Gypsies and Travellers

Discrimination and prejudice against Gypsies and Travellers still happens in almost every area of life. The media perpetuates negative images of Gypsies and Travellers, associated with crime, environmental damage and living rent-free.

The Race Relations Act makes it unlawful to treat someone less favourably on the grounds of her or his ethnicity. Romany Gypsies are by far the largest group of Gypsies and Travellers in England and have been recognised as a racial group since 1988. Irish Travellers received legal recognition as a racial group in 2000. This means that public bodies have a duty to prevent discrimination in the provision of goods and services to these groups on the grounds of ethnicity. This protection is not afforded to "New Travellers" or "Occupational Travellers" – people who live and work on fairgrounds or circuses, and waterway communities.

There is a number of Gypsies and Travellers who either live, travel through or reside for short periods of time in Vale Royal. It is the Council's intention to do all it can to promote balance, understanding and fairness for these groups and the settled community.

Facts on accommodation

• At present, there are aproximately 3,500 more Gypsy/Traveller caravans in England than there are authorised pitches for them.
• A study for the ODPM showed a need for up to 2,500 additional transit pitches and 2,500 further residential sites for Gypsies and Travellers in Engalnd up to 2007.

At present, there are two privately owned Gypsy/Traveller sites in Vale Royal but no Council owned sites. An amendment of the Housing Act 2004 has placed a statutory duty on the Council to assess the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers. The Council has formed an internal Working Group and is actively working with other Cheshire Authorities to implement the needs assessment and identification of sites.

The Chief Executives’ Advisory Group on Gypsies and Travellers is a well-established multi-agency group, which has representatives from:

• All Cheshire District Councils
• Cheshire County Council
• Halton Borough Council
• Cheshire Constabulary
• Health Organisations
• Cheshire, Halton and Warrington Race Equality Council
• Commission for Racial Equality

This group recommended the joint appointment of a Gypsy and Traveller Co-ordinator. The main purpose of this post is to lead on the development of policies and procedures across Cheshire on Gypsy/Traveller issues and to develop a framework for assessing their accommodation and support needs, as well as formulating a strategy to address those needs. The Gypsy/Traveller Co-ordinator can be contacted as below:

Dawn Taylor
Town Hall, Heath Road
Runcorn
WA7 5TD
Telephone: 0151 424 2061 ext 4612
Email: Dawn.Taylor@halton-borough.gov.uk

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