Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2025 to Question 44484 on Travellers: Caravan Sites, whether her Department considered (a) appealing the judgement and (b) bringing forward legislative proposals to reverse it.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are carefully considering the judgment issued by the High Court in May 2024.
The letter was sent by the NPCC.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2025 to Question 44484 on Travellers: Caravan Sites, if she will publish the letter sent to police forces.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are carefully considering the judgment issued by the High Court in May 2024.
The letter was sent by the NPCC.
Asked by: Richard Tice (Reform UK - Boston and Skegness)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans her Department has to bring forward legislative proposals to grant local authorities increased powers to remove unauthorised traveller encampments from public and private land.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local planning authorities already have a wide range of enforcement powers, with strong penalties for non-compliance, which they can use to tackle all types of unauthorised development.
We will keep the use of these powers under review.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2025 to Question 39632 on Travellers: Caravan Sites, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of this ruling on unauthorised traveller sites.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government is carefully considering the judgment issued by the High Court in May 2024 which found that particular sections of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, as amended by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, were incompatible with Convention rights.
We acknowledge and respect the High Court’s decision, and the National Police Chiefs’ Council have written to forces in England and Wales advising them of the judgment. Forces will need to consider their own legal advice in to inform any related enforcement decisions, which are operationally independent of government.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to give additional powers to local authorities to tackle unauthorised traveller (a) development and (b) encampments.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Planning Policy for Traveller Sites, which can be found on Gov.uk here, sets out that local planning authorities should produce their own assessment of Gypsy and Traveller accommodation need and plan to meet this need through their Local Plan. This includes setting pitch targets for Gypsies and Travellers and plot targets for travelling showpeople, which address the likely permanent and transit site accommodation needs of Travellers in their area.
Gypsy and Traveller pitches are part of the overall calculation and information submitted for the purpose of the Housing Delivery test. Non-permanent dwellings are included only if they are the resident’s main residence and council tax is paid on them.
Local planning authorities have a wide range of enforcement powers, with strong penalties for non-compliance, which they can use to tackle all types of unauthorised development.
Asked by: Blair McDougall (Labour - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the High Court ruling that Part 4 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 is incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As with all cases of this nature, we are now carefully considering the judgment in order to determine the best way forward.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what responsibilities Strategic Authorities will have for setting (a) locations and (b) targets for new traveller pitches in the spatial areas for which they have planning oversight.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The English Devolution White Paper, Power and Partnership: Foundations for Growth, sets out that all strategic authorities will have a duty to produce a Spatial Development Strategy.
Spatial Development Strategies will guide development for the local planning authorities in any given area, and their local plans will need to be in general conformity with them. Further detail will be set out in legislation in due course.
It is too early at this stage to make a firm commitment as to their role in relation to authorised traveller pitches.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the policy paper entitled Planning Reform Working Paper: Planning Committees, published on 9 December 2024, whether the requirements for delegation to planning officers would apply to planning applications for traveller sites.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The working paper in question invites views on a number of proposals designed to support better decision making in the planning system, including proposals on a national scheme of delegation. We have made no decisions in relation to how a national scheme of delegation would work, including in relation to applications for traveller sites. Should we determine to take proposals for a national scheme of delegation forward they would be the subject of further detailed consultation in the normal way.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to page 64 of the Devolution White Paper (CP 1218), published on 16 December 2024, whether Spatial Development Strategies will (a) include targets and (b) propose sites for authorised traveller pitches by local planning authority.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The English Devolution White Paper, Power and Partnership: Foundations for Growth, sets out that Spatial Development Strategies will guide development for the local planning authorities in any given area, and that local plans will need to be in general conformity with them. Spatial Development Strategies will identify the infrastructure that is needed and strategic locations for development. Further detail will be set out in legislation in due course.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to protect the Tara Park Traveller site in Liverpool; if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the consultation with the residents of that site on the potential impact of the Ten Streets development; and whether she plans to redevelop that site in line with the surrounding redevelopment proposals.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I am unable to comment on individual planning cases because of the departments quasi-judicial role in the planning system.
However, planning policy is clear that, in respect of Traveller sites, it is for elected local authorities to make their own assessment of need to inform the preparation of local plans and make planning decisions. In assembling this evidence, local authorities should pay particular attention to early and effective community engagement with both settled and Traveller communities in their area.