Select Committee on Office of the Deputy Prime Minister: Housing, Planning, Local Government and the Regions Thirteenth Report


14  SITE MANAGEMENT

177. Site managers (called wardens on some sites) usually have day-to-day responsibility for managing a site, contact with site residents, allocating pitches and authorising repairs. They are not caretakers, nor are they responsible for cleaning or minor repairs. Some local authorities also employ senior site managers or Gypsy and Traveller liaison officers who have other responsibilities relating to Gypsies and Travellers including unauthorised camping. These officers are often involved with the financial aspects of site management and they manage the 'frontline' site managers within an authority. Many witnesses emphasised the vital contribution that site managers make to the success of a site:

    "[…] the best policy which can be operated in respect of Gypsy site management is one of firmness but fairness - there has to be a certain degree of 'give and take' on all sides, but where individuals are showing flagrant disregard for or are in continual breach of site rules and conditions of occupancy action has to be taken against them. […]. In order for sites to be successful, good management is essential. However in order to achieve good management, local authorities must show an interest in their sites and must also be prepared to back-up their site wardens and/or managing officers."[244]

    "Attention is needed to ensure practical and fair site management structures for permanent and transit sites. This makes a real difference to the success of sites."[245]

178. Some Gypsies and Travellers are critical of local authority site management. The Traveller Reform Coalition comments:

    "We would like to see a recognition of the history of neglect and poor management of many local authority sites. Existing models of good practise in this area are vital in assessing the changes needed. We believe that a community development approach to site management is effective. This approach supports a process by which residents can genuinely represent themselves, and whereby the management can work in partnership with the residents in order to create well managed sites and a pleasant and safe living environment for both the site residents and the local community. It will also give many Gypsies and Travellers valuable experience of being involved in decision making processes, which could encourage them to participate in other community forums such as parish councils and local authority/school educational bodies."[246]

Site residents have suggested that site managers fail to consult them about what they want; residents argue that Gypsies and Travellers have their own culture and different priorities and needs which are not understood by outsiders. They believe that Gypsies and Travellers must be involved in management of sites.

    "Travellers' involvement in the running of accommodation sites need to be formalised and enhanced. Training programmes should also be offered by local authorities and other service providers to develop strong internal leadership to activate the Traveller community positively."[247]

Cliff Codona, Chair of the National Travellers' Action Group, believes Gypsies themselves make the best site managers because they understand the culture of the residents:

    "If they are allowed to be managed by the Gypsy community - which is good, respected members of the community who work with the local government - they can manage sites in the best possible way that they could ever move forward, because gypsy communities have respect for their own people."[248]

John Treble, Vice-President and Vice-Chair, Somerset Association of Local Councils, agrees that this approach can work well:

    "One thing is to recruit a Gypsy who wants to be permanent [on a residential site] and let him manage the site. It can work very well. […].We have, but it happens to be a private site, 70 pitches, owned by a Gypsy who resides there permanently. He manages it and may I say that the nature of the Gypsy community is such that a King Gypsy can exercise discipline over a Gypsy community far better than any external agency can. He sometimes does it crudely by simply refusing to admit people but he does it and we have a camp of 70 which is under such good control that it is not causing much of a local problem once it was accepted as a regular item there."[249]

179. Others believe that Gypsy/Traveller site managers can operate harsh management regimes, including management by fear, exclusive and factional pitch allocation policies.[250] Tom Sweeney, Co-Chair of the Irish Traveller Movement Britain, believes that Gypsy management works well on private sites, but believes local authority sites need to be managed by local authority officers. Charles Smith agrees:

    "I think we should go back again to how housing is managed and we should be looking at in the same way as housing. If it is a private site, it is managed by the owner of the site, the same as private caravan sites; if it is a council site, it is managed by the accommodation department and so forth."[251]

180. Approximately 13% of local authority sites are managed by a non-local authority body. Dr Power believes that some of these sites operate more selective lettings policies resulting in vacant pitches for periods of time:

    "Management of sites has in some cases been leased to particular Traveller groups. This policy often excludes many other Travellers from these sites due to perceived animosities between different extended families and selective letting by site management […]."[252]

181. Gypsy and Traveller site residents usually sign a site licence which sets out terms of tenancy including acceptable behaviour. Enforcement of site licence conditions is an important part of site management:

    "Ours is what we call a "firm but fair management policy". In our submission we actually sent a copy of the licence agreement we have with the tenants. They have to abide by certain rules. I think there are a lot of people talking here about tenancy agreements - that Gypsies should perhaps have tenancy agreements. I think in the main if you ask the run-of-the-mill Gypsy he is not too bothered about a tenancy agreement. All he is bothered about is being able to live on a caravan site, get his children a good state school education and, at the same time, be able to live in peace and harmony with his neighbours."[253]

The ultimate sanction is eviction. Although site managers on private sites can carry out this action, it is more difficult for managers on local authority sites because eviction may result in establishment of an unauthorised encampment - creating more problems for the local authority. In order to enforce site licence agreements, site managers must be aware of all activity on a site - preferably by living on site, or by visiting regularly and at unexpected times - and they must apply rules consistently. Such a heavy management approach can create tension with site residents who want freedom and tolerance, although site residents we spoke to on sites in Hampshire seemed content with their residential site managers. The County's Gypsy and Traveller Liaison Officer emphasised the importance of visible site management, as did the Councillors and officials we met in South Dublin.

182. Pat Niner explained that although different styles were favoured by different individuals, intensive management, such as a full-time residential manager was thought to work best:

    "I suspect that overall the most popular sites of all are owner­occupied, small, family Gypsy sites owned by the Travellers and site management really does not exist as a separate function. If we are talking about sites where the plots are let and where the residents are not owner­occupiers but are some form of licensee or tenant, then our research did not show that there were any clear preference or clear views on the merits and demerits of Gypsy ownership or local authority ownership. I think what it did show was the consensus that site management needs to be rather more intensive in terms of site presence, site management on site, than housing management would normally be and is in a sense a different activity from housing management. I suspect that some of the less successful sites are where a housing officer is managing a site as part of their patch and not really getting the resources and the skill and expertise to do it. I think the more successful local authority site management comes where there is a team of people who can share activities and support each other and generally develop expertise in site management. Taking it a step further, the standard words are "firm and fair". There seems to be a great premium on equality of treatment for all residents on Gypsy sites and I think that probably one of the more hopeful signs for the future is the use of things like Supporting People money to actually work some sort of community development aspects of site management as well, and I think in many cases we are probably at the start of that rather than being able to really hold up many good practice examples there."[254]

Alistair McWhirter, Chief Constable of Suffolk and representative of the Association of Chief Police Officers agreed:

    "I think that the site management that seems to work best is where you have a dedicated site manager who is on that site and who can work with the people rather than somebody who has it as an additional responsibility and who is transient and who may not have the knowledge to be able to build up relationships. The people who are particularly good - some of whom have given evidence to you as part of the group who came to speak to you - are the people who I have had admiration for over the years, who build relationships with the Travellers, they often know the people who regularly come every year and that relationship pays off because as a result people behave well because they are dealing with people whom they know and trust."[255]

183. Most site residents accept that firm management is necessary to preserve the environmental quality of a site.[256] On our visit to Ireland we saw sites with residential managers, and those with a visiting caretaker manager. The sites with residential managers were in better condition, and caravans were parked in appropriate places satisfying health and safety legislation. The sites with visiting caretakers were in worse condition with more rubbish. One such site had a community centre which had been vandalised by residents, forcing the authority to fit metal shutters to the windows. We were told that sites with residential site managers had not experienced such problems. The Council was considering putting a residential site manager onto the site; it was suggested this would be more cost-effective than the cost of repairing and clearing up the site and re-establishing good-will with the settled community. Officials at South Dublin County Council told us that threat of eviction was an insufficient deterrent because evicted residents would camp illegally outside the site.

184. The Minister, Keith Hill MP, argues that site management is not an issue central Government should become involved in:

    "I think it is probably quite likely that it is an issue that has crossed our path in the course of the review, but having said that I really do feel that this is again not a matter for heavy central Government guidance or certainly not edicts but very much a matter for local decision making. I found it fascinating - to quote the estimable Mr Treble - that there had been very positive experience of at least one member of the Gypsy and Traveller community in the management of sites. It seems like a very good idea but I do not think it is a matter for central Government to intervene on."[257]

All the submissions we received emphasised the need for good site management, and many highlighted concerns relating to anti-social behaviour, consequently, we feel that site management is an issue that central Government should be involved with. Without central Government direction, local authorities could cut site management budgets when needing to generate savings. An ODPM official added to the Minister's response:

    "[…] it is something we are looking at and Pat Niner has certainly had a lot to add to that debate with us. Again it is an example of what works best is what works best. For example on a transit site where you have vans coming in and out you would not really expect a Gypsy or Traveller to take responsibility for that. My personal view is that that would be the role of the local authority. Likewise on a site where a Gypsy or Traveller owns the site I would not say that the local authority would have too much locus; it would be down to the individuals who live on that site to manage. If there were local authority managed sites I think there could be arguments both ways, with the local authority having a strong management input and for nominated Gypsies and Travellers to have a strong input. Again, drawing on the experience of the Irish Government they have also gone for a "what works" approach and where there are Gypsies and Travellers who are identified as having strong leadership within their communities it is natural for them to have some role in site management and can be appointed as paid site managers living on the site. […]I think the thing that reassures the neighbours the most is that the site is well managed."[258]

