Cabinet Secretary forSocial Justice, Communities and Pensioners' RightsAlex Neil MSP

~The ScottishGovernmentRiaghaltas na h-Alba

T:0300 244 4000E: scottish.ministers@scotland.gsLgov.Uk

Margaret McCulloch MSPConvenerEqual Opportunities CommitteeThe Scottish ParliamentEDINBURGHEH991SP

---LEGACY 2014XX COMMOtiWEALTH GAMES

srOT1Jll'IQ

/1 March 2015

Thank you for your letter of 19 February, following my appearance at the Committee todiscuss the Scottish Government's work relating to GypsylTraveliers in Scotland.

You asked for more details on the GypsylTravelier Strategy Development Group, theGypsylTravelier Site Working Group and work on self-directed support.

Details of the membership and timetable of meetings for both groups are attached at AnnexA. Please note that the GypsylTravelier Site Working Group concluded its meetings in 2014,although we continue to involve many of the organisations represented on the Group in theproduction of the guidance I outlined during my Committee appearance. As requested, Ialso attach minutes of the meetings· of both groups.

As I mentioned in my letter of 28 January, the Scottish Government is funding MECOPP toexplore the potential of self-directed support to meet the care and support needs of theGypsylTravelier community in Scotland. Working closely with GypsylTravelier communitymembers, MECOPP is:

• raising awareness of SDS through community development approaches;• supporting individuals to access SDS;• producing campaign materials aimed at both service providers and the

GypsylTravelier community; and• running awareness-raising training sessions, led by community members.

I hope that this information is helpful to the Committee.

ALEX NEIL

St Andrew's House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EHl 3DGwww.gov.scot INVESTOR IN PEOPLE

AnnexA

Gypsy/Traveller Strategy Development Group

Membership

The membership of the GypsyfTravelier Strategy Development Group is as follows:

Marcela Adamova, Secretary, Friends of Romano LavRoss Aitken, Chief Inspector, Police ScotlandPetra Biberbach, Chief Executive, Planning Aid for Scotland (PAS)lona Burke, Article 12 in ScotlandColin Clark, Professor of Sociology and Social Policy, University of the West of ScotlandLorraine Cook, Migration, Population and Diversity Team, GOSLAMaureen Finn, Director, Scottish Traveller Education Programme (STEP)Nigel Firth, Equality and Diversity Manager, NHS GrampianMary Hendry, Associate Director, Scottish Traveller Education Programme (STEP)Alison Hosie, Research Officer, Scottish Human Rights CommissionLesley Irving, Head, Equality Policy Unit, Scottish Government (Chair)Michelle Lloyd, Programme Manager, Minority Ethnic Carers of People Project (MECOPP)Siobhan Reardon, Programme Director,Amnesty InternationalJill Keegan, YGTL Project Co-ordinator, Article 12 in ScotlandChris Oswald, Head of Policy and Communications, Equality and Human Rights CommissionZahida Ramzan, Policy Co-ordinator (Equalities), Fife CouncilLynne Tammi, Chief Executive, Article 12 in ScotlandFiona Townsley, MECOPP

Meeting dates

The Group has met on the following dates:

31 March 201429 May 201414 August 20143 November 201422 January 2015

It will next meet on 26 March 2015. Dates for meetings between April and June 2015 arecurrently being arranged. Minutes of all meetings are attached, except those for the meetingon 22 January 2015, which have still to be approved by the Group. We will be happy toprovide the minutes of future meetings to the Committee in due course.

Gypsy/Traveller Site Working Group

Membership

Petra Biberbach, Chief Executive, Planning Aid for Scotland (PAS)Lorraine Cook, Migration, Population and Diversity Team, COSLALesley Corio, Travelling Persons Site Manager (West), Fife CouncilGerry Darroch, Acting Head of Housing and Environment Services, East Ayrshire CouncilAmanda Farquhar, GypsyfTravelier Liaison Officer, Aberdeen City CouncilWilliam Fleming, Head, Housing Services Policy Unit, Scottish Government (Chair)

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Jim Hayton, Policy Manager, Association of Local Authority Chief Housing OfficersWendy Henderson, Equalities and Diversity Manager, City of Edinburgh CouncilMary Hendry, Associate Director, Scottish Traveller Education Project (STEP)Brian Kane, Travellers Site Managers Association and Travellers Site Manager/LiaisonOfficer, South Ayrshire CouncilMichelle Lloyd, Programme Manager, Minority Ethnic Carers of People Project (MECOPP)Lyn Murray, Lead Officer, Housing, Fife CouncilChris Oswald, Head of Policy and Communications, Equality and Human Rights CommissionGavin Philip, Police ScotlandMoyra Stephen, Minority Ethnic Communities Officer, Aberdeenshire CouncilJessie Wallace, Travellers Site Managers Association and Travelling People Officer, FalkirkCouncilSandra Wood, Senior Housing Officer, Aberdeen City Council

Meeting dates

The Group met on the following dates:

16 January 201415 May 201413 August 20144 November 2014

Minutes of all meetings are attached.

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GYPSY/TRAVELLER STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT GROUP

MEETING ON 31 MARCH 2014

MINUTES

Present:

• Colin Clark, University of the West of Scotland• Lorraine Cook, COSLA• Maureen Finn, Scottish Traveller Education Project• Mary Hendry• Lesley Irving, Scottish Government (Chair)• Jill Keegan, Article 12 in Scotland• Michelle Lloyd, Minority Ethnic Carers of People Project• Jana Lopusna, Amnesty International• Lesley Musa, Scottish Government• Chris Oswald, Equality and Human Rights Commission• Siobhan Reardon, Amnesty International• Jackie Walder, Scottish Government (Minutes)• David Wood, Planning Aid for Scotland

Apologies:

• Marcela Adamova, Friends of Romano Lav• Alison Hosie, Scottish Human Rights Commission

Overview

• There is a need for national leadership and co-ordination between the ScottishGovernment and local government, taking account of Article 1 of the UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights.

• We need to be aware of the international context, including UN requirements, andof what is happening in other countries.

• In 2012, Amnesty International recommended the development ofGypsylTravelier strategies by local authorities in Scotland. Three have done so,while some have made progress in other ways, including through modeltenancies, local housing strategies and race equality strategies. There is a needto follow up on this recommendation and to highlight good practice.

• There is a need to consider the funding position, both in relation to communityengagement during the development phase of the strategy and for delivery workfollowing publication. The Scottish Government has committed its equalityfunding budget for 2014-15 and does not yet know its funding position afterMarch 2015.

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• The Cross-Government Group on Gypsyrrravellers includes SG officials fromhousing, health, employability, education and analytical services. It is likely tomeet every six months, but this group will act as a reference group. Contact willbe maintained bye-mail as required between meetings, so that members cancontribute to the development of the strategy.

