Improving Gypsy/Traveller sites: progress summary

Consultation

Site tenants should be consulted about the site owner's policy on repairs and maintenance, rents and service charges made by the site owner, and whether the services site tenants receive reflect value for money. They should also be made aware of any significant changes to the site being considered by the site provider, such as plans to increase the number of pitches on a site. This reflects Outcomes 3, 14 and 15 in the Scottish Social Housing Charter which cover participation, rents, and service charges.

Indicator 1 – Gypsy/Traveller site tenants find it easy to communicate with the site provider, and get the information they need

• Site tenants should be consulted about:
  • rent levels, and any plans to increase them.
  • any proposed significant changes to the site ( e.g. more pitches).
  • other changes in the local area that will have an impact on the site, e.g. planning applications on adjacent land.

Both Highland Council and Dumfries and Galloway Council told us this was an area where they had identified that improvements were required and had taken action to address this.

Highland Council recognised that historically the method in which engagement and consultations were carried out with site tenants lacked consistency. In July 2017, the Council appointed a Principal Tenant & Customer Engagement Officer. The main duties of the post is to help the Council further enhance and deliver its Tenant and Customer Engagement strategic framework; provide innovative tenant and customer engagement opportunities throughout the Highlands and provide knowledge, information and training to staff and site tenants to influence positive change. The Principal Tenant and Customer Engagement Officer will be working closely with the Council's Tenant Services Officer and site tenants to review the structure of consultation, participation and engagement opportunities with site tenants to develop a model that best suits their needs.

Dumfries and Galloway told us that consultation in the past has not been transparent and has been on an intermittent basis. All future changes to site provision and rental charges will be consulted upon with the residents. A new post of Gypsy/Traveller Liaison Officer has been put in place to assist with this process to ensure that proper consultation and engagement takes place.

All other site providers told us they were meeting this standard, however, this is not fully supported by what residents told us. Some residents from Angus, Edinburgh, Tarvitmill in Fife and West Dunbartonshire told us that they did not always find it easy to get in touch with the site provider or get the information they need. Some residents at Dumfries and Galloway, Edinburgh, Inverness in Highland and West Dunbartonshire are not always asked about rent increases or any changes to the site before they happen.