Scottish Government

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INTRODUCTION

The first national counts of Gypsies/Travellers in Scotland were undertaken by the Scottish Office in March and August 1969 as part of a major study of these communities, covering not just their numbers but also their problems, and their needs ¹.

No further comprehensive counts were undertaken until the spring of 1992 ². In the intervening years a number of Scottish Councils and other agencies made sporadic counts in individual areas which provided the only other guide to changing numbers.

In order to establish a more effective information base, in 1997 the then Advisory Committee on Scotland's Travelling People successfully piloted a new system of twice-yearly counts to be undertaken by Scottish Councils on behalf of the Scottish Executive. These were then introduced on a regular basis in 1998. Since then, each Scottish Council has been asked to undertake a count of Gypsies/Travellers within its area at the end of January and July each year.

This series of twice-yearly counts, already covering seven years, provides the first regular and consistent data on the scale of Scotland's Gypsy/Traveller communities, enabling assessment of consistency or change in their patterns of use of different kinds of stopping places in summer and winter seasons.

The report looks in turn at each of three main categories of location used by Gypsies/ Travellers:

• official Council sites;
• privately owned sites;
• unauthorised locations.

Finally, it gives an overview for Scotland as a whole with estimates of total Gypsy/Traveller populations across the three types of location, within the context of similar recent summer counts ³. However, the count is not intended to include numbers of those who have moved into settled accommodation, because of problems identifying such individuals and families (although Gypsies/Travellers who are normally in settled accom-modation but who are on unauthorised encampments at the time of the count may be included).

This, the seventh summary report in the new series, gives the results of the count in January 2005.

Once again the assistance of Council staff in undertaking these counts must be acknowledged - particularly the Council Site Managers, for their efforts in gathering information not only on official and private sites but also the scattered, unauthorised encampments, often in fairly remote areas and not easily identifiable locations. Without their assistance this picture of Gypsy/Traveller presence in Scotland could not be created.

To assist interpretation of these summary reports, the introduction to Report No. 4 (July 2003), addressed some of the most important issues to be taken into consideration. These included:

• main terms and assumptions;
• nature and robustness of count data in respect of the different types of place where Gypsies/Travellers stay;
• estimating total numbers of Gypsy/Traveller households in each Council area;
• grossing-up household and person numbers for Scotland as a whole;
• the problems of missing returns and need for data imputation to allow year on year comparisons.

The main points from this are summarised below or referred to within the main text (copies of the July 2003 report can be obtained from the Scottish Executive Social Research Unit or viewed on the Scottish Executive website, www.scotland.gov.uk/social research).

By their nature, each of the three types of location generates different levels of information detail and data robustness. This is referred to briefly under the sections dealing with each category.

Although many tenants on Council sites now live for increasing periods on the same site, many within the Gypsy/Traveller communities continue to adopt a fully or partly-mobile lifestyle. A significant proportion continues to travel for all or most of the year, not just within Scotland but often between different parts of the British Isles. Attempting to count such communities accurately has always been a difficult and somewhat inexact science. By using a structured return form for each Council area, each of the levels of data discussed under the individual section headings is important in its own right, creating a picture of overall numbers of Scotland's Gypsy/Traveller communities at different seasons.

Even though robust data on household numbers is only available for the Council sites, equivalent numbers can generate estimates both for privately-owned sites and for unauthorised encampments by applying a rough but consistent rule of thumb measure of one caravan equating with one household. Similarly, mean household size data available from Council sites can be applied to these other types of location to generate estimates of total numbers of people. Where data is missing for an individual count for a particular Council, total numbers can still be estimated by imputing data from the most recent count in its area for the equivalent season - for the two Councils for which it has been necessary in this report data from the January 2004 returns has been used.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

• The January 2005 count recorded a total of 272 households on Council sites, 90 on privately-owned sites and 66 using unauthorised locations.
• The total Gypsy/Traveller population estimated in January 2005 was 428 households or 1370 people.
• Of the 37 sites provided by Councils, 31 were 'all-year (active)'; three were 'seasonal (closed)', i.e. open only during the summer months and therefore not applicable to this summary; three were 'all-year (closed)' (one closed since 1996, one since 1998 and the third since the end of September 2003).
• On the 31 'active' all year Council sites, 317 out of 500 possible pitches were let.
• 271 out of 317 let pitches were occupied at the time of the count, the other tenants being temporarily absent.
• A quarter of active Council sites had all their pitches let.
• 195 out of 271 tenants on Council sites had been based there for more than a year, the great majority of these for more than two years.
• Just under a tenth of the lettable pitches on active Council sites had changed hands over the preceding six months.
• With a total of 867 people recorded on Council sites, the average household size was 3.2, ranging from one to six. Older people continue to account for some five per cent of the total population.
• 11 Councils identified privately-owned sites available for Gypsies/ Travellers. Of 15 identified sites, ten were said to be available all year with all but one of the others being available only in the summer months. One site was identified as for winter use only
• Six of the privately-owned sites were operated specifically for Gypsies/Travellers, the others being holiday or touring sites which occasionally accept them at particular times of the year.
• A total of 90 households were recorded as occupying privately-owned sites, some four out five of these being classified as long-stay (four weeks or more).
• 23 out of 31 Councils indicated that unauthorised encampment by Gypsies/Travellers occurs within their areas, either regularly or occasionally. At the time of the count, of 112 identifiable locations, only 12 were occupied with a total of 66 households.
• Allowing for an inevitable degree of fluctuation from year to year, the figures generated by the count for each of the three categories of location remain broadly consistent with the means of the preceding six winter counts.

