Three decades after Criminal Justice Act took away legal duty, FOI requests reveal systemic racism across the UK
~ Lulu Smith ~
A newly-released report highlights the lack of transit provisions for Romany Gypsies, Irish Travellers and other travelling families across the UK. Freedom of Information requests sent by Friends, Families and Travellers to 382 local authorities revealed that only 31 (less than 10%) had any form of transit provision in their area.
Travelling is an important part of these communities’ cultural heritages and identities, and in 2001 the European Court of Human Rights ruled that states should be obliged to facilitate this way of living.
Of up to half a million travelling people in the UK, about a quarter live in mobile homes, and many who are settled continue to maintain the tradition for part of the year. Transit sites are essential for people to be able to stop safely for short periods.
In 1994 the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act withdrew local authorities’ statutory duty to provide caravan sites, whilst giving draconian eviction powers to both the police and local councils.
Since 2015, local authorities have been obtaining wide injunctions against ‘persons unknown’ covering huge areas of land traditionally used as safe stopping places and encampments for Travelling families. This means that anyone entering those areas is immediately liable to be arrested, fined and have their vehicle – i.e. their home – seized.
Today, the report found, many of the remaining legal sites have maximum stopping periods of as little as 14 days, and no-return windows of up to a year. The deposits and charges for use and utilities varied widely – including deposits of up to £500 per caravan. In many cases, this pricing information was not available to people until they arrived.
The report highlights systemic racism across the UK, weeks after travellers rallied against Manchester Police brutality, as traveller children were prevented from visiting the Christmas market and herded on to trains out of the city.
Photos (illustration): Andy F, David Smith. CC BY-SA 2.0