Draft remit

In discussion of the paper on the Group's draft remit, the following points were made:

• The SG has committed to the Equal Opportunities Committee to produce anoverarching strategy and action plan forGypsy/Travellers, The draft remit wasdeveloped on the basis that a large amount of evidence has already beengathered and a significant amount of consultation has already taken place withthe Gypsy/Traveller community through the Equal Opportunities Committee.Further consultation would, therefore, be around a draft strategy and action plan,rather than the issues.

• Need to consider what success is and how we measure it. Marketing campaignsare good, but there needs to be cultural change, with a long term plan foreducation in a broader sense. This includes education for those who are meantto provide redress and have a duty of care, e.g. local councillors.

• Baseline data is required, along with details of how improvement will bemeasured. However, there are data gaps in some areas, such as education.

• There's a need to promote understanding and respect with the settledcommunity. This links to awareness raisinq, including the planned campaign andalso employability.

• Work on an awareness raising campaign will require subject-specific expertise,as well as decisions on messages, tone and platforms to be used. The SG workswith marketing professionals on its campaigns. Community members would alsoneed to be involved.

• There's a need for some strong messages that discrimination is illegal, but withthe focus on a positive campaign, not negative. The accommodation issue isvital.

• Participation by the Gypsyrrraveller community is key. We need to consider howGypsy/Travellers can participate. There need to be forums that engage youngpeople who are not part of mainstream structures. This could include onlinespace. Gypsy/Travellers could also be brought together on a theme.

• Work should tie in with opportunities for the community. Some youngGypsyrrravellers have participated at quite high levels, but can only go so far,because they don't have mainstream qualifications. Access to education andemployability are important.

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• It would be good to link in with existing engagement work, such as training anddrama workshops, and focus on reducing discrimination.

• There's a need to engage with other key stakeholders and look at what wouldhelp them, e.g. training for councillors on decision making for land use planning.

• The main conflict relates to sites, where the focus has been on criminalisation,rather than provision. However, this is not the only issue, as there is alsodiscrimination in other areas.

• Some GypsyfTraveliers are becoming more politically aware. In one localauthority area, small groups have got together to establish their own sites, havegot to know local councillors and have been successful with planningapplications.

• In another local authority area, there has been tension between attempts to buildgood relations and get children into school and social issues resulting fromstopping places being left in a poor state.

• COSLA distributed leaflets on migration to councillors, which were abouteducation and training, aimed at changing perceptions and attitudes.

• There needs to be a process for reaching agreement by the group. On someissues, there could be fundamentally opposed positions.

• There is a need to work with what we have and to make the best of it. There maybe more commonality than we think. There's a need to acknowledge the lack ofprogress to date, to learn from mistakes and to move forward with strongleadership.

Action: Jackie to revise remit, taking account of the Group's discussion, toinclude draft wording for a process by which the Group would reachagreement in the event of fundamental differences of views between members.

Action: Jackie to investigate data sources that could be used to set a baselinefor improvement.

Engagement with GypsyfTraveliers

• There's a need to look at all consultation options, but it will be resource intensive.Some people are comfortable in different forums, and there will be highexpectations following the Parliamentary process.

• There's a need to look at engagement techniques, and whether they should betopic specific. Also whether meetings should be held in different locations.

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• The agenda should remain with the community and should be right across theboard. Community members should playa part by going out and speaking toother members of the community.

Action: Group members to suggest members of the Gypsy/Travellercommunity and other relevant representatives who might join the Group by 21April.

Communications strategy

• In the longer term, there will be a need to consider a communications strategy forthe group's work.

• The pre-referendum period of 21 August to 28 September was highlighted.

Action: Jackie to make initial contact with SG Communications about acommunications plan.

Group membership

• It might be useful to have a representative from Police Scotland and a healthrepresentative on the group. It would also be good to have someone who dealswith areas, such as employability, further education, accreditation, skills ortraining, i.e. education in the widest sense.

Action: Jackie to investigate additional membership for the group.

Next steps

Action: Group members to suggest any useful research, reports or goodpractice examples that should be considered in developing the strategy.

Action: Jackie to draft and circulate outline of strategy for comment by Groupmembers by the end of April.

Action: Jackie to trawl recommendationsfrom Equal Opportunities Committeeback to 2001 to see where action is still required and what should be includedin the action plan.

Action: Jackie to circulate the terms of reference of the Gypsy/Traveller SiteWorking Group for information.

Date of next meeting

Action: Jackie to circulate possible dates for future meetings.

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Equality Unit - Race, Religion and Refugee IntegrationApril 2014

8

GYPSY/TRAVELLER STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT GROUP

MEETING ON 29 MAY 2014

MINUTES

Present:

• Marcela Adamova, Friends of Romano Lav• Petra Biberbach, Planning Aid for Scotland• Colin Clark, University of the West of Scotland• Lorraine Cook, COSLA• Maureen Finn, Scottish Traveller Education Project• Suzanne Hyatt, Police Scotland• Lesley Irving, Scottish Government (Chair)• Jill Keegan, Article 12 in Scotland• Michelle Lloyd, Minority Ethnic Carers of People Project• Zahida Ramzan, Fife Council• Fiona Townsley• Jackie Walder, Scottish Government (Minutes)

Apologies:

• lona Burke• Mary Hendry• Alison Hosie, Scottish Human Rights Commission• Freda Kennedy• Lesley Musa, Scottish Government• Chris Oswald, Equality and Human Rights Commission• Siobhan Reardon, Amnesty International

Minutes of the last meeting

• Minutes of the last meeting were agreed without amendment.

An update was provided on progress on actions from the last meeting:

• Jackie is due to meet with a colleague from the Scottish Government's AnalyticalServices to discuss options for baseline and monitoring data.

• There is a new Communications Team covering equality, and Jackie will be intouch with them about this work.

• The Group now has representation from Police Scotland, and healthrepresentation is being sought.

• Other actions have been completed.

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Revised remit

The draft remit was revised following the last meeting. The following points weremade in discussion:

• There needs to be an opportunity for COS LA Leaders to be engaged and to beable to highlight any areas of concern. Local authority buy-in will be important forimplementation of the strategy.

• The Group should aim to make decisions by consensus. Its wide rangingmembership should ensure that any areas of major disagreement can bethoroughly discussed.

• The remit should list the organisations that arerepresented on the Group.

• Some of the timescales listed in the remit need to be amended to reflect currentprogress and to ensure that time is set aside for engagement withGypsylT ravellers.

• There should be greater participation by GypsylTraveliers in working groups,particularly the site working group.

Action: Jackie to revise remit for final agreement by the Group, adding in a listof organisations represented.

Action: Jackie to check and advise on Gypsy/Traveller participation in theGypsy/Traveller Site Working Group.