COUNCIL SITES

Provision of sites and pitches

In 1971 the Scottish Office first introduced a system of funding to meet the capital costs to Councils of providing fully serviced sites for Travelling People. Initially, funding covered 75% of capital costs but later was increased to 100%. Subsequently, funding was also offered to upgrade the early sites. The funding scheme ceased at the end of 1998, with the exception of a few additional site proposals and upgrading applications still in the pipeline.

Over about a quarter of a century the network of official sites has grown, although this has been a slow and often uncertain process and the first site was not achieved until seven years after the funding scheme was first introduced (Table 1). The last two sites, opened in 2002, brought total provision under the scheme to 37.

Three mainland Councils (East Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire and Inverclyde) still make no site provision for Gypsies/Travellers.

No requirement for site provision has been identified within any of the three Islands Councils.

Preliminary funding applications for a further one or two additional sites remained in the pipeline when the scheme was formally wound up at the end of 1998 but have not since come to fruition.

Most sites are intended for year-round use, but three (Aberdeenshire; Highland; Scottish Borders) were developed to meet seasonal needs. These are open only from April to September.

Seven Councils have provided more than one site within their area. Highland has four, one of which is seasonal; three Councils have each provided three sites (Argyll & Bute; Fife; North Lanarkshire); another three have each provided two (Dumfries & Galloway; South Ayrshire; South Lanarkshire).

The status of individual Council sites is as follows:

• 'all-year (active)': sites open throughout the year and available for use at the time of the count;
• 'all-year (closed)': sites intended for use throughout the year but not available for use at the time of the count;
• 'seasonal (closed)': sites intended for use only during the summer months and not available for use at the time of the January count;
• 'missing return': sites for which no return was made by the Council concerned.

Gains and losses of sites and pitches

Table 1 shows that a total of 599 pitches were provided on the 37 sites developed between 1978 and 2002. Five hundred and sixty-two of these were intended for use all-year round with the other 37 being for summer use only.

Nearly half the sites (16) have been upgraded at some stage in their life (Table 1). Three of these upgrades also provided increased capacity (Motherwell in North Lanarkshire, Angus and Aberdeen). Applications for funding to upgrade one or two early sites also currently remain in the pipeline.

Although these upgrades increased the overall pitch numbers provided, this increase has been counteracted by losses not just of small numbers of individual pitches but by the closure, whether temporary or permanent, of complete sites. Loss of individual pitches has sometimes been a deliberate choice by a Council in the light of changing demand and needs within a particular site. Examples of this include the allocation, from the outset, of one pitch on the North Ayrshire (Arran) site to a resident manager making it a seven rather than eight pitch site. Similarly one pitch on the Inverness site and two on the Stirling site have more recently been re-allocated for community use, reducing effective capacity to 19 and 18 pitches respectively.

Much more serious has been the permanent closure, since 1996, of three complete sites. Two out of three North Lanarkshire sites, in Motherwell (26 pitches) and Coatbridge (16 pitches) have been deliberately closed down in recent years. This leaves that Council, initially the one with the highest provision of all Scottish Councils, with only a single 16-pitch site at Airdrie. The other loss is that of the Renfrewshire site at Paisley, which was totally vandalised in 1998 and to date has not been re-instated.

Consequently, despite provision of 19 additional pitches through upgrading, site closure and loss of individual pitches and the closure of the three complete sites has led to a net loss of 43 pitches overall giving a current total of 539 pitches, of which only 500 are theoretically open in the winter months

Table 1 - Sites provided from 1971-2003 with subsequent changes in pitch capacity and occupancy(% pitches let)in January 2005

* A joint return is made for East Lothian and Midlothian Councils
Note 1 Capacity of site as originally designed and funded.
Note 2 Additional pitches provided (generally at time of site upgrade).
Note 3 Pitches lost from lettable potential (see text for reasons for individual sites).
Note 4 Net number of pitches provided and theoretically lettable in January 2005 ( A + B - C = D).
Note 5 Includes pitches with occupants present together with those whose tenants are temporarily absent.
Note 6 Mainland Councils with no site provision: E. Ayrshire; E. Renfrewshire; Inverclyde.
Note 7 Councils with no identified demand: Comhairle nan Eilean Siar; Orkney Islands; Shetland Islands.

