Council bosses in Fife and Dundee have been challenged to improve their policies in relation to gypsy travellers by a leading human rights organisation.
Amnesty International has written to both Dundee City Council and Fife Council expressing its concern over local authorities’ record of support for gypsy traveller communities in Scotland, drawing attention to evidence that they suffer widespread discrimination across the country.
Dundee has been pinpointed for not having a dedicated gypsy traveller liaison officer in place, with Amnesty claiming more consultation is needed with local gypsy travellers with regard to increasing the number of transit sites in the area.
It also calls for a “more specific explanation” of how the council caters for gypsy travellers in its housing strategy and equality scheme.
Fife meanwhile is criticised for having an apparent shortage of transit sites in the region, while Amnesty believes greater consultation is needed with travellers in relation to existing tenancy agreements.
Amnesty International’s programme director for Scotland John Watson said Amnesty has surveyed the performance of each of Scotland’s 32 councils against key recommendations of a report published nine years ago by the Scottish Parliament’s Equal Opportunities Committee.
He said, “The situation for Scottish gypsy travellers raises fundamental human rights concerns, particularly the rights to health, education, housing and cultural life and freedom from discrimination.
“As the main providers of housing, sites and education, local authorities have a crucial part to play in improving the situation for Scottish gypsy travellers in Scotland.”‘Long overdue’Mr Watson said difficulties experienced by Scottish gypsy travellers are well documented, adding that concrete action to improve the situation is “long overdue.”
Fife is already home to three permanent sites near Cupar, Kelty and Kirkcaldy and the council has been looking at increasing the number of stopover sites in the region namely near Cairneyhill, Cardenden, Cowdenbeath and one in north-east Fife-in recent months.
The council also has a gypsy travellers working group which looks at various issues surrounding the recognised minority, although councillors backed a motion last month expressing their “concern and dismay” at costs sometimes upwards of £10,000 incurred by Fife businesses as a result of unauthorised encampments and the disruption they can cause to residents.
With that in mind council chiefs in Fife were asked to look at the perceived “imbalance” between the rights of travellers and the rights of owners of unauthorised encampment sites.
While Fife has not yet formally replied to Amnesty’s letter, Dundee City Council’s response maintained that the council will continue to engage with the community, although a lack of available land and funding has made finding transit sites difficult.
It has also been suggested that some travellers have preferred to occupy land illegally rather than present themselves at Balmuir Wood, Dundee City Council’s official permanent site, and rent a pitch.