Draft strategy outline

The draft strategy outline was circulated to Group members in April. No commentswere received. The following points were made in discussion:

• The vision and the purpose of the strategy should be set out up front.

• Need to consider whether justice! police matters should be a theme in its ownright or part of the community theme.

• The title of the health theme should be broadened to wellbeing and shouldinclude issues, such as stress and mental health.

• Case studies could highlight both positive and negative practice. However,where negative practice is involved, case studies should show how improvementhas been made, so that they provide some learning.

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• There is a danger of case study fatigue, so they need to have sometransferability.

• Assets based approaches would fit well with the community theme and could beused to show the contribution of GypsyfTraveller communities to Scottish life.Community empowerment and public land transfer are also relevant to thistheme.

• There's a need to move away from problems to be fixed and to consider howmainstream strategies can reach GypsyfTraveller communities.

• Actions need to have timescales, which will help with monitoring. The ScottishNational Action Plan for Human Rights provides an example of this.

• Experience from developmentof a strategy for GypsyfTravellers will informfurther work relating to Showpeople and migrant Roma communities.

Action: Jackie to revise strategy outline in line with the above comments andcirculate to the Group.

Action: Jackie to circulate template for gathering case studies.

Mapping of EOC recommendations

Mapping of the EOC's recommendations from its 2001, 2012 and 2013 reports onGypsyfTravellers is underway.

Action: Jackie to continue work on the mapping, particularly details ofprogress made on the recommendations.

Action: Group members to provide any comments by end June, particularlyidentifying any recommendations that have been overtaken or any gaps incoverage of actions.

COSLA migration briefings

COS LA developed briefings on migration, as part of a series published by theImprovement Service. They were sent to all Elected Members in Scotland. Noformal evaluation has been undertaken, but they are believed to have been well-received. The following points were made in discussion:

• Awareness raising sessions for Elected Members could be held to coincide withpublication of a similar briefing about GypsyfTravellers.

• Amnesty International has a 'Fact or Fiction' leaflet, which might inform a briefing.

• There is a need to work on the ground and focus on certain key groups, such asElected Members, Community Councils and young people.

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• A small sub-group could be formed to work up a draft briefing onGypsyfTraveliers for Elected Members. It could also include information onShowpeople and migrant Roma communities.

• People need hard hitting information on what is required of them, e.g. underGIRFEC. STEP is working with Govan Law Centre to develop a poster with thistype of information.

Action: Group members to e-mail Jackie, if they are interested in being part ofa sub-group developing a briefing.

Next steps

Action: Jackie to develop a first draft of the strategy, which could be used as abasis for engagement with the GypsylTravelier community.

Action: Jackie to liaise with Group members working with Gypsy/Travellersabout wider engagement.

Date of next meeting

The next meeting will take place on Thursday 14 August.

Equality Unit - Race, Religion and Refugee IntegrationJune 2014

12

GYPSYITRAVELLER STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT GROUP

MEETING ON 14 AUGUST 2014

MINUTES

Present:

• lona Burke, Article 12 in Scotland• Sean Burke, Police Scotland• Lorraine Cook, COSLA• Maureen Finn, Scottish Traveller Education Programme• Julia Frost, Planning Aid for Scotland• Mary Hendry, Scottish Traveller Education Programme• Alison Hosie, Scottish Human Rights Commission• Lesley Irving, Scottish Government (Chair)• Jill Keegan, Article 12 in Scotland• Michelle Lloyd, Minority Ethnic Carers of People Project• Lesley Musa, Scottish Government• Chris Oswald, Equality and Human Rights Commission• Zahida Ramzan, Fife Council• Lynne Tammi, Article 12 in Scotland• Fiona Townsley, Minority Ethnic Carers of People Project• Jackie Walder, Scottish Government (Minutes)

Apologies:

• Marcela Adamova, Friends of Romano Lav• Colin Clark, University of the West of Scotland• Nigel Firth, NHS Grampian• Freda Kennedy• Siobhan Reardon, Amnesty International

Minutes of the last meeting

• Minutes of the last meeting were agreed without amendment.

An update was provided on progress on actions from the meeting:

• There are plans for GypsylTraveliers to attend the next meeting of the SiteWorking Group. It is likely that the focus of that group will then move to specificpieces of work, such as tenancy agreements.

• Jackie is working on pulling together a first draft for the strategy.

• Other actions have been completed or were discussed later in the agenda.

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Revised remit

• Two small amendments were agreed to the remit.

Action: Jackie to finalise remit and circulate to the Group.

Mapping of EOC recommendations and possible action areas

The following points were made on the mapping of recommendations:

• Some of the actions on education could reflect work being undertaken byorganisations funded by the Scottish Government. For example:

o A module for the curriculum is being produced by Article 12 with youngGypsyffravellers for piloting with schools.

o Article 12 aims to work with universities and other partners onproposals for apprenticeships to develop young Gypsy/Travellers' skillswith accredited qualifications to enable them to take up Gypsy/TravellerLiaison Officer roles.

o Article 12 is working with social work and education departments atAberdeen and Dundee Universities to ensure that information aboutGypsy/Travellers is included as part of core coursework. The aim is thatthis should be rolled out to other higher education institutions in Scotland.

o Article 12 is doing work on GIRFEC and the Named Personrequirements with young Gypsy/Traveller peer educators. A guide is dueto be produced for the Gypsy/Traveller community in October.

• There is a need for monitoring of how GYPsYffraveliers are being involved inlocal planning and of whether Local Housing Strategies are delivering sufficientsite provision.

• Showpeople have obtained good sites through Clyde Gateway. It would behelpful to understand how they achieved this.

• Different councils have different planning policies. Planning Aid'sGypsy/Travellers as Young Changemakers project could providerecommendations to national government.

• Legislation is there, but some local authorities need to be reminded of theirresponsibilities. New Scottish Planning Policy provides strong guidance. Thereare checks and balances and strong policy structures.

• Concern that legislation is needed or local authorities will find reasons not toprovide sites. Planning applications are often thrown out, as there is no policy onhow they should be determined.

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• Councils can take or leave whatever they want, not just on sites, but alsoeducation and other areas.

• If councillors and others in senior positions make derogatory comments, peopledon't get a fair hearing, which means they can't get legal remedy. This doesn'tapply to all local authorities, but has happened in some.

• Local authorities should carry out EQIAs on policies relating to GypsyfTraveliers.An FOI request found only one that said they had done one.

• Some local authorities have found difficulty in identifying suitable sites forGypsyfTraveliers, sometimes because of opposition from community councilsand sometimes because GypsyfTraveliers did not feel proposed sites weresuitable.

• The national curriculum and GIRFEC should meet the needs of every child, buttheir interpretation is a different thing.

• Educational issues could be addressed through existing policies, but there can belocal reluctance. Professionals don't always get leadership from senior leaderslocally.