Site occupancy

Council sites are managed through a variety of Council departments, mainly in the areas of housing, social or community services or environmental services. They vary in size from as few as six pitches up to the largest with thirty. Each pitch has space for a large residential caravan plus vehicle parking space, together with its own amenity unit providing bath or shower and toilet facilities, space for domestic appliances and household storage.

While individual pitches are designed to accommodate a single household unit there are occasional variations from this. These may include a very large household requiring two adjacent pitches, though counting as a single tenancy. Alternatively more than one household may be recorded on a single pitch, reflecting visitors staying on the day of the count or two closely related households which have been allowed joint tenancy on a single pitch. In practice, these variants are fairly rare and probably short term and reflect site managers' pragmatic responses to local circumstances.

Provided there are vacant pitches on a site, any Gypsies/Travellers coming to an area may apply for a tenancy.

Tenants may be allowed to have more than one caravan where large households need overflow sleeping accommodation allowing segregation of some of their members by age or by gender. Second caravans may also be used for travel off-site for a few days or weeks at a time, with the rest of the household remaining on the site.

Council sites provide the most robust data on numbers and size of households, based on site management records and enhanced by site managers' extensive experience of local situations and events. Patterns of movement on and off sites over the six months since the previous count can also be assessed.

Overall site usage is determined by the proportion of pitches falling into each of four categories at the time of the count:

• 'let (occupied)', i.e. tenant occupying pitch at time of count;
• 'let (absent)', i.e. tenanted pitch with tenant temporarily absent;
• 'vacant (available)', i.e. pitch available for potential tenant;
• 'not available', i.e. pitches not available for letting for some reason.

Use levels vary considerably from site to site. Figure 1 shows occupancy patterns for all sites for which returns were made, relating the pitch status directly to the size of the site. In practice there is no direct relationship between site size and use pattern.

The 31 sites theoretically open for use at the time of the January 2005 count (i.e. excluding the three seasonal sites and the three permanently closed sites) now include a total of 500 pitches. This takes account of the four lost from the original provision noted earlier (two from the Stirling site and one each from the sites in Inverness and Arran). The occupancy patterns are summarised as follows:

• Of 500 pitches on 31 sites, 317 (63%) were let at the count date (including imputed data);
• 271 pitches (54%) were occupied at the count date, accounting for more than eight out of ten tenanted pitches overall;
• 46 pitches (9%) were let but with tenants absent at the count date;
• almost all pitches without tenants (138 or 28%) were still classed as vacant (available);
• 45 pitches (10%) were classed as not available.

Table 2 - Availability of untenanted pitches in January 2005 (base - 23 sites)

* Apparent discrepancy between individual and total percentages reflects rounding of percentages based on very small pitch nos.

The proportion of pitches let (i.e. both occupied and with absent tenants) lies between the equivalent figures for the winter counts in 2004 (60%) and 2003 (69%). Actual occupancy of tenanted pitches (85%) (i.e. excluding those with absent tenants) is higher than in both 2004 (82%) and 2003 (77%). Eight (2004 = nine) sites were fully let and another six (five) had at least three-quarters of the pitches let. Nevertheless, at the other end of the scale, three sites (Argyll & Bute [Dunoon] Moray; and N. Lanarkshire) were completely untenanted in January.

Across the 31 sites, just over a quarter of all pitches (28%) were vacant but available for use in January. Table 2 shows that of the sites with untenanted pitches, only one had all its pitches available for letting at the time of the count, while another seven sites had more than half their pitches available for prospective tenants. Eight sites indicated pitches not in use but on some of these the number unavailable represented a substantial proportion of the site's capacity. All the pitches on both the Moray site and the Argyll & Bute [Dunoon] site were recorded as not available for use. In the former case 'Moray Council's Travelling family site was closed during the summer of 2004 for upgrading but due to its location in the flood relief plan it has remained closed', while the Dunoon site has been suffering vandalism for some time and is now completely out of action. In other cases only a few pitches were not available, though these sometimes represented significant proportions of the site's overall capacity. Comments by site managers within their return forms indicate the nature of some of the necessary repairs and upgrading processes for amenity units and other site buildings to enhance both site quality and security.

The returns ask for comments about particular events on a site over the preceding months possibly affecting the situation at the time of the count. The number and detail of such comments is variable but they can enhance the overall picture, perhaps reflecting events within a wider area of Scotland or, from count to count, indicating an improving or deteriorating situation on a particular site. Some help to explain why pitches are untenanted or are unavailable for use.

'None - but planned maintenance budget and projected upgrades of site are currently being reviewed.'

'Chalet refurbishment programme commenced 2005 (Jan), hence the currently void pitches.'

The January 2005 count provided rather fewer comments about problem incidents but where they occur they follow similar patterns to those in earlier summaries. Examples include the following:

'Threatening behaviour by residents to warden and each other (hopefully resolved); continual problem with state of pitches.'

'Would still appear to be unrest between certain families.'

'Site is quieter although problems still exist between certain families. Travellers still wont move on to site in case they [get] caught up in any on-going problems.'

