Council won’t provide sites for gypsies or Travellers

CAERPHILLY County Council will not provide designated sites for Gypsies or Travellers, despite the fact that there is an unmet need for mobile homes.

A Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment (GTAA), which was presented to the council’s cabinet on Wednesday, stated there was an unmet need for 11 mobile homes in the county borough.

Members of the council’s scrutiny committee questioned whether there should be designated sites for Gypsies and Travellers at a meeting on June 21. But this was not mentioned at the cabinet meeting.

The report presented to the cabinet stated that in future, a regional approach could address the lack of provision.

The GTTA included interviews with nine people who all identified as Roma Gypsies.

The results show that all those consulted said they were happy where they were based and did not want to join the council’s pitch or housing waiting list.

Just 0.02% of Caerphilly County Borough’s population identified as “Gypsy or Irish Traveller” according to the 2011 census. Currently, there are three unauthorised sites in the county borough where Travellers are occupying, two of which are in Ynysddu and Rhymney, while the other was not disclosed.

One application was refused planning approval but an appeal has been submitted. Another is due to be presented to the planning committee, while a third is awaiting validation. If these are refused, the council may need to find alternative sites.

These sites will be kept under review by the Gypsy and Traveller accommodation working group, which meets biannually.