Looking Back, Moving Forward: Assessing the housing needs of Gypsies and Travellers in Essex

Taking appropriate steps to resolve both perceived and actual inequalities in our society is a vital way to foster and sustain cohesion within the communities in which we live. In terms of Gypsies and Travellers, the increased provision of legal sites has historically been seen as the most effective way of reducing tensions concerning Gypsy and Travellers with the settled community and improving the life chances of individuals from Gypsy and Traveller backgrounds. Since the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, purchasing private land for site development has also been the emphasis. However, the current lack of accommodation needs assessments conducted with Gypsies and Travellers means that at the moment, as research from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) has shown, the need for appropriate accommodation significantly outweighs provision. As a result, many Gypsies and Travellers have either been‘forced’ into ‘bricks ­and ­mortar’ social housing which many desire to leave, accommodate themselves on unauthorised encampments or live on land they own without the correct planning permission (unauthorised developments).