'Don't want to go on to site in X.' (under reasons for unauthorised camp in vicinity of official site)

Site was still vacant. No Gypsy/Travellers apparent in the X area until these families appeared in Nov.' 04.

Tenant Movement

Excluding the three wholly empty sites, only one in ten pitches overall had tenants who were away from the site at the time of the count. Absences of this kind - usually permissible for up to 12 weeks in the year without relinquishing tenancy - tend to be higher in the summer months which are the traditional times of greater mobility. Half of these sites had no absences of this kind and only one (Fife[Kirkcaldy]) had more than half its tenants away. Otherwise proportions ranged from 5% up to 32% though in real terms these mostly represent only between one and four households.

Although absence was low at the time of the count itself, the return also looks back at the extent to which tenants have availed themselves of this option during the previous six months, i.e. the late summer and autumn. Absences over this period as a proportion of total tenancies are essentially site managers' estimates rather than hard data but while reliable data is available for only 23 of the sites the picture is is one of greater levels of absence. On average, half the tenants were absent at some point over that period. At the two extremes, five sites had had no absences but on an equal number of sites everyone had been away. While absences clearly are common, there is no identifiable pattern in terms of size, type or location of site and it must be recognised that absence can be for a wide variety of reasons, whether seeking work, visiting relatives or just simply 'travelling'.

Length of stay on sites

The counts continue to show tenants living on the same site for increasingly long periods, albeit with occasional short periods of temporary absence discussed above. For the 28 sites with tenants at the time of the count (excluding the three sites currently closed, the three summer-only sites and the three officially open but untenanted sites (Argyll & Bute [Dunoon], Moray and North Lanarkshire [Airdrie])), the following overall pattern emerges. Allowing for the small actual numbers on some sites, the proportions are broadly consistent with those in the previous winter (bracketed percentages are the equivalent for January 2004).

Longer stays

• 44% of tenants had been there for more than two years (47%);
• 16% had been there for between one and two years (21%);

Medium stays

• 15% had been for between six months and a year (12%);
• 12% had been there for between three and six months (12%);

Short stay

• 13% had been there for three months or less (8%).

Figure 2 shows the tenancy duration pattern on each site, in terms of total numbers of tenants (both those present and those temporarily away from the site) at the time of the count. Once again a number of the longer established and larger sites stand out by reason of their tenancy longevity, indicating a population which has settled on a long-term basis, particularly given the preponderance of those over two years within the wider 'longer stay' category, with only a few more recent arrivals. However, at the opposite end of the scale, clearly there is evidence of more movement between some sites with substantial proportions of households who have been resident for only a short time and certainly less than a year.

Tenancy change

Households may relinquish their tenancy and move elsewhere for a variety of reasons. In some cases they may just wish to move to a different area. Alternatively it may be work pressures or moving to be near to other family members. However, moves may be triggered by the mix of tenants on the site at a particular time and on events within the wider Gypsy/Traveller community. Reference has already been made to some of the site managers' comments on factors affecting the situation on their site over the previous six months and the effects of unrest or inter-family disputes which continue to affect some areas. Occasionally too, a household may leave or be asked to go for breaching the terms of their tenancy. As with waiting lists, other factors, such as the perceived desirability of a particular site may encourage both outward and inward movement. Finally, even the longest-term tenants do eventually move.

'One large family who have been site residents since site opened have now moved to mainstream housing.'

More than one in three of the sites had experienced no changes of tenancy in the previous six months. Even among those with changes the numbers involved were generally low (Table 3):

Table 3 - Changes in tenancy over the previous six months

Waiting for vacancies

Fewer than half the sites had waiting lists for tenants in January 2005. A total of 62 households were on waiting lists across 11 sites. This is a higher number than at the equivalent time last year (45 on 10 sites). However, only 38 households were recorded as having been turned away from ten sites for lack of space.

The longest waiting lists were to be found on some of the larger and longer established sites, mostly those with high levels of long-term tenancies and hence little likelihood of vacancies occurring. These include South Lanarkshire [Larkhall] (16 on the waiting list); Angus (8); Perth & Kinross (7); West Dunbartonshire (6); Fife [Kirkcaldy] (6) and North Ayrshire [Irvine] (6). Although they are small, the sites in S. Lanarkshire [East Kilbride] (4) and South Ayrshire (3) continue to be attractive, perhaps because both are quiet and and have a record of stability, while the South Ayrshire site has also been substantially upgraded in recent years.

People

Data on the households and the people comprising them within the Gypsy/Traveller communities are available from the Council site records. Nevertheless, even though this is only in terms of the total number of people in each of a number of age bands ( NB - no individual household or person can be identified through the count) it enables profiles and mean household size to be built up for each site. In turn the mean houshold size across all the sites can be used in conjunction with the numbers of caravans on private and on unuathorised sites to provide a more general estimate of the wider Gypsy/Traveller population across Scotland.

