The latest estimate, from the Equalities and Human Rights Commission research of winter 2009 ‘Assessing local housing authorities’ progress in meeting the accommodation needs of Gypsy and Traveller communities in England’ is that about 6,000 additional pitches are needed in England within the next five years. This is more than the same again of the number that currently exist on council sites (4,918 pitches Jan 2010). There is virtually no progress in providing these additional pitches, and the mechanism that might have provided these pitches, the Regional Spatial Strategies, with their targets for local authorities on pitch provision, were revoked by the current government on 6 July 2010.
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The 2004 Housing Act required all Local Authorities to carry out a Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessment.
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Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessments: Guidance
This guidance aims to provide advice on carrying out an assessment of the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers. It is not exhaustive or prescriptive. While it is recommended that the basic principles outlined here should be followed, the exact approach will need to be adapted to local circumstances.
This guidance sets out:
- why the Accommodation Needs Assessment has to be done
- what it should produce
- whom it should survey
- key differences between the Gypsy and Traveller community and others, and the practical implications of these differences
- how ‘accommodation need’ for Gypsies and Travellers differs from that for the settled community
- timescales for carrying out and updating the assessment
Download the Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessments: Guidance from the Communities and Local Government website.
Read Equality and Human Rights Commission’s recent reports:
