Meg Munn, Minister at the Department for Communities and Local Government, announced details of funding to help local authorities provide new and refurbished sites for Gypsies and Travellers in their areas, and to tackle unauthorised camping.
For 2006/07, the Government has approved £16.75 million of investment for schemes that will provide for:
Up to £56 million will be made available through the Gypsy and Traveller Sites Grant between 2006 and 2008. The two-year grant aims to address the current shortfall in provision as well as tackle the problem of unauthorised camping.
Schemes have been subject to independent assessment of value for money and sustainability. For the first time Regional Housing Boards have been involved in the assessment of schemes, which ensures successful project fit with emerging regional priorities for Gypsy and Traveller accommodation provision.
Meg Munn said: "It is clear that to deal with unauthorised camping we must have effective enforcement action and sufficient site provision going hand in hand across the country. The schemes announced will help provide more sites for Gypsy and Travellers and support local authorities in delivering a sustainable solution for Gypsy and Travellers, the local area and the wider community.
"Evidence shows that investing in authorised site provision can reduce significantly the costs to the taxpayer of enforcement action against unauthorised sites. I encourage local authorities to make full use of the funding available to support new site provision".
The announcement comes after a recent report by the LGA Gypsy and Traveller Group concluded that local authorities must make more appropriate site provision to meet current needs. The same report further highlighted the need for more Government support.
According to a new report, Gypsies and Travellers should pay Council Tax if they stay on authorised sites. The report also calls for an end to unauthorised Gypsy and Traveller sites and better provision of authorised ones.
The Local Government Association (LGA) report says that if Travellers are located on authorised sites, local authorities can ask that they pay the Council Tax for services used.
The LGA believes it is important that the traveller communities and the settled residents have equal rights and that they bear the same responsibilities. Only when this is seen to happen will there be reduced friction between the two groups.
The LGA report calls for:
