On the 21st of June Andrew Ryder of the The Gypsy and Traveller
Law Reform Coalition will give evidence to the Equal Opportunities Committee
of the Scottish Parliament, which is reviewing progress made since its 2001
report.
He will inform the committee that a Scottish Gypsy and Traveller Law Reform
Coalition has been set up, which has brought together key activists from the
Gypsy and Traveller community to draft a Bill for the Scottish Parliament.
One of the key demands of the Bill will be support for:
Recommendation 6 of the Equal Opportunities report in 2001 which states “The
definition of home for the purposes of future amendments to housing legislation
should be reconsidered to include sites, which are homes to Gypsies Travellers.
Such recognition would facilitate a review of alternative management and ownership
arrangements for local authority sites, which could include options for community
ownership, tenant management co-operatives and registered social landlords
and the development of model tenancy agreements for Gypsy Traveller sites
managed by local authorities and RSLs.
The introduction of such a legislative amendment would have a major impact
on Gypsy and Traveller accommodation in Scotland.
The full written submission can be seen below
Andrew Ryder
Coordinator
The Gypsy and Traveller Law Reform Coalition
Winners of the Liberty Human Rights Award
Tel 07 985 684 921
Visit our website:
http://www.travellerslaw.org.uk/
____________________________________
A Scottish Traveller Law Reform Bill (Submission to the Scottish Parliament
Equal Opportunities Committee 21/6/2005)
The Gypsy and Traveller Law Reform Coalition wishes to bring the following
information on a Scottish Traveller Law Reform Bill to the attention of the
Equal Opportunities committee of the Scottish Parliament in its review of
its ‘Inquiry into Gypsies and Travellers and Public Sector Policies’.
Aim of Project
The GTLRC supporting Gypsy and Traveller groups in Scotland aims to draft
a Scottish Traveller Law Reform Bill for the Scottish parliament to increase
the number and quality of Gypsy/Traveller sites/accommodation and raise the
social inclusion of this community.
Background
The Gypsy and Traveller Law Reform Coalition (GTLRC) is an alliance of Gypsies,
Irish Travellers, New Travellers and other travelling groups who have come
together to promote the Traveller Law Reform Bill and policies to increase
and improve site provision. The GTLRC Was awarded the Liberty human rights
award in 2004.
In May 2004 the GTLRC held a conference in Birmingham at which a workshop
was held on Scotland and Gypsies and Travellers. At this workshop interest
was expressed in forming a Scottish GTLRC and drafting a Scottish Traveller
Law Reform Bill.
As a result of this decision an application was made to the Rowntree Charitable
Trust for funding. The award of a grant was approved in December 2004.
A Scottish Gypsy and Traveller Law Reform Coalition has now been formed and
it has formulated a consultation questionaire, which will feed into a Scottish
Traveller Law Reform Bill (see annex). The Scottish Commission for Racial
Equality has given its support to this consultation.
Mike Dailly of the Govan Law Centre has agreed to draft a Scottish Traveller
Law Reform Bill for the Scottish Parliament.
What People Say About the GTLRC
Ken Livingstone - Mayor of London
“Gypsies and Travellers are one of the most marginalised groups in our
society. The G&TLRC has worked hard to increase the dialogue between the
Gypsy and Traveller community and those in charge of the policies and services
that directly impact upon the lives of this community. Only by consulting
with Gypsies and Travellers can decision-makers ensure that the policies and
services they develop will work to address the issues adversely affecting
this community. The G&TLRC has made a valuable contribution to this process”.
Trevor Phillips - Chair Commission for Racial Equality
"The Commission for Racial Equality firmly supports the work of
the Gypsy and Traveller Law Reform Coalition, which is playing a critical
role in driving improvements for Gypsies and Travellers, and providing a powerful
voice to lobby for change. There are clearly huge challenges ahead - and we
hope to work closely with the coalition in taking this and our own Gypsy and
Traveller strategy forward."
The Situation In Scotland and New Opportunities
In a survey undertaken in 1999 15% of the Scottish Traveller community identified
themselves as Gypsy Traveller, 49% as Scottish Traveller, 8 % as Romany, 5%
as Irish Traveller and 23% as other.
A number of reports indicate that Gypsies and Travellers suffer from extreme
levels of exclusion and discrimination in Scotland.