At the time of the January 2005 count, excluding the three long-term closed sites and the three summer-only sites, a total of 31 sites were officially 'active'. However, as noted earlier, three of these (Argyll & Bute [Dunoon]; Moray and North Lanarkshire [Airdrie]), were recorded as completely untenanted. In addition, the Highland (Spean Bridge) and Argyll & Bute (North Ledaig) sites were tenanted but with their households away at the time of the count. This leaves 28 occupied sites with all or some of their tenants, present at the count date and for which population data was available. Table 4 shows the numbers of people on each of these 29 sites, ranked in order of mean household size. The overall mean of 3.2 pph lies within a range from one to six persons.

The population on these may be summarised as follows:

• 272 households
• 867 people
• mean household size of 3.2

Table 4 -People on Council sites in January 2005(Base - 28 sites)

Mean household size is similar to the equivalent figures for January 2004 (3.1) and 2003 (3.3).

Within this population, the age-structure remains broadly as in previous counts and with little or no difference in pattern between males and females (Table 5):

• Pre-school-age children account for 14% of the total;
• School-age children (5-16) account for a quarter of the total (25%);
• Adults (16-64/59) account for just over half the total (57%);
• Older people (65/60+) once again account for only 5% of the total.

Table 5 - Age structure of households on Council sites in January 2005

PRIVATELY-OWNED SITES

For Gypsies/Travellers who either cannot or prefer not to use Council sites, privately-owned caravan sites offer an alternative option. In the past these have occasionally been set up by Gypsies/Travellers themselves, initially for their own extended family group but sometimes extending to other families. Owners of conventional holiday or touring caravan sites have also occasionallybeen prepared to accommodate Gypsies/Travellers at certain times of the year.

While the twice-yearly counts seek information about both kinds of site, inevitably it is less comprehensive than that for Council sites for a number of reasons. In Councils with their own official sites, the local site managers are more likely to be aware of the existence of private sites in their areas. More detailed information depends on the level of relationship/co-operation they develop with private site-owners but these have no obligation to provide information for the counts and indeed, particularly in the case of holiday/touring sites, may be reluctant for it to be known that they sometimes accept Gypsies/Travellers. Earlier summary reports have referred to the unwillingness of some G/T owned sites to provide any information in the climate of violence and unrest pertaining at the time.

Often information for the return has to depend on simple observation and estimation. As private sites tend to be less formally laid out and managed than Council sites, without the same distinction between pitches, estimating numbers of households staying on them at the time of a count is less easy. It is therefore necessary to adopt a rule of thumb measure of one 'caravan' equating with one 'household' and to use mean household size generated from the Council site data in order to estimate total numbers of people involved. In practice, any variations from this measure probably balance out over the small number of sites involved. Other information, such as length of stay, is not sought since, while it could make a contribution to the picture, it is unlikely to be possible to obtain.

Availability

Total numbers of such private sites appear not to have varied a great deal over recent years. Across all the counts from 1998 to 2005, both in summer and winter, the average has remained around 20, two thirds of these being classed as all-year sites and one-third as summer only sites. Variations from count to count reflect occasional missing returns from individual Councils, variable knowledge of sites' existence if personnel making the returns have changed over time or just changing willingness of holiday site owners to accept Gypsies/Travellers.

In January 2005, 11 Councils recorded the presence of private sites accepting Gypsies/Travellers (Table 6) (No data was available for three Councils and, for these, data from the equivalent count in January 2004 has been imputed to maintain overall consistency). Eight referred to sites available all-year round and five to having sites available only for summer use. Only one referred to having a winter-only site. Twenty Councils said they had no private sites of any kind.

Of a total of 15 sites identified, only six were provided for/by Gypsies/Travellers (2004=11) and nine were classed as holiday/touring sites sometimes accepting them (2004=10). While the first category may be more likely to be available over a longer timescale, availability of holiday/touring sites is more unpredictable since readiness to accept Gypsies/Travellers is much more subject to owner attitudes or feelings at the time.

Only three Councils referred to having more than one private site within their areas. South Lanarkshire identified three sites, two all-year and one summer only, Highland identified one all-year and one summer site and East Ayrshire noted one for summer-only use and one winter-only).

Only one of the holiday/touring sites (South Lanarkshire) was occupied at the time of the count though all the specifically Gypsy/Traveller sites were in use.

As noted earlier, occupation levels on private sites are mostly based on a count of the number of caravans:

• A total of 90 households were recorded on the occupied sites (January 2004 = 116);
• 75 of the households were classed as long-stay of four weeks or more (2004 = 86);
• 15 households were classed as short-stay of up to four weeks (2004 = 30);
• With one exception, most of the long-stay households in the count, ranging up to 20, were on the Gypsy/Traveller sites, only two of these having small numbers of short-stay households, though the one occupied holiday/touring site had significant numbers of both long- and short -stay households.
• Seven sites were said to have been in continuous use over the preceding six months, five of these being Gypsy/Traveller sites. Occasional use was recorded for seven sites of which six were holiday/touring sites. Only one site had not been used at all within that time.

The numbers of households using privately-owned sites has fluctuated widely over the five winter counts since January 1999 (108; 59; 139; 97; 86; 116; 90), possibly reflecting the more uncertain availability of holiday/touring sites accepting them, or their reluctance for it to be known.