• There is a monitoring process for Local Housing Strategies, but they haven'tdelivered new sites. Question of whether peer review without sanction iseffective and whether targets and timescales should be attached.

• The complexity of the issues means that compulsion could lead to sites in thewrong places. A policy is needed that shows local authorities how to providesites with both sides coming together to ask GypsyfTraveliers whatthey want andensuring sites are in the right places.

• There should be a few sites, not just one in an area, so that there is choice, andthere shouldn't be quotas. Some GypsyfTraveliers, who own land, apply to runtheir own sites.

• Towns are now being built in Scotland. GypsyfTravelier sites could beconsidered alongside them. There needs to be a focus on building communities,not just houses. Training with tenants can help.

• Local authorities can house people very quickly in emergencies, which showswhat can be done when necessary.

• Where the local strategic lead is taken by equalities, approach can be of howpolicies and plans would work if there was an equal playing field. The currentapproach is about solving problems, and this needs to be changed.

• There is nervousness among professionals in local authorities about engagementand how to consult. Need to bring people together to work on equal terms.

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• Housing adaptions for Gypsyrrravellers should be viewed in the same way asadaptations for anyone else would be, i.e. not as a Gypsy/Traveller requirement.The same is the case for self-directed support packages.

Action: Article 12 to provide further information on its different areas of work.

Action: Group members to provide any further comments on the mapping toJackie, by the end of August if possible.

Action: Jackie to develop the mapping further, particularly in relation to health.

Briefings for local authority elected members

The Group agreed that a sub-group would take forward development of a briefing forelected members and would meet on 23 September.

Wider engagement

The Group noted that arrangements for initial wider engagement with members ofthe Gypsyrrraveller community were in hand with the help of Group members. Thefollowing points were made in discussion:

• Engagement with the settled community is important, but there is an issue abouthow to do this. Planning Aid is working with community councils in Perth andKinross, providing training on the planning system and GypsyfTraveliers' cultureand rights.

Any other business

The following points were made:

• MECOPP will be taking part in the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festivalin October.

• A GypsyfTraveller event will be included as part of a festival in the Mull ofGalloway.

Date of next meeting

Action: Jackie to circulate possible dates for future meetings.

Equality Unit - Race, Religion and Refugee IntegrationAugust 2014

16

GYPSYITRAVELLER STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT GROUP

MEETING ON 3 NOVEMBER 2014

MINUTES

Present:

• Ross Aitken, Police Scotland• Lucy Arnot, Minority Ethnic Carers of People Project• Lorraine Cook, COSLA• Nigel Firth, NHS Grampian• Mary Hendry, Scottish Traveller Education Programme• Alison Hosie, Scottish Human Rights Commission• Jon Hunter, Scottish Government• Lesley Irving, Scottish Government (Chair)• Jill Keegan, Article 12 in Scotland• Jackie Walder, Scottish Government (Minutes)

Apologies:

• Marcela Adamova, Friends of Romano Lav• Petra Biberbach, Planning Aid for Scotland• lona Burke, Article 12 in Scotland• Colin Clark, University of the West of Scotland• Maureen Finn, Scottish Traveller Education Programme• Freda Kennedy• Michelle Lloyd, Minority Ethnic Carers of People Project• Lesley Musa, Scottish Government• Chris Oswald, Equality and Human Rights Commission• Zahida Ramzan, Fife Council• Siobhan Reardon, Amnesty International• Fiona Townsley, Minority Ethnic Carers of People Project

Minutes of the last meeting

• Minutes of the last meeting were agreed without amendment.

Presentation on Census data

Jon gave a presentation on the latest data relating toGypsylTraveliers from the 2011Census. Key points were:

• GypsyfTraveliers had a younger age profile than the population as a whole. Only4% were over 70 years old, compared with 12% of the general population.

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• 7% of GypsyfTraveliers reported thaUhey did not speak English well. Thisresponse was self-determined.

• Religious affiliation was similar to the population as a whole, except that fewerGypsyfTraveliers were members of the Church of Scotland, and more weremembers of other Christian religions.

• GypsyfTraveliers were less likely to be married than the population as a whole,and higher rates of divorce and separation were reported. There were more loneparents, but fewer households where everyone was older. There were also morehouseholds with three or more dependent children than in the general population.

• Higher proportions of GypsyfTraveliers reported a long term health problem ordisability than the general population. This was despite the GypsyfTravelierpopulation age profile being younger.

• The local authority with the most GypsyfTraveliers was Perth and Kinross.

• More data from the Census will be available in early 2015. The Scottish HousingCharter includes an indicator on GypsyfTravelier sites, which focuses on rentlevels and tenant satisfaction. This data will also add to the evidence base forpolicy development.

The following points were made in discussion:

• The data is consistent with previous studies. Life expectancy forGypsyfTraveliers is around ten years and up to 20 years less than the generalpopulation. Reasons for this include the predominance of agriculturalemployment, which leads to high levels of rheumatism and bronchial conditions.Most caravans are difficult to keep warm in winter, and there are also issues withcontinuity of health care. It's difficult to keep track of people with medicalconditions, when GypsyfTraveliers are moved on frequently.

• GypsyfTravelier sites which have good GP services can be used as a base forhealth promotion.

• Some of the statistics about age profile, divorce rates and lone parents aresurprising. It may be aboutwho identified as GypsyfTraveliers and whocompleted the forms. It's difficult to see how this can be resolved, but if thestatistics aren't an accurate reflection of the GypsyfTravelier community, it'sdifficult to have the evidence base that is needed for good service provision.However, the 2011 Census provides a baseline and a start to encourage morepeople to identify themselves.

• A lot of work was done by GROS at the time to encourage participation in theCensus. There were some messages about reluctance to identify asGypsyfTraveliers, so there are health warnings on the data. There will be furtherengagement work in preparation for the 2021 Census, and there will be learning

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that can be taken from the experience of 2011. The response rate is likely to bebetter next time.

• Estimates put the Scottish Gypsyffraveller population at around 20,000,compared with 4,200 who self-identified in the 2011 Census.

• Craigforth research identified around 500 - 650 Gypsyffravellers in Grampianaround 2009. This fits with anecdotal evidence from health workers. There is notbelieved to have been any marked increase or decrease since 2009. There weregood levels of participation in the Census, considering the lack of halting sites.

• Generally, the same core group of Gypsyffravellers move in and out ofagricultural work in Grampian. Since the recession, there has also been apattern of Irish Gypsyffravellers travelling to Aberdeen for work. SomeRomanian Gypsyffravellers have also arrived and are known to health andlanguage services.

• The proportion of the population identifying as Gypsyffravellers was similar inboth the Scottish and English Censuses in 2011.

• Older Gypsyffravellers may be less likely to self-identify and may be missed, asthey are usually cared for in the home.

