Agenda item

To submit the report of the Head of Housing Services.

The report of the Head of Housing Services incorporating the Anglesey and Gwynedd Gypsy and Travellers Accommodation Needs Assessment, 2016 was presented for the Executive’s consideration.

The Portfolio Member for Housing and Social Services reported that the Council has a statutory requirement under the Housing Wales Act, 2014 to undertake a Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment and to provide sites for where the assessment identifies an unmet need. The assessment was conducted jointly with Gwynedd and is fully compliant with statutory guidance issued by the Welsh Government.

The Housing Strategy and Development Manager outlined the study methodology and said that the evidence used included one to one interviews with Gypsies and Travellers as well as secondary data involving census and education records and records of unauthorised encampments occurring in the study area. A Steering Group comprising of Gwynedd and Anglesey Council Members, Planning Policy and Housing Officers and membership of the Gypsy and Traveller community has met regularly to oversee the study.

The Assistant Chief Executive (Governance & Business Process Transformation) said that gathering evidence from the Gypsy and Travellers community is difficult due to the fact that the numbers in this community who live on Anglesey or who travel through the Island are small, their stays are often short and they tend to be dispersed across the Island, and this is reflected by the evidence in the assessment. In order to form as complete a picture as possible of the Gypsy and Traveller community and their needs, emphasis was placed on the secondary data.

Councillor Derlwyn Hughes, Chair of the Partnerships and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee reported that the Committee considered the Needs Assessment at its meeting held on 2 February, 2016 and that it recommended the assessment be approved subject to noting the Committee’s concerns regarding the level of consultation with the Gypsy and Travellers community, town and community councils and local residents.

The Executive sought assurance regarding the consultation and engagement process and the evidence which it had produced.

The Assistant Chief Executive (Governance & Business Process Transformation) confirmed that the evidence is as robust as possible for a community as small as this and as varied and at times difficult to reach. She was satisfied that the work had been conducted as thoroughly and as objectively as possible. The purpose of the study was to identify the accommodation needs of individuals within the Gypsy and Traveller community – wider consultation i.e. with local residents, businesses and town and community councils will occur later once consultation commences on possible sites.

The Executive noted that the assessment addresses the changing situation by recommending that the Steering Group continues to meet twice a year to ensure ongoing monitoring will be maintained and that the Welsh Government requires that every council undertakes a formal assessment every 5 years.

It was resolved –

•           To approve the Anglesey and Gwynedd Gypsy and Travellers Accommodation Needs Assessment 2016 with particular attention to the recommendations made for Anglesey.

•           That the Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessment be submitted to the Welsh Government as required under the Housing (Wales) 2014 by 26th February, 2016.