Table 6 - Availability and use of privately-owned sites in January 2005
(base = 11 Councils)

* Site type : G = provided specifically by/for Gypsies/Travellers H = primarily for holiday/touring use
** Frequency of use over previous six months : A = Continuous B = Occasional C = Not at all
The following Councils recorded no private sites of any kind:
Aberdeen; Argyll & Bute; Clackmannanshire; Comhairle nan Eilean Siar; Dundee; E/Midlothian; E. Dunbartonshire; Edinburgh; Glasgow; Inverclyde; Moray; N. Ayrshire; Orkney Islands; Renfrewshire; Scottish Borders; Shetland Islands; S Ayrshire; Stirling; W. Dunbartonshire; W. Lothian.

UNAUTHORISED LOCATIONS

Stopping on unauthorised locations continues to be a significant feature among the Gypsy/Traveller communities in Scotland. While this tends to be greater during the summer months when movement is around Scotland is greater, such places continue to be used through the winter. Unauthorised encampments generally occur on pieces of land such as roadside verges, urban waste land, rural countryside or the shores of sea or loch. In urban areas they be associated with the fringes of industrial estates rather than close to housing. When moving around the country, many Gypsies/Travellers follow regular routes and know of places where they are able to stop, either out of sight or because their presence may be tolerated for short periods of time or under certain conditions. Many places are returned to year after year and even for generations either because there is some traditional significance or because there is has been some tolerance or their occasional presence. However, by their nature unauthorised locations have little or no access to services of any kind and are likely to be uncomfortable, if not hazardous, places to stay, even for short periods, particularly during the winter months.

Given that those using such places tend to be the more mobile within these communities, the chances of their being at a known point on the count date can be low, even though they may still be somewhere within the area. Locations may not be easily visible, particularly in rural areas. Alternatively, even if an encampment has been accepted by the authorities for a brief period, it may suddenly be vacated, sometimes immediately before the count date and even though they may have been there for some time beforehand and subsequently may return.

A number of situations continue to make unauthorised camping the only option for some households. In a small number of mainland Councils official sites still have not been provided (in the Island Councils there has been little history of demand justifying this kind of provision). Even where there are Council sites, the tendency, noted above, has been for increasing levels of long-stay use, with the result that there are few casual vacancies. The fairly small number of private sites and their generally small size also limits them as an alternative option, particularly for the fairly short-stay visitors. Within the Gypsy/Traveller communities there are some households which may not be permitted on a Council site, whether for rent arrears either there or in another Council's area, because of previous tenancy history or the fact that they will not be accepted by existing residents. Finally, there are individual households, as well as larger groups, who by choice would not use an official site or are passing through an area for work or personal reasons and only wish to stop for short periods before moving on elsewhere. This is not a new phenomenon and for many years the Gypsy/Traveller communities have pressed for some kind of accepted short-term stopping places to be available in addition to the official and increasingly residential sites.

Since the last winter count the Scottish Executive has provided Councils with guidance on the management of unathorised camping in Scotland, initially through a consultation paper seeking the views of a wide range of organisations and then, in December 2004 issuing formal guidelines on both strategy and practicalities with a view to resolving difficulties facing all the parties involved ⁴.

Most Councils, particularly those with an official site or where there is known to be a fairly regular Gypsy/Traveller presence at certain times of the year, build up knowledge about this kind of use within their areas. Council site managers have a particularly valuable role to play but, even so, much depends on continuity of their knowledge, which may be more difficult in larger and generally remote areas or where the personnel involved change over time. Information may come through a variety of local contacts such as staff in other parts of the Council or perhaps from local police.

As with private sites, information for the twice-yearly count is more sparse than for Council sites. Generally it has to be based on observation or the willingness/ability of a Council site manager or other official to make some kind of positive contact with any Gypsies/Travellers stopping at a particular location. Much depends on the circumstances of their presence. If they are hoping to get access to a local Council site or are accepted briefly on an unauthorised place, they may be ready to provide some information. Others who are merely passing through or trying to spend as long as possible before being moved may be more reluctant to respond to approaches from anyone in authority who may be seen as more of a threat than a help.

Minor modifications to the return form for the twice-yearly counts were introduced in January 2002 to improve the information available on unauthorised locations and this has proved useful in building up an increasing list of places known to be used at various times and the frequency with which they are used within and across years. However, in the context outlined above of Councils developing strategies for managing unauthorised camping, they are clearly becoming more knowledgeable. This has led to a number of Councils including with their completed count form supplementary information on each instance of camping, including ownership of the land, dates and duration of stays, numbers of caravans and/or vehicles and sometimes of people and, in occasionally even the reason for the stay and the state of the place after the departure of the occupants. At this stage these are only isolated snapshots but if this kind of information continues to be included and is offered by more Councils it will help to build up a clearer picture of how and why unauthorised locations are used.

