Gypsies and travellers

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The Traveller Services team is responsible for the provision, operation and management of six residential Gypsy sites; one short-stay transit site; the Travellers Liaison Service; the Unauthorised Camping Service; and for the provision of information relating to Gypsies and travellers in Wiltshire.

Full details of the above responsibilities can be found within in this section.

Recent successes

We have successfully established regular Residents’ Meetings with Wiltshire’s semi-permanent Gypsy communities. These meetings now provide residents with an opportunity to express any views and/or concerns about their accommodation and unique lifestyle needs.

There are many complex issues to be addressed in the day-to-day work with Gypsy and traveller communities including equal opportunities, racial equality and the potential for discrimination, human rights, data protection, Freedom of Information, educational, health and other personal welfare considerations.

The future

A number of issues will influence this area of responsibility in the foreseeable future, for example:

• Identification, funding and construction of a second transit site for travellers in north-west Wiltshire to satisfy local needs and to support the unauthorised camping service.
• The Commission for Race Equality (CRE) are becoming increasingly pro-active in seeking local authorities’ compliance with their General Statutory Duty to pay due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful racial discrimination, promote equality of opportunity and promote good relations between people of different racial groups (s.71(1), Race Relations Act 1976, as amended).
• Oak Tree Field residential Gypsy site and the nearby Odstock Transit site in Salisbury have both experienced varying levels of anti-social behaviour in recent years. The proposed introduction of a CCTV system in 2009 will provide a valuable evidential basis that would not be obtainable via any other method.  This option is also supported by the community’s residents with over 80% in favour of the system.
• The opportunity for possible part-funding by the Department for Local Government and Communities (DCLG) of any new initiatives in Wiltshire is to remain under regular review.
• The present lease at Bonnie Park residential Gypsy site expires in 2011 and this will only worsen the overall provision of residential accommodation for Gypsies in Wiltshire at that time.

Last updated: 16 February 2011