Bradford Council to look at options to meet travellers needs

It comes after there were more traveller caravans in Bradford than spaces provided by the local authority and privately-owned sites earlier this year.

Figures from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities show there were 56 traveller caravans recorded in Bradford in January – down from 67 the year before.

Of them, four did not have planning permission.

The data also shows there were spaces for 47 caravans at local authority and privately-owned sites in Bradford.

Only last month, a number of caravans were spotted on playing fields on the border of Bradford and Leeds.

Residents and a local councillor spoke of their frustration after 15 to 20 caravans moved onto playing fields off the A647 Leeds Road and adjacent to Sunnybank Avenue in Thornbury.

When the Telegraph & Argus visited the site on Thursday, the caravans could still be seen.

The caravans on the Bradford Leeds border (Image: Newsquest)

Bradford Council say they know more provision is needed and hope they can provide 26 more pitches by 2038.

A Bradford Council spokesperson said: “In the Bradford District, we currently have two permanent sites for gypsies and travellers - at Esholt and at Mary Street in East Bowling - which provide 47 pitches for residents in the district. There are also some privately owned sites. 

“There is currently one vacant pitch at Mary Street and nine at Esholt.

“However, we have identified in our Local Plan that there is a need for more provision, which mirrors the national picture.

"We commissioned a study into gypsy, traveller and show person accommodation in 2021 to get an accurate assessment of the level of need in our district.

“This identified that 26 more pitches are needed by 2038, and some specific sites were identified for a minimum of 15 pitches to meet a five-year pitch shortfall.

“We are now reviewing potential sites and options so that we can meet the accommodation needs of gypsies and travellers in our district in the coming years.”  

In June, the Friends, Families and Travellers charity celebrated Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month.

They have called on the Government to tackle the accommodation crisis facing the community.

A spokesperson at Friends, Families and Travellers, which works on behalf of Gyspy, Roma and Traveller communities across the UK, said: "The chronic shortage of safe stopping places means that over 3,000 gypsy and traveller families are left with little to no options about where to stop and rest, and live in fear of retribution."

Data from the count of traveller caravans in England which took place on or around January 19, 2023.

The twice-yearly count takes place in January and July, recording the number of caravans on both authorised and unauthorised sites across England.

Since 2011, each January count has included a count of caravans occupied by Travelling ShowPeople in each local authority in England.

Nationally, the total number of traveller caravans was 25,333 in January. About 87 per cent of which was on authorised land.

There were 3,187 caravans on unapproved sites – a 10 per cent increase from the year before. These were primarily on Gypsy, Roma and Traveller-owned land.

The charity added that the Government’s new Traveller Site Fund grants is welcomed, but added only one of the 16 grants awarded went towards the development of a new transit site.

"This falls far short of tackling the current accommodation crisis, and more must be done to provide travelling with much-needed security," they said.

The Government recently announced an allocation of £10 million in funding towards improving traveller sites in nine councils across England.

Minister for Levelling Up, Dehenna Davison, said: "We are supporting councils to improve travellers’ life chances and build cohesion between the settled and traveller communities.

"This funding is just one of the many ways we are improving opportunities for communities across the country, as part of the Levelling Up agenda."

The department said investing in sites can reduce the number of unauthorised encampments in England and subsequently reduce enforcement costs for councils in redirecting Travellers from unauthorised sites.