Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, which local authorities have (a) reviewed their provision for authorised travellers sites and (b) made progress towards adequate and appropriate provision for those sites.

This Department does not collect data on which local authorities have reviewed their provision for authorised traveller sites. It is the responsibility of local planning authorities to make their own assessment of need for traveller sites and in producing their local plan, to identify sites to meet that need. The independent examination of the plan will consider whether adequate site provision has been made for gypsies and travellers based on assessed needs. Paragraph 10a of the Planning Policy for Traveller Sites sets out that local authorities should identify and update annually, a supply of specific deliverable sites sufficient to provide 5 years' worth of sites against locally set targets.

Data on progress towards the adequate and appropriate provision for of authorised traveller sites is collected at local authority rather than Central Government level. In producing plans the Planning Policy for Traveller Sites states that local planning authorities should ensure that traveller sites are sustainable economically, socially and environmentally. Within this context, it is the responsibility of local authorities to allocate land and determine planning applications for suitable sites in appropriate locations.