185. Effective site management is key to the success of Gypsy and Traveller sites. There is no real consensus as to whether a particular management arrangement works better than any other. Some believe that Gypsies and Travellers make better managers because they understand the culture of the residents, but others argue sites managed by Gypsies and Travellers operate harsher management regimes and selective lettings policies. Whichever management approach is adopted, regular site presence by a manager is vital. Ideally sites should have a residential manager. Site management should be firm, fair and consistent, treating all residents equally and taking action early if residents break site licence agreements. Site managers should seek to involve residents in management issues so that they take on more responsibility for their site. Local authorities should consider running capacity building programmes on sites to generate the necessary skills, perhaps using funds available through the ODPM Supporting People programme. The Government must emphasise the importance of good site management and must be prepared to offer guidance, and facilitate assembling and sharing of good practice materials. Any Government funded programmes, such as the Gypsy Sites Refurbishment Grant, should require assessment of site management before awards are granted.

Career development and training opportunities for local authority site managers

186. Most Gypsy and Traveller site managers are skilled individuals but little national effort is made to offer training and career development opportunities, unlike mainstream housing managers/landlords. The Gypsy Council for Education, Culture, Welfare and Civil Rights told us that they "[…] would like to see positive steps towards the training and education of local authority members and officers."[259]

187. We have been told how important site managers are to the success of a site, and we have also been told how difficult such management can be. Yet officials from the ODPM told us that training was a matter for "local discussion"[260]; and the Local Government Association told us that it was not their responsibility.[261]

188. Similarly, little effort is made to assess performance. The Audit Commission told us that they do not specifically monitor site management or performance of site managers. There are no national frameworks available to allow site managers to benchmark performance against others. It has been suggested that targets could be set relating to licence fee levels, pitch vacancies, turnover, void periods, arrears performance and management expenditure at site level in order to compile a performance framework.[262]

189. The National Association of Gypsy and Traveller Officers told us that some local authorities have developed their own training schemes:

    "The management of both permanent and temporary accommodation is key to the establishment of provision. Without the appropriate training of personnel involved in Gypsy & Traveller issues and senior management overviews, Gypsy & Traveller accommodation will often decline. The training undertaken by the South-West Region Authority in Gypsy & Traveller management should receive Government support and backing to ensure that standardisation of management techniques and procedures is widely accepted across both England and Wales."[263]

And in a supplementary note Councillor Susie Kemp of West Berkshire Council and Chairman of the Local Government Association Planning Executive told us that:

    "[…] we will be looking into developing a web-based network for authorities to share good practice and information on site and service provision for Gypsy and Traveller communities."[264]

190. We welcome the initiative of the South-West region in developing training opportunities for Gypsy and Traveller site managers. Unfortunately such schemes are few and far between, and lack recognition. The Government and Local Government Association must make efforts to provide training opportunities for Gypsy and Traveller site managers as they do for Registered Social Landlords in mainstream housing management. National frameworks should also be established which will allow managers to benchmark their performance against other site managers. Mechanisms should be available to allow officers to share good practice. We welcome the intention of the Local Government Association to develop web-based networks to facilitate this. We recommend that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister update us on the progress of this project in their response to this report. Career paths must be developed for site managers and local authority officers involved with Gypsy and Traveller policy areas. A regional approach to provision of sites would generate more opportunities, as would closer interaction between neighbouring authorities.



244   HC 63-III, Ev 67, [Hughie Smith, President of the Gypsy Council (Romani Kris)]] Back

245   HC 63-III, Ev 97 [Greater London Authority, Mayor's Office]  Back

246   Ev 35 [Travellers Advice Team, Community Law Partnership] Back

247   Dr Colm Power, Room to Roam, England's Irish Travellers, June 2004, pg 105 Back

248   Q 81 [Cliff Codona, Chair, National Travellers' Action Group] Back

249   Q 305 and Q 312  Back

250   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 25 Back

251   Q 83 [Charles Smith] Back

252   Dr Colm Power, Room to Roam, England's Irish Travellers, June 2004, pg 19 Back

253   Q 116 [Hughie Smith, President, The Gypsy Council (Romani Kris)] Back

254   Q 171 [Pat Niner, Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Urban and Regional Studies at the University of Birmingham and Gypsy and Traveller researcher] Back

255   Q 285 Back

256   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 31 Back

257   Q 347 Back

258   Q 348 and Q 352 [Dawn Eastmead, Head of Housing Management Division, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister] Back

259   HC 63-III, Ev 90, [The Gypsy Council for Education, Culture, Welfare and Civil Rights] Back

260   Q 351 Back

261   Q314-5 and HC 63-III, Ev 115, [LGA] Back

262   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 54 Back

263   HC 63-III, Ev 78, [The National Association of Gypsy and Traveller Officers] Back

264   HC 63-III, Ev 115 [LGA] Back


 
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