Gypsies and Travellers in Scotland suffer from a shortage of sites, sites
that do exist are often located in marginal space and have poor access to
services and amenities. Furthermore, Gypsies and Travellers in Scotland have
little sense of ownership in their homes due to a lack of security of tenure
and the limited if non-existent input into the management of sites that they
are afforded.
In 2001 the Equal Opportunities Committee of the Scottish Parliament put forward
37 recommendations in its ‘Inquiry into Gypsy Travellers and Public
Sector Policies’. Disappointment has been expressed by the Gypsy and
Traveller community as to the scope of some of the recommendations and the
progress made.
However, several important opportunities now exist which make new progress
possible:
The Equal Opportunities Committee of the Scottish Parliament is to review
the progress made on its 2001 report and draw up new recommendations.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in England has introduced a number
of new reforms as part of its Gypsy and Traveller policy review, which may
have policy implications for Scotland.
Some, including policy makers, feel that progress in Scotland has been hindered
because of a lack of unity amongst the Gypsy and Traveller community, which
has impeded effective lobbying. However, the formation of the STARS project
(Scottish Travellers Against Racism) shows that a range of groups can come
together and devise imaginative and relevant projects (STARS was an awareness
raising programme to be run for local authorities and other service providers
by Travellers).Many still hope that the Scottish Executive will fund this
project and allow Travellers to have a principal role in the management and
delivery of this project.
The Scottish Parliament is considered to be inclusive and responsive to grass
roots initiatives.
Some Possible Policy Positions In A Scottish Traveller Law Reform
Bill
Recommendation 6 of the Equal Opportunities report in 2001 states “The
definition of home for the purposes of future amendments to housing legislation
should be reconsidered to include sites, which are homes to Gypsies Travellers.
Such recognition would facilitate a review of alternative management and ownership
arrangements for local authority sites, which could include options for community
ownership, tenant management co-operatives and registered social landlords
and the development of model tenancy agreements for Gypsy Traveller sites
managed by local authorities and RSLs.
The introduction of such a legislative amendment would have a major impact
on Gypsy and Traveller accommodation in Scotland.
Many Travellers living on local authority sites have limited security of tenure,
some can be given as little as 7 days notice to leave a site. The European
Court of Human Rights decreed in 2004 that the UK Government had infringed
the human rights of the Connor family who were evicted off a site in Leeds.
As a consequence the Westminster Parliament has to address concerns over security
of tenure and is to introduce a draft bill on security of tenure, which will
make reference to Gypsies and Travellers, this could well place pressure on
the Scottish Parliament to make similar steps.
The Scottish Executive is considering a major review of the planning system
in part to take note of the new regional spatial strategies to be introduced
in England. A new planning system could provide scope for more Gypsies and
Travellers in Scotland to be assisted by local authorities to buy land and
develop their own sites. Councils in England are to have an obligation through
a new planning circular to identify land for Travellers in development plans.
Andrew Ryder
Coordinator
The Gypsy and Traveller Law Reform Coalition
Tel 07 985 684 921
romanistan@yahoo.com
______________________________________________
Annex
Questionnaire
Dear friend
This Questionnaire will help us understand what problems Gypsies and Travellers
have in Scotland and what new policies they want and need to make life better.
The more people we consult on this the more serious the Bill (law) will be
taken.
It’s up to you how you record the answers. You can:
- interview people in their caravans
- discuss the questions in small or large meetings
- give people the questionnaires to fill in
It’s up to you how you record answers. You can:
- write brief notes
- record people
- write detailed notes
- ask children to draw pictures of an ideal site or poem etc.
1/ What is your experience of site provision in Scotland? Prompts –
re: quantity, location, rental, quality of facilities and access to services.
Is there anything that needs to be changed here?
2/ What experience do you have with tenancy agreements? Is there anything
that needs to be changed here?
3/ Are Gypsies and Travellers involved enough in the management of sites?
Is there anything that needs to be changed here?
4/ What experiences do Gypsies and Travellers have of the planning system?
Is there anything that needs to change here?
5/ What are the experiences of Gypsies and Travellers on roadside and short
stay encampments? Is there anything that needs to change here?
6/ What are the experiences of Travellers with the education system? Is there
anything that needs to change here?
7/ What can you say about the health of Travellers? Is there anything that
needs to change here?
8/ What are the experiences of Gypsies and Travellers with the police and
criminal justice system? Is there anything that needs to change here?
9/ Are Travellers listened to by politicians and policy makers? (think about
dealings with the council or the parliament). Is there anything that needs
to change here?