Across the 31 Councils, the position on known locations in January 2005 can be summarised as follows:

• The great majority of Councils (23) noted that unauthorised camping was known within their areas, either regularly or on a seasonal basis (equivalent figure for January 2004 = 24).
• Sixteen Councils referred to regular use and eight to seasonal use (2004 = 15;8). On this occasion one Council (West Lothian) referred to places under both headings;
• Of the three Islands Councils, only Orkney continued its occasional reference to known locations, though with none occupied in winter months.
• Eight Councils (Clackmannan; Comhairle nan Eilean Siar; Dundee; E. Dunbartonshire; E. Renfrewshire; Glasgow; Scottish Borders and Shetland Islands) said that unauthorised encampment locations of this kind did not occur within their areas.

A total of 112 individual locations was identified across the 25 Council areas lower than in January 2004 (123). The fact that both are substantially higher than in January 2003 (91) probably reflects an improvement in local knowledge about locations sometimes used.

However large the number of known locations, the most important factor is the number actually in use at the time of the count. As encampments which are essentially illegal, even if sometimes temporarily tolerated, they are usually occupied for only short periods and chances of this occurring on the day of an official count are lower. Earlier summary reports have noted comments by Council site managers about movement away on the part of occupants immediately before a count date, sometimes to return soon after. In practice the number of places occupied in January 2005 (12) is only half that of the previous winter, though similar to the winters of 2002 and 2003. It is possible that the higher 2004 figure was affected by the severe weather conditions inhibiting movement. Table 7 shows that while 18 Councils have experienced such encampments at the time of the past four winter counts, only a few have recorded them in more than one of these counts, with only Aberdeenshire, Fife, Highland and Perth & Kinross recording them on every occasion.

Table 7 - Number of unauthorised locations occupied at the January counts 2002-2005

Table 8 shows the numbers of places identified by each Council as known to be used for unauthorised encampment at times. As well as looking at the situation on the day of the count, the returns also provide some information about the general patterns of use of each of the known locations. As far as use in the past was known, of the places for which information was available:

• About half (49%) of the identified locations were said generally to be occupied only once or twice a year.
• About one in three (36%) tended to be used every few months;
• Only a fairly small number (15%) tended to be used on a more regular basis;
• In terms of their recent use, in the previous autumn and early winter, the pattern was similar:
• About half (55%) had been occupied once or twice over the previous six months;
• One quarter (25%) had not been occupied at all during that time;
• Just under one in five had had been occupied more frequently.

Table 8 - Places known to be used for unauthorised camping recorded in January 2005
(base = 23 Councils)

* Usual frequency of use: A = Every few weeks; B = Every few months; C = Once or twice a year
** Use over past 6 months: I = Not at all; II = Once or twice; III = More frequently
Councils with no recorded places used for unauthorised encampment
Clackmannanshire; Comhairle nan Eilean Siar; Dundee; E. Renfrewshire; Glasgow; N. Lanarkshire; Shetland Islands;

Erratum

Due to an inadvertant change in font, the equivalent tables in the Summary Reports for January 2004 (Table 6) and July 2004 (Table 7) misprinted the ticks in the second and third columns of the table as numbers (3 and 1 respectively), which may have caused some confusion to readers. RCS apologies for these proofing errors.

Table 9 shows the use of the 12 places occupied at the time of the January 2005 count. For unauthorised encampments, the count actually asks for information on the number of caravans present. As in the case of the private sites it is necessary to use the same broad rule of thumb, equating one 'caravan' with one 'household' in order to provide a measure of comparison with the more detailed count information on Council sites. Of the 36 occupied locations:

• Three had been in use for only a few days before the count;
• Two had been in use for one or two weeks;
• Six had been occupied for a longer period.

These encampments accounted for a total of 66 households in January 2005, similar to the number recorded in the previous winter (61) but markedly higher than in 2002 (35) and 2003 (44).

Numbers on individual encampments ranged from one up to 15 households (one caravan being equated with one household). Seven of the encampments had five or more households, while only two had a single household.

Table 9 - Characteristics of unauthorised locations occupied in January 2005
(base = 9 Councils)

Key to columns
Usual use frequency: A = Every few weeks; B = Every few months; C = Once or twice a year
Period occupied up to date of count: a = A few days; b = One or two weeks; c = Longer
Use over past 6 months: i = Not at all; ii = Once or twice; iii = More frequently

THE OVERALL PICTURE

Using data from the twice-yearly counts it is possible to develop an overall picture of the numbers of Gypsies/Travellers across Scotland respectively at the summer and winter seasons. This can show the number of households staying on Council sites, private sites and those still using unauthorised locations. Data is now available for a run of seven successive years, enabling a better picture of consistency or change over time. Figure 3 summarises the pattern for Scotland as a whole for the seven winter counts from January 1999 to January 2005, together with the mean for the seven years. Previous counts have confirmed differences between summer and winter seasons with lower total numbers in winter when there is less mobility. The higher summer figures reflect the additional presence of Gypsies/Travellers from other parts of Britain and also of those who may choose to live in houses for part of the year.

