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Scottish housing regulator calls for improvements to Traveller sites
Only half of Gypsy and Traveller sites in Scotland have clear information for residents about the standard of accommodation they should expect, the Scottish Housing Regulator has found.
The regulator has published a report reminding providers of the housing standards it expects for Gypsy and Traveller sites.
The regulator visited 12 out of 29 Gypsy and Traveller sites across Scotland and found that information on rights was only clearly displayed at six of the sites. In 2016 the regulator produced an information poster on the standards landlords are expected to deliver and required these to be prominently displayed at Gypsy and Traveller sites.
At four of the sites the regulator was told by residents they had not seen a site manager for months “or had only seen them occasionally”.
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The regulator said the owners of Gypsy/Traveller sites should ensure residents have access to a site manager and meet the Scottish Government’s minimum site standards by June this year. These minimum standards include providing clean water, an electricity supply and carrying out regular maintenance of the sites.
The regulator’s standards for Gypsy and Traveller sites include understanding residents’ particular needs so services can be tailored to them, assessing the feasibility of making sites and buildings barrier free, and regularly gathering information on resident satisfaction.
