FOI request (FOI-101923759)

Please find below a submission under the Freedom of Information Act.

I ask that if there are any questions you cannot answer that you leave them blank and answer the remainder that you CAN answer.

A note to clarify the terminology I have used:

·         A Gypsy or Traveller ‘pitch’ is where one family or individual might live.

·         A Gypsy or Traveller ‘site’ is where there are a number of pitches in one location.

·         A Gypsy or Traveller ‘unauthorised encampment’ is when a family or individual has stopped on land that isn’t their own.

1.  How many Gypsy and Traveller unauthorised encampments have you cleared from the local authority in:
i) 2015
ii) 2016
iii) 2017
iv) 2018
(if possible please name them)

2. In relation to the cleared encampments listed in question one, how many pitches were in each cleared encampment.

(If you do not know, please state whether, to the best of your knowledge, there were any individuals or families living in the cleared encampments.)

3. How many NEW authorised Gypsy and Traveller pitches were created by your local authority in:
i) 2015
ii) 2016
iii) 2017
iv) 2018
(if possible please name them)

4. How many authorised Gypsy and Traveller pitches are there currently in your local authority?

5. What were the full evictions costs to your council for all cleared unauthorised Gypsy and Traveller encampments in:
i) 2015
ii) 2016
iii) 2017
iv) 2018
(These costs should include staff costs and resources, any contractor costs, court costs and legal fees, clear up costs as well as any other costs relating to evictions from unauthorised encampments.)

6. How much money was spent in the creation of authorised Gypsy and Traveller pitches and sites in:
i) 2015
ii) 2016
iii) 2017
iv) 2018

7. Are you considering or are there any plans in place to seek a court injunction against unauthorised Gypsy and Traveller encampments sites in your local authority? If you already have an injunction or already have an application in please state.

8. When was the last time you undertook a Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Need Assessment?

9. What was the need identified by your authority’s most recent Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Need Assessment for new pitches, and what period does this GTANA cover?