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Accommodation Needs of Gypsies/Travellers: New Approaches to Policy in England

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2008

Margaret Greenfields
Margaret Greenfields*
Affiliation:
Buckinghamshire Chilterns University, Faculty of Society and Health, Buckinghamshire E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Since 2003 central government has undertaken a review of law and policy pertaining to Gypsies and Travellers, resulting in a new statutory requirement (Housing Act 2004) and policy guidance (Circular 1/2006) for local authorities undertaking Gypsy Traveller Needs Assessments (GTAAs).

This article first places Gypsy Traveller law and policy within a wider context of social theory, drawing upon the work of Foucault, Cohen, Deleuze and Simmel to explore the growing hostility between settled and travelling communities and the state's current response, which is grounded in a concern for community cohesion. After reviewing recent policy reports and initiatives this article briefly compares three Gypsy Traveller Accommodation Assessments, discusses the preferred methodologies for such exercises; differences in the Gypsy/Traveller populations in the three areas, and the implications of such variations for further studies. Finally, an assessment is made of the prospect of current initiatives resulting in practical improvements in the lived experiences of Gypsy Travellers.

Type
Themed Section Care or Control? Gypsies, Travellers and the State
Information
Social Policy and Society , Volume 7 , Issue 1 , January 2008 , pp. 73 - 89
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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