Download or read book Local Authority Gypsy/Traveller Sites in England written by Pat Niner and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are around 320 caravan sites in England owned by local authorities. Specifically designed for Gypsies and other Travellers, they constitute a specialist form of accommodation provision, and make a significant contribution towards meeting the accommodation needs of Gypsies and other Travellers.This research collected a large amount of information about Gypsy/Traveller sites, how they are managed and about future needs.It is important that the existing network is retained, and currently closed sites brought back into use. Expenditure in excess of £16.78 million is needed over the next five years to bring sites to standard, and at similar or higher levels thereafter. Spending at this level cannot be met from site income. It is estimated that between 1,000 and 2,000 additional residential pitches will be needed over the next five years. Between 2,000 and 2,500 additional pitches on transit sites or stopping places will also be needed to accommodate nomadism. The latter need to form a national network. There is little agreement about the feasibility and viability of transit sites: they are likely to be costly both to build and manage. There are obvious barriers to site provision, especially through resistance from the settled community. Many believe that a statutory duty and central subsidy are needed to 'encourage' local authorities to make provision. Treating site provision in the same way as housing for planning purposes could help. Site management is more intensive than is usual for social housing management and requires higher staff/resident ratios. It should be 'firm but fair'. There are areas where greater formality might be introduced, including performance monitoring.