to give 6 No 2 Some (give number) West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 78 64a If your family would want to live in caravans/on a site, how many trailers/do you think you will need in the next 5 years for your family? 1 2 3 4 5 or more (specify number) 65 Do you have anything else you want to say about your accommodation requirements? lease write details P Closing statement: e want to interview as many Gypsies, Travellers, Showmen and other Do you have any relatives or know any other Gypsy, Traveller or S n t hat we could approach? [Interviewer: check they are in the study area] Thank you for helping us. All information will be treated as confidential. W travelling people as possible. howma , on a si e, on the roadside or in a house in the West of England t se can you eithe us their ls, or contact details. Have cards with survey contact details and information re out. erview If so plea r give contact detai give them our ady to hand Thank respondent and end int West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 79 APPENDIX F: INFORM West of England G ATIO LEAFLET ypsy, Traveller & Show People Accommodation Assessment: What?s it all about? N The ne r this survey has been created by an act of parliament. The 2004 Housing Act makes it a duty for local councils to really look at the accommodation needs yp nomadic com By looking beyond just where you need to stay and linking accommodation to issues such as health and education we hope th of England councils* ed fo of G sies, Travellers, Show People and other munities. at the West will start to think about Gypsies, Travellers and Show People in all the work they do, whether they are living on council sites, their own bits of ground, at the side of the road or in houses. *the W Somerset, Bristol City Council, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ? the area formerly known as Avon. est of England councils are Bath & North East Counc often do not understand Gypsies and Travel information the services that we need. So this survey has been designed to answer their q stions. Because it has been put together by Gypsie le and educated gorgias/ en working with us for any years, it also includes questions about accommodation you might want for your family in the future. ell, the survey has been designed to provide enough FACTS about how you and your co s can provide and plan r the accommodation you need in the future. It?s the first step in hopefully making sure we get better services from the West of England councils. ils lers and Show People or have enough about us to provide ue s, Travellers, Show Peop country people that have be m In a nutsh family live, so that the fo uncil We will be spe k ng er and Show families across the area. By the summer we will have told us which will then be used by the councils in this area to plan how they will work for you in the future. You will be given a summary of the report and told its findings and how you can get a copy of full report if you want one. If you have any quest about what we are doing, or how the information b used, please get in touch with us. If you know of any other families who might like to speak to us, please let us know. a i to Gypsy, Travell produced a report on what you have the ions we ask for is going to e If you would like further information please contact Margaret Greenfields Tel: before 6pm. West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 80 APPENDIX G: SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS o. Recommendation Page N 1 That the West of England Gypsy/Traveller/Showman Forum continues to meet on a regular basis and acts as an advisory/research resource for local authorities and other ing on Gypsy/Traveller/Showman issues. 22 service providers work 2 That Bristol City Council undertakes further work with housed Gypsies and Travellers to explore their support needs and accommodation preferences and to gain a more accurate picture of the diversity of Gypsy/Traveller communities in the city. 31 3 That location of transit provision/stopping places should be negotiated at a study area level by the authorities. Although we have disaggregated the findings/calculation of e 55 need to unitary authority level, such provision may best be met by supplying a mixtur of transit sites/stopping places. 4 Decisions on ?where need should be met? (as opposed to ?need where it arises?) may be considered appropriate for this type of provision. If transit provision is made on a ?need where it should be met? basis then transit sites/stopping places should be relatively 55 close to each other and near to areas identified within the survey as favoured locations for such provision. 5 That all local authorities retain and regularly update their waiting lists for public provision. That a consistent West of England wide policy is adopted to ensure that ccurs between authorities subject to Data Protection Act requirements. 65 families are entered onto a waiting list and that information sharing of waiting list data o 6 That tenancy support is put in place for Gypsies and Travellers in housing, in particular when they are newly accommodated. The development of peer mentoring networks linking longer-term housed Gypsies and Travellers may assist with the transition into ?bricks and mortar? and provide mutual support networks which combat isolation. 