The first meeting of the Dumfries and Galloway council’s Communities Committee will take place on Tuesday 13 June, and will hear of the actions our Council has taken to improve service delivery and the physical condition on the Council’s Gypsy/Traveller sites.
Members in the chamber will also be asked to note our Council’s approach to dealing with unauthorised encampments and agree that an improvement plan should be developed and brought back for committee approval before the end of the year.
Dumfries and Galloway Council maintains two Gypsy/Traveller sites in the region – one at Collin on the outskirts of Dumfries and one at Barlockhart near Glenluce.
Scottish Government guidelines require the accommodation needs of Gypsy/Travellers to be adequately assessed and effectively met at a local level. In order to comply with these guidelines, our sites will require capital works to be carried out, and the addition of an improvement plan will allow us to clearly prioritise issues that need addressing at each of the two sites in the region.
Other areas of improvement that are planned include the upgrading of fencing in and around sites and renewing internal and external CCTV on the sites, as well as additional signage and lighting. Funding in the region of £185,000 has been set aside to carry out this work. Our Council will also be appointing a Gypsy/Traveller Liaison Officer to provide a resource to manage the sites on a day to day basis as well as being a key point of contact in delivering the improvement plan. The officer will also link in with community groups in both areas to ensure the communities in and around Collin and Glenluce are kept fully informed on plans to improve the two sites.
Communities Chairman, Councillor Andy Ferguson said of the report;
“This report gives clear direction on how we will continue to improve the Gypsy/Traveller sites we are responsible for in the region. The report contains information on how our Council helps and assists the Gypsy/Traveller communities, but also gives an overview of how we will link in with the communities of where the sites are located to ensure residents are kept abreast of the improvements we plan to make. The Liaison Post will be vital in delivering the improvement plan, and I look forward to seeing the plan at the October meeting of this committee.”
Papers for the meeting on Tuesday 13 June can be viewed HERE
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