• Younger Gypsyffravellers have a more difficult time in trying to retain theirtraditions. There is a danger that they will isolate themselves away from the restof the population. There is a trend of moving to holiday camps to get site qualityand access to services.

• There is competition for employment from migrant workers. Trading laws arealso making access to work more difficult.

• The next Census is likely to be more online. There are some issues with digitalliteracy and access to broadband on sites for the Gypsyffraveller community.However, younger Gypsyffravellers are very IT literate, so are able to help theirfamilies with online access. Many Gypsyffravellers advertise their businessesonline. Broadband connectivity is also likely to be better by 2021.

Update on briefing for local authority elected members

Jackie advised that the briefing sub-group had met twice and had discussed apotential structure and content for a briefing for elected members. At the secondmeeting, the Improvement Service had explained how they could assist in theprocess, and colleagues from local authorities had provided useful information.Lorraine advised that COS LA had sought the views of elected members about plansfor a briefing, and the response had been very positive. The following points weremade in discussion:

• Councillors are often supportive at events, but outnumbered at council votes,following pressure from some members of the settled community.

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• There has been a suggestion about a mandatory ratio of halting sites to thesettled population, but others consider they wouldn't work, as they wouldn'tnecessarily be where GypsylTraveUers want to live. When funding was availablefor new sites, it wasn't taken up by local authorities.

• The process of being moved on is highly stressful and a factor in poor healthoutcomes.

Action: Jackie to include outline of briefing on agenda for next meeting.

Stakeholder engagement plan

Jackie outlined the draft stakeholder engagement plan and the different areas ofengagement with the GypsylTravelier community that had been identified. Shenoted that it would be important to use the networks of Group members to getfeedback on the strategy and its actions. The following points were made indiscussion:

• TENET (education) meetings include a representative from every local authorityin Scotland. There is also a GypsylTravelier school in South Lanarkshire.

• Young GypsylTraveliers working with Article 12 could also take a questionnaire totheir communities and could achieve a good geographical spread. MECOPPcould also help in principle.

• A note should be provided as a discussion starter for any engagement around thestrategy.

• There is an issue with 'consultation fatigue' among the GypsylTraveliercommunity. It will be important for engagement to be flexible and notburdensome.

Action: Group members to suggest any opportunities for engagement, eitherthrough their own networks or through planned events in early 2015.

Action: Jackie to draft a discussion starter note for the next meeting.

Scottish Traveller Education Review Group update

Jackie noted that the Scottish Traveller Education Review Group had met in Octoberand agreed to widen its membership in preparation for developing guidance oneducation for Travellers. The guidance would be aimed at supporting policies andpractice to improve educational outcomes for Travellers.

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Any other business

Lesley noted that an awareness raising campaign relating to GypsylTraveliers isplanned for 2015.

Date of next meeting

The next meeting is due to take place on Thursday 22 January 2015.

Equality Unit - Race, Religion and Refugee IntegrationNovember 2014

21

GYPSYffRAVELLER SITE WORKING GROUP

MINUTES OF 1st MEETING, HELD ON 16 JANUARY 2014

Present

William Fleming, Head, Housing Services Policy, Scottish GovernmentAmanda Farquhar, Gypsy/Traveller Liaison Officer, Aberdeen City CouncilSandra Wood, Senior Housing Officer, Aberdeen City CouncilJim Hayton, Policy Manager, Association of Local Authority Chief Housing OfficersLorraine Cook, Migration, Population and Diversity Team, COSLAChris Oswald, Head of Policy & Communications, Equality and Human Rights CommissionLesley Corio, Travelling Persons Site Manager (West), Fife CouncilSuzanne Munday, Chief Executive, Minority Ethnic Carers of Older People ProjectDavid Wood, Planning & Policy Manager, Planning Aid For Scotland (PAS)Paula Clark, Chief Inspector, Safer Communities, Police ScotlandDavid Gillanders, Constable, Safer Communities, Police ScotlandMary Hendry, Scottish Traveller Education ProgrammeJackie Walder, Equality Unit, Scottish Government

(All below from Scottish Government)Claire Tosh, Housing Services and Regeneration DivisionBen Haynes, Housing Services and Regeneration DivisionGed Millar, Housing Services and Regeneration Division

Item 1: Welcome and introductions

1. William Fleming welcomed members to the first meeting ofthe Group. He outlined theGroup's background, and that it had been formed in light of the recommendations in theEqual Opportunities Committee Report Where Gypsy/Travellers Live but was not constrainedby the report's recommendations. Members of the Group then briefly introduced themselves.There were apologies from Jessie Wallace of the Travellers Site Managers AssociationScotland, Lyn Murray of Fife Council, Michelle Lloyd of Minority Ethnic Carers of OlderPeople Project, Superintendent Gavin Philip of Police Scotland, and Petra Biberbach ofPlanning Aid For Scotland.

Item 2: Purpose and Remit of the Gypsyffraveller Site Working Group (Paper 0112014)

2. Ben Haynes briefly outlined the contents of the paper, highlighting the outcomes it wasproposed the Group should focus on delivering, and the scope of the Group's work. Therewas general agreement that the right areas of focus had been identified, and the desiredoutcomes provided a suitable basis for work at the moment, subject to adaptation anddevelopment as the Group's work moved forward. In discussion the Group made thefollowing points:

• It would be important to ensure that the views of members of the Gypsy/Travellercommunity, and the settled community, were heard as the work of the Groupdeveloped. There was some discussion about how best that could be achieved, and itwas agreed that this was something the Group would need to consider further. It was

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suggested that engaging withcommunity councils and tenant/resident groups could bea way of hearing the views of members of the settled community. It was also notedthat there was 'consultation fatigue' in the Gypsy/Traveller community and thatwould need to be overcome. William Fleming clarified that Group members werewelcome to share its papers and minutes with others.

• The Group's work would need to be linked into work elsewhere in the ScottishGovernment on associated issues, so that the appropriate connections can be made. Inresponse to this Jackie Walder briefly set out the overarching work Equality Unitwould be overseeing, and agreed to update the Group at each meeting as that workprogressed.

• The Equality and Human Rights Commission had commissioned research on whatconstitutes a successful Gypsy/Traveller site, and this could be shared with the Grouponce it had been carried out.

• It was worth thinking about a long term approach to the issues identified, in additionto considering what actions would improve the situation in the short to medium term.

Actions

• API: A new standing item on the agenda of future meetings for Jackie Walder toupdate the Group on other Scottish Government work relating to theGypsylTraveller community.

• AP2: Group members to consider how best to involve and engage a cross-sectionof members of the GypsylTravellerand settled communities.

