Gypsy and Travellers in Wales face racism from councillors - report

A report has painted a damning picture of the state of services for Gypsies, Roma and travellers in Wales.

According to a Senedd committee, people face long waits for pitches, rat infestations at sites that can be dangerous, and racism from councillors.

It called for immediate action to address "wide-ranging failures" by the Welsh government and councils.

The Welsh government promised to address the concerns raised.

The inquiry by the cross-party Senedd's local government and housing committee found cases of where people have been waiting for more than 20 years for a pitch on a local authority site.

It heard pitches "very rarely" become available.

Sites were also often in "unsuitable locations", far from facilities and next to busy roads and industrial areas.

They are often on the outskirts of communities, in industrial areas with inadequate air quality - in part because of local opposition.

Committee members saw and heard of some site provision that was in need of "significant maintenance and repair".

Their report said: "Some participants described their site, and the access to it, as dangerous, with others explaining that their site was not fit for purpose and detrimental to the health and wellbeing of residents.

"We heard varied and numerous anecdotal accounts of disrepair."

The report added: "Others reported issues with uneven plots, lack of footpaths, blocked drains, rat infestations and mouldy bathrooms."

Problems also take a long time to fix - one participant in the inquiry said that she was told by her council that it was not obligated to carry out maintenance on sites in the same amount of time they would to local authority owned houses.

She described the level of work as the "worst possible building standard you can think of".

Some have attempted to purchase land to develop their own private sites, but often face a "costly battle" with little support to get through the planning system.

There is a "significant lack" of what are known as transit pitches - sites that individuals and families can stay on temporarily.

Wales has only two, which the report says "falls far short of meeting the needs of Gypsy, Roma and travellers and limits their ability to lead a nomadic lifestyle".

The Chief Constable of North Wales Police, Carl Foulkes, said if "localities" are not available for communities to reside, "we will get unauthorised encampments, and we will get local authorities, policing and landlords looking to move people on, and that does not feel right".

Lack of political will was a recurring theme, the report said.

One group told Members of the Senedd (MSs) on the committee there were "incidents in Wales of councils and of elected members who use discriminatory and hate speech in relation to Gypsies and Travellers when a site is proposed in their locality".

The Welsh government has laws in place that require councils to assess the need for the provision of sites, and where it is needed to provide those sites.

But the committee said its effectiveness in ensuring culturally-appropriate sites across Wales is unclear.

Members of the committee set out a series of recommendations, including a review of all guidance relating to the provision of sites.

John Griffiths, Chairman of the Local Government and Housing Committee, said: "The Welsh government must make sure that local authorities have the resources to tackle these issues, but they must also hold them to account when things do not improve.

"It is clear that anti-Traveller prejudice on a local level, and throughout society, is still quite prevalent and that tackling this should be a priority."

The Welsh government promised an annual review, and said its draft anti-racism plan will review compliance of every council to ensure there are enough pitches to meet the need in their area.

A Welsh government spokesman said: "We will continue to work closely with the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities to address the concerns raised and take action if a local housing authority has failed to comply with their responsibility to find suitable accommodation."

The Welsh Local Government Association, which represents councils, said: "The report summarises the challenges faced by local authorities in delivering sites, including the need for revised guidance, additional resources and support from Welsh government, in particular around community engagement and training, and the capacity issues and constraints faced by local authority planning departments."