HC Deb 16 March 1978 vol 946 cc326-35W
Mr. Clemitson

asked 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. Clemitson

asked 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

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

  • Brent
  • Camden
  • Hackney
  • Haringey
  • Islington
  • Kensington and Chelsea
  • Tower Hamlets
  • Westminster
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.

Mr. Clemitson

asked 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.

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

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. Clemitson

asked 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 Caravan Sites Act 1968 came into effect, but it is estimated that there were 29 sites providing 440 pitches prior to April 1970.

Mr. Clemitson

asked 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 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.