80 7 That innovative options are explored with RSLs/financial institutions, or through the Treasury, to consider affordable financing of self-provided Gypsy/Traveller/Showmen?s sites (or part-ownership of sites/pitches) once suitable locations for sites have been identified. 90 8 Publicity on consultations on such schemes to be developed in partnership with the local Gypsy/Traveller/Showman Forum. 90 9 That trained community interviewers/Forum members who have engaged in the GTAA are employed to undertake the bi-annual caravan count in the study area on behalf of (and supervised by) authority officers. 95 10 That local authorities seek to remind employers of their duties under the Race Relations Acts. If employment-related discrimination is found to exist in the West of England, that an information campaign is undertaken with Gypsy/Traveller communities and employers around legal rights and duties. 109 11 That further outreach work is undertaken with community members to ensure that health and social care services continue to be targeted appropriately as the population of elderly Gypsies and Travellers increases. 112 12 We would suggest that further partnership work should be considered with the Travellers? Health Project and Bristol Mind (who are currently engaged in work with Gypsy/Traveller populations) to develop appropriate support services for newly housed families or those who are isolated as a result of caring responsibilities. 113 West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 66 No. Recommendation Page 13 T en through the Travellers? Health P 117hat outreach work is undertaken with residents of transit and longer-stay unauthorised campments to familiarise them with the specialist health care services available roject. 14 We commend the Bristol City Council ?myth-busting? comprehensive local information on appropriate Travellers (including those in transit). Forum me busting? materials should be developed further fo with appropriate changes made to the text booklet as a model for providing agencies and services for Gypsies and mbers have suggested the ?myth- r use across all four unitary authorities 117 15 That public agencies (for example, LA/PCT) atte with Gypsies and Travellers are retained in a future GTAAs and other development work. 7mpt to ensure that records of contacts 11 compatible format to assist in updating of 16 That further outreach work is undertaken (in particular to Irish and New Traveller families) and in the North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset authority areas. Information should be disseminated to advise Gypsies/Travellers of the benefits of contact with the TES and the range of services available from ACTES. 120 17 That schools initiate (in partnership with the TES and pare Gypsy/Traveller/Showman culture and inco history and practices into citizenship and d national and local resources such as the A Services? (ACTES) Citizenship Pack. nts) a celebration of rporate information on these communities? iversity learning. We recommend use of both von Consortium of Traveller Education 121 18 That additional work is undertaken to remind Lo schools of their Race Relations Act respon pupils. cal E sibilitie ducation Authorities and individual s towards ?ethnic? Gypsy and Traveller 121 19 That further partnership work is initiated wi ACTES to explore educational needs and b and Traveller community members to work th Gyp arrier closely with school sy and Traveller communities and s to participation and encourage Gypsy 121 s. 20 That housed Gypsies and Travellers formal complaints procedures and proces incidents of racist bullying in educational establi are made a ses whi s ware (through a variety of media) of ch may assist them in dealing with 121 hments. 21 That housed Gypsies and Travellers (who in focu knowledge of TES services or that they feel sited resources) are made more aware of educational their families (for example, appealing refusal of a place). s groups often reported limited families are prioritised due to lack of options and processes available to chool 121 s 22 Consideration is given to engagement with furthe explore developing modular or intensive learni blocks of training) for Gypsies and Travellers in both r and higher education providers to ng experiences, (for example, short ?academic? and practical skills. 125 23 That outreach work is undertaken with young Gyp their needs and preferences in terms of educational, 125sies and Travellers to understand social and youth activities. 24 That authorities consider adopting the mode Gloucestershire which ensures that Homele training on Gypsy and Traveller issues. l of equalities training in place in South ssness Services Staff receive cultural 127 25 That Homelessness Services staff engage i and Travellers/Equalities Officers in each a all Homelessness Applicants about availab mistrust and suspicion of the service provid n closer partnership working with the Gypsy uthority. Clear explanations are provided to le opt ed. 127 ions and constraints to minimise West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 67 No. Recommendation Page 26 Use of a single contact point for recording Homelessness/Site Applications for Gypsies void clients? frustration at speaking to numerous officers, and 127 and Travellers will a ensure that appropriate record keeping occurs (see earlier recommendations). 27 er clients. 