10 THE GYPSY SITE REFURBISHMENT
GRANT
139. In
2001 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister launched the Gypsy
Sites Refurbishment Grant, a challenge fund aimed at refurbishing
and extending the network of local authority Gypsy sites in England.
£17 million was made available to local authorities over
the three year period between 2001-2004. A further £8 million
has been made available for 2004/05.
140. From 2001 the grant was only available to fund
refurbishment of existing provision of sites
for Gypsies and Travellers. Local authorities could apply for
75% of the total costs of refurbishment, funding the remaining
25% themselves. Grants were awarded where refurbishment would
significantly extend the useful life of an existing site; bring
an unused or under-used site back into full use; improve the quality
of life for the residents by modernising or improving sub-standard
facilities; or provide new facilities. From 2003 the scheme was
extended to allow local authorities to bid for 100% of the costs
of developing new transit sites and emergency stopping places.
The grant was awarded to local authorities where new sites would
be likely to reduce nuisance or disorder arising from unauthorised
encampments.
141. It is widely acknowledged that the grants have
made a significant contribution to refurbishment of sites as
Dr Kenrick told us:
"In some cases sites have been quite transformed.
People have water for their own caravans instead of communal water.
They have larger plots, which families need now because then the
younger children can stay on a bit longer if you have a larger
plot. People are happy on the whole with the way the refurbishment
grants are being used. I think of Bexley, for example, great improvements."[182]
However, Dr Kenrick adds that an unfortunate side-effect
of the modernisation of sites has been a reduction in the number
of pitches available:
"The effect of the refurbishment grants
has in many cases been to improve sites by making larger plots
but cutting their number. […]. "The current grant does
not provide for new residential sites only for transit sites.
Two transit sites were given financial help on the last round
of bidding and none in so far this year."[183]
Dr Home is concerned by this development:
"There are some excellent sites and some
of the refurbishments have been very well spent, but a number
of these sites, […] have reduced the numbers of pitches.
Where have those people gone? They usually are pushed into council
housing. I had a case where they were pushed into council housing,
told it was only temporary, their caravan was put in store and
then - surprise, surprise - it burned down while the local authority
secured accommodation. They are now stuck in a council house where
they do not want to be and they cannot go back to the site because
their pitch has gone."[184]
142. NAGTO believe that the grant should be extended
to allow funding of all new sites, not just transit or emergency
stopping places. They also believe that the application system
should require assessment of the site management. There have recently
been reports in the press that sites have been vandalised after
refurbishment work has taken place. NAGTO believe that if grants
were dependent on demonstration of appropriate management, the
number of such incidences would be reduced:
"The existing funding arrangements should
continue and the 100% grant be extended to include construction
and improvement of new accommodation. For the grant of funding
assistance, the location and more importantly, the management
structure of the site should be centrally-approved. This to ensure
the correct location is chosen with a robust management structure
in place, capable of undertaking the full range of management
duties to ensure the efficient running and maintenance of existing
sites. The funding arrangements should also be extended to include
additional accommodation on the sites more in keeping with modern
expectations of the Gypsy and travelling community, particularly
with regard to the health, welfare and safety of site residents.
The whole process of grant aid should be monitored and supervised
centrally, and inspections undertaken to ensure that grant aid
is used as intended in the application. In the past, grant aid
has been approved without inspection of sites to ensure that government
funding is wellused and in appropriate ways."[185]
Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London calls for increased
Government funding:
"I support the need for increased central
Government funding, to supplement the existing funding stream
for refurbishment of sites, with funding for the creation and
management of new good quality sites, both residential and transit,
the latter being particularly resource intensive to manage."[186]
143. The National Association of Gypsy and Traveller
Officers believes that there needs to be greater certainty of
funding provision:
"To ensure applications for provision the
Government would also be required to indicate a long-term commitment
to the grant aid process so that temporary and short-stay sites
would receive specific grant apart from the temporary grant aid
available for gypsy site refurbishment and temporary and permanent
provision. This grant aid will be essential if the provision of
temporary and short-stay sites is going to be taken seriously
as an alternative to the increasing unauthorised encamping which
is taking place in certain areas of the country."[187]
144. Pat Niner also suggests this in her report on
"The Provision and Condition of local authority Gypsy/Traveller
Sites in England". She concludes that some form of financial
assistance will be needed on a continuing basis to maintain and
retain sites because it is unlikely that income from rents alone
will ever cover both day-to-day running costs and major repairs
or up-grading. She is concerned that challenge funds, while widely
used, introduce a lottery element into planning. She suggests:
"A more assured and predictable means of providing funding
might encourage authorities to plan better and really involve
residents in the schemes without the fear that they may prove
abortive".[188]
and suggests thought is given to extending the scheme beyond local
authority sites: "At present the Gypsy Site Refurbishment
Grant is only available for local authority sites. The trend towards
privatising sites through sales or leases to registered social
landlords or Gypsies/Travellers raises the question of longer
term funding for site improvements and up-grading in the private
sector".[189]
145. A recent article in Housing Today magazine also
raises this issue.[190]
Registered Social Landlords have permission to build and manage
sites, but Housing Today suggests that RSLs may be unwilling to
build their own sites because they are not eligible for ODPM refurbishment
grants; and will be unable to raise sufficient revenue from rental
income to pay for long-term maintenance.
146. In oral evidence the Rt. Hon Keith Hill,
Minister of State for Housing and Planning, suggests the pattern
of future funding is under review:
"We have had a funding stream in the past
period which has been about both the refurbishment of existing
sites and the provision of transit sites. Within the context of
the spending review we will obviously want to look at future allocations."[191]
147. The Gypsy Sites Refurbishment Grant scheme
has improved the condition of many local authority Gypsy and Traveller
sites in England, and we are pleased that ODPM has extended the
scheme into 2004-5. One consequence of the modernisation of sites
has been the reduction in the number of pitches available. Although
we welcome the extension of the scheme to allow grant applications
for development of new transit sites and emergency stopping places,
there is still a need to allow applications for the development
of new residential sites. If the Government does not re-introduce
a statutory duty on local authorities to provide accommodation
for Gypsies and Travellers, then we recommend the grant scheme
should also be extended to include applications for the development
of private sites, including those built by registered social landlords.
182 Q 30 [Dr Donald Kenrick] Back
183
Ev 23-4 [Dr Donald Kenrick] Back
184
Q 30 [Dr Home] Back
185
HC 63-III, Ev 79 , [National Association of Gypsy and Traveller
Officers] Back
186
HC 63-III, Ev 97, [Greater London Authority, Mayor's Office] Back
187
HC 63-III, Ev 81, [National Association of Gypsy and Traveller
Officers] Back
188
Centre for Urban and Regional Studies at the University of Birmingham,
The Provision and Condition of Local Authority Gypsy/Traveller
Sites in England, 2002 , pg 49 Back
189
Centre for Urban and Regional Studies at the University of Birmingham,
The Provision and Condition of Local Authority Gypsy/Traveller
Sites in England, 2002 , pg 49 Back
190
Housing Today, 3 September 2004, p22 Back
191
Q 356 Back
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