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Under section 8 of the Housing Act 1985 local authorities are required to consider the various accommodation needs of the local population, and with recent legislation (Housing Act 2004;Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004) and guidance (Circular 01/2006) the government has committed to resolving the housing needs of members of the Gypsy and Traveller community. This legislation has an overarching aim of ensuring that members of Gypsy and Traveller communities have equal access to decent and appropriate accommodation options akin to each and every other member of society.
The downloadable Suffolk Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment 2007 (PDF, 689Kb) was commissioned by five authorities in Suffolk (Mid Suffolk District Council, Babergh District Council, Suffolk Coastal District Council, Waveney District Council and Ipswich Borough Council) in June 2006 and the final report produced in May 2007. The study was conducted by a team of researchers from the Salford Housing & Urban Studies Unit at the University of Salford with research support from members of the Gypsy and Traveller community. The study was managed by a steering group composed of officers from the five local authorities.
The research report and findings are available in full or in a downloadable Suffolk Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment 2007 Executive Summary (PDF, 82Kb).
For Babergh the GTAA recommends that up to 1 permanent Gypsy and Traveller pitch is delivered, together with 8-12 transit pitches. The Council's Strategy Committee on 4.11.10 resolved to deliver 1 permanent pitch and review the need for 8-12 transit pitches in partnership with Suffolk County Council and our partner District and Borough Councils in Suffolk.
Gypsy and Traveller Strategy
Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessments (GTAAs) are also designed to provide the evidence needed to inform local authority and regional housing strategies. Local Authorities in Suffolk have collaborated under the lead of the Traveller Liaison Officer at Suffolk County Council and produced a Suffolk Gypsy and Traveller Strategy 2009-11. For a copy of this and more general information please see Suffolk County Council's Gypsies and Travellers web page. |