Travellers forced to ‘prove’ their ethnicity in new rules for planning
It demanded all members to take a decisive and proactive strategy in order to make sure that the groups aren’t excluded from society.
As the decade is nearing its end, It’s hard to discern any improvements in the living conditions of Britain’s Gypsy as well as Traveller communities. Recent actions taken by DCLG Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) appear to suggest that things are becoming worse.
The DCLG has enacted new planning regulations that directly impact the health and wellbeing of Gypsy and Traveller people. As per the minister for housing Brandon Lewis, these are crucial to tackle issues of “blight” and “misery” that is caused by illegal sites and ensure that the rules of planning ” apply fairly to every community“.
For the human rights group Traveller Movement, these new rules for planning provide new avenues to be excluded, not the inclusion as required to be a requirement of EU. EU.
Traveller Movement claims the fact that, by making it more difficult to Gypsies as well as Travellers to get planning permission and planning permission, the UK government is unable to recognize the status of ethnic minorities for Gypsy and Traveller individuals in their planning process.
Furthermore, by introducing an updated 3 point “clarification” to the definition of the terms “Gypsy” and “Traveller” The DCLG guidance can be used to redefine what Gypsies and Travellers are.
Shut out
Gypsies and travelers have long been recognized as minorities races under the law on race relations as well as European Union’s definition of “Roma”. However, for purposes of planning the DCLG has now suggested that an individual who is a Gypsy or Traveller may only be considered a Gypsy or Traveller if you “travel”.
In accordance with this policy, if individuals quit travelling (to remain in school or due to a lack of job opportunities or poor health), the person ceases to be a Gypsy or even a Traveller at all. They’re not qualified to seek permission to construct or develop, and possibly live on a particular site.
Travellers are already suffering from an extreme shortage of accommodation. The new guidelines will make life even more difficult for the vulnerable. A lot of people will have to reside on the roadsides as well as there could be an increase in illegal sites, which Lewis has been able to publicly condemn.
Being a camper on a site that isn’t licensed is not ideal and is a huge burden of disadvantage and suffering. A legitimate cause of tension in the community, campsites that are not authorised, could be difficult for people to accept and tolerate. Travelers themselves are faced daily with the threat of being criminalized and evicted, as well as having limited access to basic amenities like the running of water or even sanitation.