128Enhanced record keeping is maintained across all authorities with clear and detailed formation on the advice given and services received by Gypsy and Travellin 28 1That the Gypsy/Traveller/Showman Forum monitors satisfaction levels of clients of Homelessness Services and considers further how these can be improved. 28 29 1In the light of the severe under-representation of Irish Travellers, housed respondents and Gypsy/Traveller residents of Bath and North East Somerset in access to accommodation support/?supporting people? services, outreach to such groups should be developed as a matter of some priority. 28 30 1Members of the groups identified above should be provided with more information about support services. Service take-up appropriate to their needs should be encouraged to ensure equality of opportunity for Gypsy/Traveller communities. 28 31 ed at advising Gypsies and Travellers of their legal rights. 131That authorities? equalities teams engage with Forum members to develop outreach ork and services aimw 32 Authorities to provide enhanced support services for Gypsies and Travellers who wi to make a complaint about experiences of racism in their neighbourhood. sh 131 33 , are 131That specialist staff, with experience of working with Gypsy/Traveller communities designated as a single point of contact to deal with harassment and intimidation experienced by sited and housed families. 34 duties 131That LEAs/schools are encouraged to undertake targeted work with school students ertaining to anti-Traveller discrimination/racism in line with their Race Equalities p and duty of care to children exposed to bullying. 35 ss with newly accommodated tenants the processes available to them if they 131That housing officers and front line staff are made aware that Gypsies and Travellers may experience abuse and racism (particularly when they move into housing) and that ey discuth experience anti-social or racist behaviour. 36 icised amongst Gypsy/Traveller communities, 131That SARI services are more widely publ and that staff in that agency work with Forum members to devise suitable publicity materials for dissemination to Gypsies and Travellers. 37 aining on Gypsy/Traveller cultures and to be 133All front-line staff to receive equalities tr aware of the specific needs of these communities. 38 mination r communities which may lead to 133Customer care training to emphasise good practice, preferences, gender issues (for example, female clients may not wish to see a male officer alone) and the discri istorically experienced by Gypsy/Travelleh communication difficulties or mistrust. 39 n a mobile phone for contact. 133Staff to be aware that literacy difficulties may exist or that clients may have problems in ccessing websites/receiving post, or be reliant upoa 40 Clients to be made aware (verbally as well as by provision of written information) of t purposes for which data is recorded and where they can seek further advice or assistance pertaining to their enquiries. he 133 West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 68 No. Recommendation Page 41 That each authority provides information (both to front-line staff and to community members) on how to contact a key ?named? worker responsible for co-ordinating con with and communication on Gypsy and tact Traveller matters. 133 West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 69 APPENDIX H: SELECTED REFERENCES Bake 04-2005 Cam lia Ruskin University. Clark ravellers of Dors cu Hous sing, Planning, Local Government and the Regions Committee, 13th Report of Session 2003-04. IPPR rr sie rr nd Nine eparation of RSS reviews on Gypsies and Travellers by regional planning bodies, Universities of Birmingham, Salford ODP Assessments: Draft practice Parekh, B. (2000) The Future of Multi-Ethnic Britain: The Report of the Commission Parry, G.,Van Cleemput, P., Peters, J., Moore, J., Walters, S., Thomas, K., and nd lia r, M (2004). Gypsies and Travellers: The Leeds Baseline Census 20 Leeds Race Equality Council bridge (2006). Cambridge Sub-Region Traveller Needs Assessment. Ang , C and Greenfields, M (2006.) Here to Stay: The Gypsies and T Britain. Hatfield. University of Hertfordshire Press et (2006). Dorset Traveller Needs Assessment. Anglia Ruskin University. Cir lar 01/2006 Planning for Gypsy and Traveller Caravan Sites, ODPM e of Commons (2004). Gypsy and Traveller Sites, Hou (2003). Moving Forward: a consultation paper on the provision of accommodation for Travellers and Gypsies. Institute for Public Policy Research, London. Mo is, R. and L. Clements, Eds. (1999). Gaining Ground: Law Reform for Gyp and Travellers. Hatfield, University of Hertfordshire Press. s Mo is, R. and L. Clements (2002). At what cost? The economics of Gypsy a Traveller encampments. Bristol, Policy Press. Niner, P. (2003). Local Authority Gypsy/Traveller Sites in England, Centre for Urban and Regional Studies, University of Birmingham r, P. (2007). Report to support the pr and Sheffield Hallam. (2006) Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation M guidance. London, ODPM on the Future of Multi-Ethnic Britain (The Parekh Report), Profile Books, London. Cooper, C. (2004). The Health Status of Gypsies and Travellers in Engla University of Sheffield , Wil ms, T. (1999). Private Gypsy Site Provision. Harlow, Essex, ACERT West of England: GTAA 2006?2016 (1 October 2007) ? APPENDICIES TO REPORT 70