星空传媒

An amendment to the Housing Bill, made last month, gave RSLs the ability to manage and provide Traveller sites if the residents cannot afford to do so themselves (HT 17 September, page 9).

But Liberal Democrat Lord Avebury, secretary of the all-party parliamentary group for Traveller law reform, said that RSLs did not understand the needs of Gypsies and Travellers. He will put forward amendments next week in the House of Lords calling for local authorities to buy the sites.

At a conference at the House of Lords organised by the Novas Group 鈥� the only RSL that manages Traveller sites 鈥� both Novas and Lord Avebury called on the ODPM to set up a national taskforce on Gypsy and Traveller issues.

Lord Avebury said residents who could not afford to buy their sites would be 鈥渞eliant on help from the Housing Corporation and RSLs, neither of whom appear to understand the diverse needs of the travelling community鈥�.

He continued: 鈥淭he ODPM must recognise the problem and do something. It has been six years since its last report into the appalling living conditions of Gypsies and Travellers was published, and still no action.鈥�

John Wilson, assistant director for Gypsy and Traveller services at the Novas Group, said: 鈥淚f Gypsies and Travellers themselves are to develop or own sites it is essential that funding is not routed through the Housing Corporation but rather remains in control of the ODPM and local authorities.鈥�

The ODPM, whose select committee report into Gypsies and Travellers is out at the end of this month, said it could not comment at this time. A spokesman for the Housing Corporation was also unable to comment until finialisation of the Housing Bill .

Jaqui Wan, policy officer at the National Housing Federation, called for clear guidance for RSLs on how best to work with Gypsies and Travellers.