§ Mr. Clemitsonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the latest estimate of the number of gipsy families in England and Wales; and what is the number of pitches provided for such families by local authorities expressed as a percentage of the number of families.
§ Mr. Marks, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 8th March 1978; Vol. 945, c. 640–1], circulated the information:
The Department's estimate is that there are between 8,000 and 9,000 gipsy families in England and Wales. Taking the mean figure, there are pitches for about 30 per cent. of the families.
§ Mr. Clemitsonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those local authorities which have so far provided no sites for gipsy caravans under the Caravan Sites Act 1968.
§ Mr. Marks, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 8th March 1978; Vol. 945, c. 640–41], circulated the following answer:
The statutory duty to provide accommodation for gipsies in their area rests on county and London borough councils; the following have not to the present date provided a site:—
County Councils
- Isle of Wight
- Suffolk
328W
GYPSY SITES PROVIDED BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES IN ENGLAND AND WALES AT 1ST JANUARY 1978 ENGLAND
(Sites marked † are temporary) County District Council (name and/or location of site) Number of pitches Avon … … Nil Bedfordshire … … South Bedfordshire (Pepperstock, Caddington) … … 12 South Bedfordshire (Chiltern View, Eaton Bray) … … 20 Luton (Stopsley) … … 20 Bedford (Kempston Hard wick, Stewartby) … … 22 Mid Bedfordshire (Potton) … … 22 Berkshire … … Newbury (Burghfield Common) … … 19 Bracknell (Crawthorne) … … 12 Windsor and Maidenhead (Datchet) … … 7 Buckinghamshire … … Beaconsfield (Mansion Lane, Iver) … … 32 Beaconsfield (Whites Hill) … … 7 Aylesbury Vale (Singleborough) … … 3† Chiltern (Copperkins Lane, Amersham) … … 8† Chiltern (Keepers Lane, Little Missenden) … … 5†
- Clwyd
- Gwynedd
- Mid Glamorgan
- Powys
- West Glamorgan
London Borough Councils
Westminster was granted designation under Section 12 of the Caravan Sites Act 1968 on the grounds that provision of a gipsy site was not necessary or expedient, and so was Kensington and Chelsea after that council had contributed half the cost of the construction of a site jointly with Hammersmith.
- Brent
- Camden
- Hackney
- Haringey
- Islington
- Kensington and Chelsea
- Tower Hamlets
- Westminster
§ Mr. Clemitsonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what sites have been provided by local authorities for gipsy caravans in pursuance of the Caravan Sites Act 1968 since the publication of Circular 28/77.
§ Mr. Marks, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 8th March 1978; Vol. 945, c. 641], gave the following answer:
I regret that this Department does not keep records in a form which would enable this Question to be answered. However, I would draw my hon. Friend's attention to the complete list of sites provided by local authorities at 1st January 1978, printed below.
329W330W331W
County District Council (name and/or location of site) Number of pitches
Chiltern (Gore Hill) 3† Chiltern (West Hyde Lane, Chalfont St. Peter) 16 Cambridgeshire … … Fenland (New Bridge Lane, Wisbech) 16 Peterborough (Oxney Road) 21 Peterborough 50† Cheshire … … Crewe (Wrenbury Heath) 15 Halton (Warrington Road Widnes) 15† Chester Hapsford, Near Helsby) 15 Cleveland … … Stockton-on-Tees (Bowesfield Lane) 20 Cornwall … … Kerrier (Camborne) 5 Cumbria … … Carlisle (Hopesyke Wood, Longtown) 10 Derbyshire … … North East Derbyshire (Corbriggs, Grassmoor, Chesterfield) 15 Devonshire … … East Devon (Broadclyst, Near Exeter) 10 East Devon (Sowton, Near Exeter) 44† Dorset … … Poole (Mannings Heath) 21 West Dorset (Piddlehinton, Dorchester) 16 North Dorset (Thornicombe, Blandford) 10 Purbeck (Coldharbour Wareham) 16 Wimborne (Mannington) 16 Durham … … Darlington (Honeypot Lane) 35† Darlington (Neasham Road) 20 Sedgefield (East Howie, Near Ferryhill) 12† East Sussex … … Wealden (Swan Barn Hailsham) 3 Wealden (Polly Arch, Polegate) 3 Essex … … Epping Forest (School Lane, Standford Rivers) 12 Harlow (Fern Hill Lane) 16 Basildon (Hoverfields) 20 Harlow (Peldon Road) Wintering site 20† Colchester (Severalls Lane, Colchester) 16† Gloucestershire … … Forest of Dean (Cinders Caravan Site, Crump Meadow, Cinderford) 8 Tewkesbury (Cursey Lane, Elmstone Hardwicke) 14 Tewkesbury (The Willows, Sandhurst Lane, Near Gloucester) 30 Greater London … … Barking (Eastbrook End, Dagenham) 16 Barnet (Colney Hatch Lane, Finchley) 12† Bexley (Powerscroft Road, Footscray, Sidcup)Brent 15 Brent Nil Bromley (Star Lane, St. Mary Cray) 12 Camden Nil Croydon (Beddington Farm Road) 15 Ealing (Kensington Road, Northolt) 16† Enfield (Montagu Road, Edmonton) 15 Greenwich (Thistlebrook, Abbey Wood) 54 Hackney Nil Hammersmith (Westway) 20 Haringey Nil Harrow (Watling Farm, Elstree) 16 Havering (Stubbers Pursuit Centre, South Ockenden) 16 Hillingdon (Colne Park, Cricketfield Road, West Drayton) 26 Hounslow (The Hartlands, Church Road, Cranford) 17 Kingston-upon-Thames (Hook Rise North, Tolworth) 15 Islington Nil Kensington and Chelsea * Lambeth (Lonesome Depot, off Leonard Road) 15 Lewisham (Thurston Road) 15 Merton (Durnsford Road, Wimbledon) 15 Newham (Clays Lane, Stratford) 14 Redbridge (North View, Forest Road, Hainault) 16 Richmond upon Thames (Bishops Grove, Hampton) 16 Southwark (Surrey Docks, Redriff Road) 15† Sutton (Carshalton Road, Woodmansterne, Banstead) 15 Tower Hamlets Nil Waltham Forest (Folly Lane, Walthamstow) 16 Wandsworth (Trewint Street) 12 Westminster Nil Greater Manchester … … Manchester (Dantzic Street) 16 Bolton (Hall Lane) 16 Bury (Todd Street Fernhill) 13 Wigan (Birckershaw Lane, Abram, Hindley) 15 Wigan (Miry Lane) 15† Stockport (Hatherlow Street) 15† Oldham (Ada Street) 16 332W333W
County District Council (name and/or location of site) Number of pitches Hampshire … Southampton (Redbridge Lane) 19† Southampton (Kanes Hill) 20† Hart (Star Hill, Hartley Wintney) 20† Rushmoor (Minley Road, Cove) 20† Hereford and Worcester … Wychavon (Hipton Hill, Evesham) 15 Bromsgrove (Houndsfield Lane, Wythall) 12 Wychavon (Upton Snodsbury Road, Pinvin, Pershore) 15 Hertfordshire … Welwyn/Hatfield (Holwell Court, Cole Green) 20 Hertsmere (Sandy Lane, Bushey) 27 St. Albans (Barley Mow Lane, Smallford) 15 Dacorum (Three Cherry Trees) 15 Watford (Tolpits Lane, Watford) 4† Broxbourne (Cheshunt) 10 St. Albans (Watling Street) 6 St. Albans (Park Street) 17† Humberside … Beverley (Middledyke Lane, Cottingham) 26† Kingston upon Hull (Wilmington) 24 Isle of Wight … Nil Kent … Swale (Church Marshes, Milton) 16† Dartford (Claywood Lane) 12 Medway (Cuxton) 12 Maidstone (Stilebridge Lane) 15 Tonbridge and Mailing (Windmill Lane) 15 Sevenoaks (Edenbridge) 12 Maidstone (Water Lane, Kingswood) 12 Ashford (Chilmington, Great Chart) 16 Canterbury (Vauxhall Road) 18 Gravesham (Westcourt Marshes) 12 Lancashire … Blackburn (Aqueduct Road, Ewood) 17 Preston (London Road) 15† Leicestershire … Leicester (Meynells Gorse, Golf Course Lane, Braunstone 15 Bosworth (Aston Firs, Sapcote, Near Hinckley) 15 North West Leicestershire (Station Yard, Castle Donington 3† Lincolnshire … Lincoln (Washingborough Road) 15 South Kesteven (Grantham) 16 Boston 15 Merseyside … Liverpool (Oil Street, Waterloo Dock) 24 St. Helens (Sherdley Road) 12 Norfolk … Norwich (Mile Cross Road) 15 Northamptonshire … Wellingborough (Gypsy Lane, Irchester) 16 Northumberland … Wansbeck (Shields Road, Hartford) 15 North Yorkshire … York (Clifton Airfield) 20 Nottinghamshire … Nottingham (Moorbridge, Bulwell) 20 Nottingham (Tollerton Lane, Tollerton) 14 Oxfordshire … South Oxfordshire (Sandford-on-Thames, Wallingford) 10+6† Oxford (Slade Park) 15 Vale of White Horse (Woodhill Lane, East Challow) 12 Salop … South Shropshire (Long Lane, Craven Arms) 12 The Wrekin (Lodge Road, Donnington) 12 North Shropshire (Manor House Lane, Higher Heath) 20 Somerset … Mendip (Berkley) 8 Sedgemoor (Westonzoyland) 8 Taunton Deane (Otterford) 5† West Somerset (Farringdon Hill Lane, Stogursey) 10 Yeovil (Chilworthy Donyatt) 5† Yeovil (Chubbards Cross, Ilton) 15 South Yorkshire … Rotherham (North Anston) 15 Doncaster (Armthorpe) 16 Sheffield (Tinsley Park) 15† Barnsley (Smithies Lane) 20† Staffordshire … Stoke-on-Trent (Goldenhill) 20 Newcastle-upon-Lyme (Lyme Valley) 25† Suffolk … Nil Surrey … Tandridge (Tupwood Lane, Caterham) 10† Tandridge (Green Lane, Outwood) 50 Waverley (Runfold Guildford Road, Farnham) 15† Guildford (Clasford Bridge, Worplesdon) 15 Tyne and Wear … Gateshead (Abbot's Road, Oakwellpate) 15† Warwickshire … Stratford-on-Avon (Pathlow) 30 West Midlands … Birmingham (Castle Vale) 16 Sandwell (Brierley Lane, Coseley) 15 Wolverhampton (Showell Road, Bushbury) 15
County District Council (name and/or location of site) Number of pitches
Dudley (Oak Lane, Kingswinford) 15 Walsall (Willenhall Lane, Bloxwich) 15 Coventry (Siskin Drive) 20 West Sussex Chichester (Tangmere) 22 Mid-Sussex (Walstead, Near Lindfield) 7 Mid-Sussex (Horsgate, Cuckfield) 4 Horsham (Two Mile Ash, Southwater) 4† Mid-Sussex (Burgess Hill) 6 West Yorkshire Leeds (Cottingley Springs, Gelderd Road) 15 Leeds (Sackville Street) 30† Bradford (Esholt Lane, Baildon) 16 Wakefield (Heath Common) 20† Bradford (Birkshall Lane) 16 Wiltshire Salisbury (Lode Hill, Downton) 12 Thamesdown (Hay Lane, Wroughton) 30 Number of permanent sites provided at 1st January 1978 124 = 1,972 pitches Number of temporary sites provided at 1st January 1978 37 = 614 pitches Total 161 = 2,586 pitches *Site provided jointly with Hammersmith London Borough. Note: On some temporary sites there are no pitches as such and the size as shown in terms of pitches relates to the general level of occupancy. These levels clearly fluctuate from time to time.
WALES Clwyd Nil Dyfed Llanelli (Morfa Llanelli) 16 South Pembrokeshire (Kingsmoor Common, Kilgetty) 15 Preseli (Under the Hills, Haverfordwest) 10 Preseli (Withybush, Haverfordwest) 4 Gwent Blaenau Gwent (Blaina) 15 Torfaen (Upper Race, Pontypool) 20 Gwynedd Nil Mid-Glamorgan Nil Powys Nil South Glamorgan Cardiff (Rover Way) 21 West Glamorgan Nil Number of permanent sites provided at 1st January 1978 7= 101 pitches Number of temporary sites provided at 1st January 1978 Nil Total 7= 101 pitches Grand Total: 168 sites (131 permanent. 37 temporary) with 2,687 pitches (2,073 permanent, 614 temporary).
§ Mr. Clemitsonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what sites have been provided by local authorities for gipsy caravans in pursuance of the Caravan Sites Act 1968 since the inception of the Act; how many pitches each provides; and if he will list them.
§ Mr. Marks, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 8th March 1978; Vol. 945, c. 641], circulated the following information:
For figures of sites and pitches provided by local authorities for gipsies in England and Wales, I refer my hon. Friend to my answer given to him today.
Because of the disruption of local records caused by local government reorganisation, information is not readily available to show how many sites have been provided since Part II of the 334W Caravan Sites Act 1968 came into effect, but it is estimated that there were 29 sites providing 440 pitches prior to April 1970.
§ Mr. Clemitsonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is satisfied with the response of local authorities to the advice given by his Department in Circular 28/77; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Marks, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 8th March 1978; Vol. 945, c. 641], circulated the following answer:
No. My right hon. Friend remains very concerned at the slow rate of provision of sites. It was, of course, because of this lack of progress that Mr. John Cripps was asked to carry out his study 335W into the effectiveness of the arrangements to secure adequate accommodation for gipsies. I hope to be in a position to make a statement about the Government's response to Mr. Cripps' report soon.