Item 3: Where GypsylTravellers Live Report & Background Information (Paper 02/2014)

3. Ben Haynes briefly introduced Paper 02/2014, which setout the site relatedrecommendations of the Equal Opportunity Committee's report Where Gypsy/TravellersLive, together with the Scottish Government's response and general background information.The Group then discussed the paper, and the following views were expressed:

• There was considerable discussion about whether it should be compulsory for localauthorities to provide Gypsy/Traveller sites. One view was that the current approach,using guidance and advice, had not delivered the necessary. number of sites. Anotherwas that decisions on sites should be made locally, and sanctions at a national levelfor a local authority that did not provide sites would not be effective. It was alsonoted that a system of compulsion might well result in more sites being built, it wouldnot necessarily be able to ensure that they were built in areas that Gypsy/Travellerwould want to use. Lastly it was noted that any compulsion to provideGypsy/Traveller sites would still require there to be an assessment at a local level ofthe level of need.

• Site standards could be poor. There was a need to clear on who was responsible forthem, and on how they could be enforced.

• While the system used in the past of having pitch targets was not supported, onebenefit it did have was providing a yardstick to measure whether or not a local

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authority was providing an appropriate level of pitches for the Gypsy/Travellercommunity in its area.

• Private and voluntary-run Gypsy/Traveller sites also had a role to play in meeting theneeds of the Gypsy/Traveller community.

• In East Ayrshire progress had been made in relation to establishing a newGypsy/Traveller site, with considerable work underway to inform those involved inmaking decisions about the site about the needs and lifestyle of members of theGypsy/Traveller community. That work could be worth exploring further.

• There was a question as to whether the Group had enough evidence on the currentlevel of site provision and need, and agreement that, acting through COS LA, it shouldinvite local authorities to provide it with information they held on a number of points.

Actions

• AP3: The Group's work needed to be informed by good information on thecurrent situation. Members of the Group (particularly those from COSLA andlocal authorities) were therefore asked to provide information on:

a) the total number of Gypsy/Traveller sites in each local authority area;

b) of that total, how many are local authority, Registered Social landlord, and

privately run;

c) the combined total capacity of the sites in each local authority area;

d) any views on the quality of the sites.

This data would be handled sensitively, but was essential in giving the Group anaccurate picture of the level of current provision. Could Group members pleasesend it to Ben Haynes in the Scottish Government by Friday 21 March.

Item 4: Any Other Business

4. No other business was raised. William Fleming thanked Group members for theircomments and views. The next meeting of the Group would be in April.

• AP4: The Scottish Government to set a date in April for the next meeting of theGroup, when the Group would consider the issue of site provision and quality inlight of the data collated.

Housing Services and Regeneration DivisionJanuary 2014

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GYPSYITRA VELLER SITE WORKING GROUPDRAFT MINUTES OF 2nd MEETING, 15 MAY 2014

Present

• William Fleming, Head Housing Services Policy, Scottish Government (in the chair),• Jim Hayton, Policy Manager, Association of Local Authority Chief Housing Officers• Lorraine Cook, Migration, Population and Diversity Team, COSLA• Lyn Murray, Fife Council• Gerry Darroch, East-Ayrshire Council• Moyra Stephen, Aberdeenshire Council• Susan Hyatt, Police Scotland• Brian Kane, Travellers Site Managers Association• Chris Oswald, Equality and Human Rights Commission• Jackie Walder, Equality Unit, Scottish Government• Ged Millar, Housing Services and Regeneration Division, Scottish Government

Item 1: Welcome and introductions

1. William Fleming opened the second meeting of the Group. There were apologies from:

• Amanda Farquhar, Gypsy/Traveller Liaison Officer, Aberdeen City Council• Sandra Wood, Senior Housing Office, Aberdeen City Council• Jessie Wallace, Travellers Site Managers Association• Gavin Philip, Police Scotland• Mary Hendry, Scottish Traveller Education Programme• Lesley Corio, Travelling Persons Site Manager (West), Fife Council• Michelle Lloyd of Minority Ethnic Carers of Older People Project• Petra Biberbach, Planning Aid for Scotland.

Item 2. Minutes of the previous meeting.

2. The minutes ofthe last meeting in January were approved without amendment.

Item 3. GypsylTraveller Sites - Quantity and Quality (paper 03/2014)

3. Dr Philip Brown, from the Sustainable Housing & Urban Studies Unit at the University ofSalford, gave a short presentation. This summarised the key findings from his recent researchpaper (commissioned by the Equality and Human Rights Commission), which were that:

• The successful development of new Gypsy/Traveller sites depended heavily on localauthorities engaging with all interested parties at an early stage in the developmentprocess and then sustaining that engagement throughout the process. Councilplanners with the knowledge and awareness of the Gypsy/Traveller community wereseen as particularly significant in helping to ensure that new sites met the needs ofGypsy/Travellers and were accepted by the local settled community.

• The apparent fear among settled communities that new site provision wouldencourage more travellers to an area was not supported by the evidence the study hadcollected.

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• The recent privately developed site at Falkirk was seen as a good example ofovercoming obstacles, such as local resistance, through good and open engagementwith the local community;

• No specific budget exist within local authorities for development of new sites orupgrading of existing sites.

4. Following Dr Brown's presentation the Working Group discussed Paper 03/2013, on theGypsy/Traveller site provision and quality. During a wide ranging discussion the followingpoints were made:

• There was some disappointment that the possible next steps suggested in the Paperwere not more ambitious.

• Some local authorities appeared reluctant to meet the needs of Gypsy/Travellers. Thisraised the question of whether authorities generally should be placed under a legalduty to make sure there was Gypsy/Traveller site provision in their area. However,while there was room for improvement, compulsion might prove counter-productive.It would be preferable and more effective to encourage local authorities to learn fromeach other authorities' experience and practice of providing good sites.

• Measuring need and demand for sites and pitches was challenging, but localauthorities needed to move away from extended arguments over analysis and data,which often became excuses for not taking difficult decisions.

• Some Group members believed Community Councils were not representative andadded little value to local discussions about developing new Gypsy/Traveller sites.Others believed that they could reduce misguided hostility to sites and provide abridge between the wider community and Gypsy/Travellers.

• There was an argument that transit sites helped to meet a particular type of need andtherefore complemented longer-stay sites. Against it there was the view thatGypsy/Travellers themselves did not like such sites and were unlikely to use them.

• Assessments of the need for Gypsy/Traveller sites in a given area had to take accountof those Gypsy/Travellers who lived more or less permanently in an area, thosetravelling through an area looking for temporary accommodation, and those travellingthrough who did not intend to use official sites (even if they were provided). It wasoften impractical to base such assessments on the needs of a single local authority,and better instead to consider need, and how to meet it, at a regional level covering anumber of local authority areas.

5. At the conclusion of this discussion the Group identified a number of potential nextactions that could be taken to improve the provision and quality of sites:

• Examining the possibility of training and awareness events to challenge stereotypesabout the Gypsy/Traveller community. Such events could also showcase and sharethe best of existing practice.

