Mobile Homes: child rights and wellbeing impact assessment screening

Which aspects of the relevant proposal currently affects or will affect children and young people up to the age of 18?

Over the long term (1989-2023), RPI is a little under one percentage point higher and more volatile than CPI. As a result, pitch fees are likely to increase more slowly than they would have done without the change, impacting on disposable income for residents on licenced permanent mobile home sites, including families who have children. For an average pitch fee of £172^[3] identified in UK Government research in 2022, this would equate to reduced expenditure of £1.72 per month per pitch, compounding in subsequent years to increase the likely impact.

ALACHO published a survey of Council rent and rent rises for Gypsy/Traveller pitches^[4] for 2021-22 and 2022-23. In 2021-22, the average pitch fee was £77.90 per week with the lowest being £53 per week and the highest £98 a week. The average for 2022-23 was £78.91 which equates to just over £1 per week and a 1.33% rise, well below both RPI and CPI. ALACHO’s consultation response noted that ALACHO and COSLA had a statement of intent in place while the Cost of Living (Scotland) Act was in force that social rents would not rise above £5 per week. It also noted that HRA services should not be constrained by the application of a CPI index because rents should be set by the Council based on the need to balance income with expenditure and that, as CPI is the index used by LA finance, they did not foresee any negative impact from the proposed change.