Gypsies and Travellers: Accommodation in England

The term ‘Gypsies and Travellers’ encompasses a range of ethnic and cultural groups, many of which practice nomadism (where people do not have a single fixed accommodation but move from place to place) and/or have a nomadic heritage. Some of the groups included in this label are Welsh Gypsies, Scottish Gypsies/Travellers and Irish Travellers. For further information see the Library series of briefings on Gypsies and Travellers.

A report by the House of Commons Women and Equalities Select Committee highlights that “while some find the term “Gypsy” to be offensive, many […] were proud to associate themselves with this term”. It is therefore also used in this briefing.

Where do Gypsies and Travellers live?

Many Gypsies and Travellers live in settled accommodation and do not travel, or do not travel all the time, but nonetheless consider travelling to be part of their identity. At the 2021 census, the majority (78%) of Gypsies and Irish Travellers in England and Wales lived in bricks-and-mortar accommodation, and 22% lived in a caravan or other mobile or temporary structure.

There were 26,632 Traveller caravans in England in January 2024, an increase of 36% since July 2013. The majority (61%) of caravans were on authorised private sites, 25% were on sites operated by local authorities and registered providers of social housing, and 14% were on unauthorised sites.

In July 2023, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities recorded 282 sites operated by local authorities and registered providers of social housing. There were 4,476 pitches available on these sites, of which 4,211 were residential pitches and 565 were transit pitches (for short-term stays). In total across these pitches, there was capacity for 7,233 caravans. The government does not publish data on the number of private Traveller pitches or sites.

Assessing Gypsy and Traveller housing needs

Local housing authorities are no longer required to carry out a specific, separate assessment of the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers in their local area. However, they still have a general duty to assess the housing needs of everyone in their area. Local authorities should then consider how to meet the accommodation needs identified in the assessment.

The Commons Library briefing on planning provisions for Gypsies and Travellers in England explains how local planning authorities should plan for new Gypsy and Traveller sites where a local need is identified.

When drawing up their strategies for preventing and reducing homelessness, local housing authorities are required to consider the needs of all groups of people in their district who are homeless or likely to become homeless, including Gypsies and Travellers. Local authorities should also consider the needs and lifestyle of applicants who are Gypsies and Travellers when carrying out their duties under the homelessness legislation.

Accommodation challenges facing Gypsies and Travellers

A lack of suitable, secure accommodation contributes to many of the inequalities that Gypsy and Traveller communities experience, and can be a source of tension between travelling and settled communities.

Accommodation challenges include:

• a shortage of suitable, authorised Traveller sites,
• difficulties in accessing suitable ‘bricks-and-mortar’ housing and sustaining tenancies, and
• poor living conditions on some Traveller sites, including isolated locations, a lack of basic amenities and overcrowding.

The 2019 Conservative government allocated £10 million of capital funding in 2022/23 to support nine local authorities to improve Traveller sites.

Research in 2022 by the Office for National Statistics on the lived experiences of Gypsies and Travellers found both community members and local and central government participants regarded increasing the provision of permanent and transit Traveller sites as an important way to address the accommodation challenges of Gypsies and Travellers. There was also a consensus that sites should be designed through consultation with communities.