The total estimated January 2005 population (428 households) is almost the same as the seven year winter mean of 430.

Within the overall total, numbers occupying pitches on Council sites were towards the low end of the seven-year range (278; 290; 295; 305; 280; 245; 272) accounting for just under two-thirds (64%) of total households again very close to the mean of 67%. Nevertheless, the share of the total Gypsy/Traveller population staying on these sites is substantially higher than in the summer months

The number of households using private sites in July 2004 was in the middle of the range (108; 59; 139; 97; 86; 116; 90), making up almost a quarter of all households (22%), close to the mean of 24%.

Numbers on unauthorised locations were the highest recorded over the same period (52; 31; 56; 35; 44; 61; 66), though still a much lower share of the total than in the summer.

Table 10 summarises, for January 2005, the numbers of households generated in each Council for each of the three elements of the count: Council and private sites and unauthorised encampments. It also provides an estimate of the total number of people that these represent. These data are then set against their equivalents for the winters of 2003 and 2004.

Out of a total of roughly 430 Gypsy/Traveller households 'on the road' in Scotland in winter (i.e. excluding housed families) the proportions inevitably fluctuate from year to year, just as they do between summer and winter. There may, however, be less overall mobility nowadays, given the number of very long term tenants now living on Council sites.

The loss of two sizeable Council sites permanently and another on a long-term basis has reduced the total pitches available for letting compared to the original levels of provision envisaged. The availability of pitches in the winter is also lower with the absence of the three seasonal sites. Both these factors may contribute in part to the reduction in the Council site share of the total population. However, even among the supposedly functioning sites a number are are still completely empty either because they have been vandalised or because possible tenants are not prepared to move on to them but prefer to take their chance by unauthorised camping even in the winter.

A degree of unrest is still evident within parts of these communities, as evidenced by some of the general comments included within the returns. At the same time many sites show either complete occupancy or at least high tenancy levels and longevity and the effective and apparent security and stability of these are also reflected in site manager comments:

'The site is full and still peaceful with very few on the waiting list. There are indications that the short waiting list is a result of badgering by prospective tenants or their friends to get on to the site. This situation is not perfect and we would rather it did not go on, but in a way it is a sort of compliment.'

The fact that the proportion of unauthorised encampment is higher than previous winter, even though actual household numbers may not appear large, has to be set in the context of the increased need for Councils to develop strategies for effective but sympathetic approaches to the needs of this element within the Gypsy/Traveller communities. Comments made in returns indicate that this is already emerging, with beneficial effects:

'Introduction of a pilot scheme transit site in [X]. Scheme was very effective and [X Council] did not experience any other encampments during the running time (August-December). Nil complaints from either general public or business.'

Finally, a new feature has appeared in returns. Although early count forms asked for information on any movement of Gypsies/Travellers into conventional housing, as little or none was forthcoming this was discontinued. However, in the January 2005 returns comments from three Councils (one of which was quoted earlier) suggest that this option may now now be gaining favour in more instances, though there is no indication of the reasons for the choice:

'Previous occupants of the site returning to stay in settled accommodation rather than to the site.'

'There [is] also an increase in Travellers moving into housing.'

Table 10 - Numbers by location category for winter counts from January 2003 to January 2005

This Table provides a breakdown for each Council. For each count these are shown in terms of the households on each Council's official site(s) ( Column A); households* (both short stay and long stay) on privately owned sites ( Column B); and households* on unauthorised encampments ( Column C), together with a total for the three categories ( Column D).

For clarity, the table is ranked in terms of overall Council provision.

NOTES
In the case of missing returns, data from the most recent available return is imputed to give as realistic/comparable a picture as possible.
* For consistency throughout, on private sites and unauthorised locations, one caravan is equated with one household.
** One Highland site (Newtonmore) is open only in the summer (this has the effect of reducing the mean figure).
*** Population is an estimate based on the number of families x mean household size (on Council sites) for each year.
From September 2003 North Lanarkshire operates only one site (Airdrie).
X No official sites are provided by E. Ayrshire, E. Renfrewshire and Inverclyde.

The Islands Councils are excluded as they have no official sites and record nil values for private unauthorised categories at each count.

¹ Gentleman & Swift, Scotland's Travelling People - Problems and Solutions,HMSO Edinburgh, 1971.

²Counting Travellers in Scotland - The 1992 Picture, Scottish Office 1993.

³ As well as being available in this printed format, this summary, together with those for the January and July counts for 2002, 2003 and 2004 can be found on the Scottish Executive Social Research web-site ( www.scotland.gov.uk/socialresearch). A comprehensive report on the first three years of the counts ( RCS, The Twice-yearly Count of Travellers in Scotland: The First Three Years. Scottish Executive Central Research Unit, 2001) is also on this web-site or is available in printed form from the Scottish Executive Social Research Unit.

⁴Guidelines For Managing Unauthorised Camping By Gypsies/Travellers in Scotland, Scottish Executive, Edinburgh 2004