• Exploring whether ALACHO could establish a forum to develop and share goodpractice between local authorities.

• Exploring whether the recent review of the Local Housing Strategy process providedan opportunity to highlight the need for a robust assessment of the needs ofGypsy/Travellers.

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• Updating the former Scottish Office 1997 guidance on site provision.

Item 4. Tenancy Agreements

6. The Working group discussed tenancy agreements for Gypsy/Traveller sites. There was ageneral view that all Gypsy/Travellers who rented a pitch from a social landlord should enjoythe same core rights as tenants in social housing - in effect mirroring the standard rights thatmost tenants enjoyed under the Scottish Secure Tenancy (SST). Given the variation inamenities and services that social landlords provided on their sites, there would need to bescope for each landlord to reflect these variations through the addition of specific terms. Thissuggested the need for a model tenancy agreement setting out core rights and duties for allpitches, to which individual landlords could add their own terms to reflect the local needs andpriorities. A version of South Lanarkshire Council's agreement was proposed as the basis fordeveloping such a model.

Item 5. Wider Engagement Work (paper OS/2014)

7. It was agreed that the Working Group's engagement with Gypsy/Travellers should bedeveloped in light of the Scottish Government's wider engagement activity around theoverarching strategy and action plan for Gypsy/Travellers. It was noted that housing wasoften important in accessing other services such as health and education, so the need foradequate site provision was likely to be an important theme in the wider strategy.

Item 6. Any Other Business

8. Jackie Walder provided an update of the aims and latest work of the Gypsy/TravellerStrategy Development Group. The Development Group provided an opportunity to exploreideas, and housing policy colleagues keep the relevant officials aware of work around sites.

9. The next meeting would consider unauthorised encampments. The Chairman askedmembers to provide any ideas they had on that issue for the Group's consideration.

Housing Services and Regeneration DivisionJune 2014

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GYPSYITRA VELLER SITE WORKING GROUPDRAFT MINUTES OF 3rd MEETING, 13 AUGUST 2014

Present

• William Fleming, Head Housing Services Policy, Scottish Government (chair),• Amanda Farquhar, Gypsy/Traveller Liaison Officer, Aberdeen City Council• Sandra Wood, Senior Housing Office, Aberdeen City Council• Wendy Henderson, Equalities & Diversity Manager, City of Edinburgh Council• Chris Oswald, Equality and Human Rights Commission• Lorraine Cook, Migration, Population and Diversity Team, COSLA• Lesley Corio, Travelling Persons Site Manager (West), Fife Council• Lyn Murray, Fife Council• Michelle Lloyd of Minority Ethnic Carers of Older People Project (MECOP)• Kirsten Scott, MECOP• Brian Kane, Travellers Site Managers Association• Jessie Wallace, Travellers Site Managers Association• Jackie Walder, Equality Unit, Scottish Government• Ben Haynes, Housing Services and Regeneration Division, Scottish Government• Ged Millar, Housing Services and Regeneration Division, Scottish Government

Item 1: Welcome and introductions

1. William Fleming opened the second meeting of the Group. There were apologies from:

• Moyra Stephen, Aberdeenshire Council• Jim Hayton, Policy Manager, Association of Local Authority Chief Housing Officers• Gerry Darroch, East Ayrshire Council• Petra Biberbach, Planning Aid for Scotland.• Gavin Philip, Police Scotland• Mary Hendry, Scottish Traveller Education Programme

Item 2. Minutes of the previous meeting.

2. The minutes of the last meeting in May were approved without amendment.

Item 3. Unauthorised Encampments (Paper 06/2014)

3. Wendy Henderson was asked to describe the approach taken in Edinburgh to managingunauthorised encampments, Key points were:

• in Edinburgh unauthorised sites were established by families that tended to returneach year, and thus were relatively easy to manage. The Council tried to adopt apositive, supportive approach towards the families and that had generally worked wellin helping to manage encampments;

• the emphasis was on safety and protection. The Council responded quickly to anyallegations of bullying behaviour directed towards those living on encampments.

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• the Council took a measured, strategic response to. handling media interest inencampments and sought to present information about them in a way that did notencourage inflammatory reporting by the media.

• one of the main complaints from the settled community was about the consequencesof there being no facilities for disposing of human waste. The Council were exploringthe possibility of providing compostable toilets.

• political leaders in Edinburgh understood that encampments raised a number ofsensitive equality and diversity issues. Staffhad good connections with politicalleaders who were aware of the overarching approach and procedures that the staffadopted in dealing with encampments.

• Council staff communicated clear expectations to those living on encampments abouthow they were expected to treat the land, and the standards of behaviour expected ofthem.

4. Working Group members were then invited to outline their experience of unauthorisedencampments, and of how they were managed. Points made in a wide-ranging discussionincluded:

• there can be a lack of awareness about the Gypsy/Traveller community among electedmembers;

• a small number of travellers who behave in an unacceptable way can have adisproportionate impact on a local community, and on the reputation of theGypsy/Travellers generally;

• some Gypsy/Travellers disliked local authority sites and preferred using private sites.There were also Gypsy/Travellers who did not wish to use formal sites, preferringroadside camping, which they saw as part of their traditional way of life;

• Gypsy/Travellers who broke the law should be treated no differently from anyone elsewho committed an offence;

• front-line council staff had taken a strong stand against members of the public whohad expressed racist views about Gypsy/ Travellers; they reminded such people thateven if the behaviour of a small minority of Gypsy/Travellers was unacceptable,Gypsy/Travellers generally must not be stereotyped;

• the term 'unauthorised encampment' was considered loaded and pejorative and shouldperhaps be replaced by a more neutral term. However it was also noted that the term'unauthorised site' was a useful way of distinguishing those sites that had planningpermission from those that did not;

• good and continuing communication between all parties played a critical role indefusing the tensions created by unauthorised encampments. It was also importantthat councillors and political leaders had consistent, measured, messages when it cameto handling media enquiries about unauthorised encampments;

• as with mainstream housing, a variety of different types of provision should beavailable to meet the different needs and circumstances of Gypsy/Travellers. Thisshould include local authority authorised sites, private sites, family owned sites, and -ideally - sites operated by registered social landlords

Item 6. Any Other Business

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5. Jackie Walder provided an update of the aims and latest work of the Gypsy/TravellerStrategy Development Group, whose next meeting would take place on the following day.The Development Group provided an opportunity to explore ideas about all aspects ofGypsy/Travellers' needs. Housing policy officials ensured that their counterparts in areassuch as health and education, were of developments in policy on sites and related matters.

6. Lorraine Cook reported that the relevant CoSLA groups would shortly be considering theissues raised by the Working Group, and those about Gypsy/Traveller sites generally.

