Improving Gypsy/Traveller sites: progress summary

Safety & Security

Sites should be safe and secure. There are seven indicators to establish whether this standard is met. The self-assessment returns show that 14 sites were failing to meet this standard on one or more indicator. It is not clear if all the issues at some sites will be addressed by June 2018 – Clackmannanshire, Collin and Glenluce in Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian and the sites in Fife as planned refurbishment works may not have been completed by then.

Indicator 1 – There should be adequate food storage space in the amenity block

• The kitchen must have at least 1m ³ of food storage space either in the kitchen itself or immediately adjacent to the kitchen.

All site providers, except Dumfries and Galloway Council at both its sites and Highland Council at its Newtonmore site, told us they were meeting this indicator. Highland Council told us that the renovations that began in November 2017 would address this before June 2018. In Dumfries and Galloway the major issue with the condition of the land on the Collin site is preventing investment in the amenity blocks.

Some of the residents at the Larkhall site told us that they did not have enough room to store food in their amenity blocks and did not store food in the blocks because they were too damp. Some residents at both the Tarvitmill site in Fife and the West Dunbartonshire site told us they could not store food in their amenity blocks due to vermin.

Indicator 2 – There are adequate and appropriately located carbon monoxide detectors and alarms

• There should be a carbon monoxide detector in every room in an amenity block that contains a carbon-fuelled fixed combustion appliance, other than an appliance used solely for cooking, and in any room which is frequently used by the site tenant(s) for general daytime living purposes.

The majority of site providers reported that this indicator is not applicable to them as their amenity blocks do not contain carbon-fuelled fixed combustion appliances. For those where it was applicable all except one reported that they meet this indicator. Clackmannanshire Council reported that they are only partially meeting this indicator.

Indicator 3 – There are adequate and appropriately located smoke alarms/detectors. Site providers should also meet their duties under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005

• In relation to an amenity block there must be at least:
  • one functioning smoke alarm in any room which is frequently used by the site tenant(s) for cooking and/or general daytime living purposes; and
  • one heat alarm in every kitchen.
• Site providers should also meet their duties under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 in relation to fire safety assessments.

A number of site providers were not fully meeting this indicator. The sites in Aberdeenshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Fife and West Dunbartonshire did not have smoke or heat alarms at the time of the review. Aberdeenshire Council, Dumfries and Galloway Council and West Dunbartonshire Council told us that they will address this ahead of June 2018. Fife Council told us that they will fit these as part of the planned refurbishment works.

North Ayrshire Council, Perth and Kinross Council and Stirling Council all told us they did not have heat detectors but had plans to install them before June 2018.

There were no site providers who reported not meeting their duties under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 in relation to fire safety assessments. Most had either determined or had plans to determine what the requirements for their particular site were before June 2018. However, five providers did not explicitly state whether they are meeting their duties under the Act – Angus, Clackmannanshire, East Lothian, Edinburgh and Highland councils.

Indicator 4 – There is a safe electrical system, inspected once every 5 years

• The electrical system in the amenity block and elsewhere on the pitch must not be dangerous to the inhabitant as indicated by: broken casings; damaged power socket boxes; exposed wiring; other obvious signs of damage, disrepair or unauthorised alterations, especially to the consumer/meter units.

Information from site providers in respect of three sites – Collin in Dumfries and Galloway, Newtonmore in Highland and West Dunbartonshire – showed that they were not meeting this indicator but indicated that action was being taken to address this imminently.

A resident at the Tarvitmill site in Fife told us a light switch in their amenity block was damaged and a plug had fused becoming stuck in a kitchen socket. The resident stated that despite reporting these issues, nothing had been done making the electrical system in the amenity block unsafe.

Indicator 5 – There is a safe gas/oil system (if used) and appliances. There is a gas inspection (if applicable) once a year

• The gas or oil system in the amenity block and elsewhere on the pitch must not be dangerous to the inhabitants as indicated by problems such as: wall mounted boilers in danger of detaching; rusted boilers or tanks; leaking oil tanks or pipes; holes in gas flues; balanced gas flues with unsafe guards; balanced gas flues with incorrectly positioned guards; smell of gas/oil around boiler.

The majority of site providers told us that this indicator did not apply to them as they did not have gas or oil systems in their amenity blocks. Both site providers where this does apply told us they were meeting this standard. These were Clackmannanshire Council and Perth and Kinross Council.

Indicator 6 – There is good quality lighting of common parts of the site

• There must be adequate common or public lighting on the site.

Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway and West Dunbartonshire Councils told us they are not currently fully meeting this indicator but have plans to address this before June 2018.

Residents on the Collin and West Dunbartonshire sites confirmed this. In addition, some residents living on the Dundee and Inverness sites felt that there was not enough good quality lighting on all common parts of the site. In Inverness, this related to the access road. In Dundee, some residents told us that extra lighting had been installed but that some parts of the site were still not well lit.

Indicator 7 – There are appropriate road safety measures in place for roads on the site

• Appropriate measures should be in place to ensure road safety, such as speed limits and speedbumps, and appropriate signage (such as indicating to drivers that children may be playing, and to drive slowly).

Dumfries and Galloway Council and East Lothian Council told us that their sites are not currently meeting this indicator and it is not clear if this will be addressed before June 2018. Information from East Lothian Council set out that they are trying to identify funding for the required work and information from Dumfries and Galloway Council indicated that they plan to address this on both its sites in the coming months but the ground conditions at the Collin site may affect how quickly this can be done.

Some residents in Aberdeen, Angus, Dundee, North Ayrshire, Larkhall and West Dunbartonshire told us that they didn't think there were enough appropriate road safety measures in place on their sites.