7. Kirsten Scott, who was carrying out a research project for MECOP and ALACHO, askedmeeting attendees to look out for a questionnaire issued to local authorities requestinginformation about Local Housing Strategies. Chris Oswald said the Dr Philip Brown'sresearch, commissioned by ECHR, would be published shortly.

8. The next (and final) Working Group meeting would consider the full range of topics andpapers covered in the previous meetings, and discuss what actions the Scottish Governmentand other stakeholders would be taking in response number of representatives from theGypsy/Traveller community would be attending that meeting.

Housing Services and Regeneration DivisionAugust 2014

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GYPSYITRA VELLER SITE WORKING GROUPDRAFT MINUTES OF MEETING 4 (FINAL), 4TH NOVEMBER 2014

Present

• William Fleming, Head Housing Services Policy, Scottish Government (Chair)• Amanda Farquhar, Gypsy/Traveller Liaison Officer, Aberdeen City Council• Sandra Wood, Senior Housing Office, Aberdeen City Council• Wendy Henderson, Equalities & Diversity Manager, City of Edinburgh Council• Chris Oswald, Equality and Human Rights Commission• Lorraine Cook, Migration, Population and Diversity Team, COSLA• Lesley Corio, Fife Council• Lyn Murray, Fife Council• Kirsten Scott, Minority Ethnic Carers of Older People Project (MECOPP)• Kevin McKay, MECOPP• Brian Kane, Travellers Site Managers Association• Jessie Wallace, Travellers Site Managers Association• John Jenkins, Scottish Housing Regulator• Graeme Perry, Scottish Housing Regulator• Jackie Walder, Scottish Government Equality Unit• Claire Tosh, Housing Services and Regeneration Division, Scottish Government• Ben Haynes, Housing Services and Regeneration Division, Scottish Government• Ged Millar, Housing Services and Regeneration Division, Scottish Government

Item 1: Welcome and introductions

1. William Fleming opened the final meeting of the Group and thanked those for attending.There were apologies from Moyra Stephen, Aberdeenshire Council; Gerry Darroch, EastAyrshire Council; Michelle Lloyd, MECOPP; and Petra Biberbach, Planning Aid forScotland.

Item 2: Minutes of the previous meeting.

2. The minutes of the last meeting in August were approved without amendment.

Item 3: Initial Findings of MECOPP Sponsored Research

3. Kirsten Scott presented a summary of the interim findings of her research for MECOPP(the final report, with further details, was due to be published later). The research wascommended for achieving such a high response rate from local authorities. In discussion ofthe research the following observations were made by the Group:

• some members questioned the accuracy of the Census data, which does not appear todistinguish between Gypsy/Traveller numbers and Showpeople, and which somebelieved undercounted the number of Gypsy/Travellers in Scotland;

• others thought that assessment of household needs can only ever be based onprojections;

• the research was a useful starting point for more detailed discussions and work atlocal authority housing officer level;

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• recent changes to guidance on Local Housing Strategies and Housing Needs DemandAssessments may help address some of the points raised by the research;

• in some areas the research has focussed on yes or no questions and may thereforehave missed important work underway by authorities. For example City of EdinburghCouncil does not have a separate Gypsy/Traveller Strategy, but has performed well onoutcomes for Gypsy/Travellers in recent years. However it was noted that some ofthe survey questions were open to allow authorities to provide more detail on theirwork.

Item 4: Summary of Group's Work, Discussions, and Next Steps (Paper 7/2014)

4. Paper 7/2014 provided the Group with an overview of its work, and the next actions theGovernment planned to take forward. Members agreed that the Group's meetings hadoffered a valuable opportunity to examine and discuss the key issues, and broadly welcomedthe work the Government planned to take. In discussion of the paper the following pointswere also made:

• there was general consensus around most of the issues, and agreement that the stepsthe Scottish Government has outlined would be welcome. Some Group memberswere disappointed the Government was not planning to take more radical action, butaccepted within that context the actions suggested were positive ways of addressingthe issues.

• The provision of private sites plays makes an important contribution to site provision,as part of a 'mixed economy' with a range of different site providers.

• strong local leadership on Gypsy/Traveller issues was an important aspect of securingincreased site provision. This was something that authorities that had made someprogress on site provision had in place.

• there was sometimes a lack of effective engagement with the Gypsy/Travellercommunity on decisions that affect them. There was a clear role for Equalities teamsin local authorities to support elected members and other public facing staff inengaging effectively with the community.

• issues around planning needed to be explored further. Encouraging and supportingGypsy/Travellers to be proactive and engaged with the planning system could also beimportant.

• the action to improve site quality standards would demonstrate to the community thatthe Gypsy/Travellers are entitled to demand the same level of quality standards ontheir sites as are enjoyed by people occupying rented council housing.

Scottish Housing Charter

5. Officials from the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) spoke about their work onGypsy/Traveller issues. The Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) has responsibility forinspecting local authority housing services, and reports on the progress authorities have madeagainst the content of the Scottish Housing Charteri. The Charter requires local authoritiesand Registered Social Landlords to make sure their Gypsy/Traveller sites are "wellmaintained and managed". As part of their normal work assessing social landlords againstthe Charter the SHR have collected data on site satisfaction and rent levels on

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Gypsy/Traveller sites. This found a wide variation in satisfaction levels, and the level ofrents.

6. In light of this, SHR are carrying out a thematic inspection on the issue ofGypsy/Travellers sites. This is primarily to examine what factors might underlie the widevariations, and to find examples of good practice that others can learn from.

Item 5: Any Other Competent Business

7. Members brought a number of points to the Group's attention:

• There was an update on the work of the Gypsy/Traveller Strategy DevelopmentGroup, whose remit cuts across site provision issues. This group were invited toshare examples of case studies and best practice examples, some of which had airedat the meeting. The new One Scotland Campaign" promoting equality andinclusivity, was also mentioned. It is planned for the campaign to focus onGypsy/Travellers in spring 2015.

• EHRC had visited South Lanarkshire to explore site provision in the area. Indiscussion in the Group it was noted that there were often good relationships betweencouncillors and Gypsy/Travellers in the area, and openness to establishing newprivate sites. It was also noted that in some areas an increase in the number ofGypsy/Travellers had helped to maintain services such as village schools. It arguablydemonstrated that where the political will and appetite exist new sites can beestablished.

Close of Group

8. The Chair noted that this would be the final meeting ofthe Group. He thanked theGroup's members for providing the Scottish Government with a clearer picture of thiscomplex area and contributing to potential ways forward. While this was the Group's lastmeeting, officials expected to work with many of its members in taking forward the workidentified in paper 7/2014.

Housing Services and Regeneration DivisionNovember 2014

http://housingcharter.scotland.gov. uklmedia/34241 /the%20scottish%20social%20housing%20charter.QQf

ii http://www.onescotland.org/

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