PRESS RELEASE : Councils supported with £10 million to improve traveller sites [June 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 15 June 2023.

Traveller sites will be improved and people in the community will be given easier access to healthcare and education, thanks to DLUHC funding allocated today.

Traveller sites will be improved and people in the community will be given easier access to healthcare and education, thanks to DLUHC funding allocated today.

Nine councils across England – including Kent, Lancaster, Cornwall, Swindon, and Preston – have received a share of £10million, through DLUHC’s Traveller Site Fund.

The funding is helping to improve transit sites, so that travellers have authorised places to stay, as well as better access to facilities and services such as healthcare.

Councils are also using the funding to refurbish existing transit and permanent sites to help improve living conditions for residents.

Improvements underway range from rebuilding through to new infrastructure dependent on need – including stabling for horses, improved utilities and play areas for children.

Minister for Levelling Up, Dehenna Davison MP, said:

We are supporting councils to improve travellers’ life chances and build cohesion between the settled and traveller communities.

This funding is just one of the many ways we are improving opportunities for communities across the country, as part of the Levelling Up agenda.

Preston’s Leighton Street Traveller Site has been awarded £337,220 to refurbish and improve the condition of the site, including the upgrade of electrical equipment giving the residents greater control over their energy bills and running costs of the site.

Leader of Preston City Council, Councillor Matthew Brown, said:

We are delighted to receive this much-needed funding. It means residents now have better access to energy on the site, giving them greater control, flexibility, and money saving options on their outgoing energy bills.

Investing in sites means councils can also reduce the number of unauthorised encampments in England. This reduces enforcement costs for councils and assists both councils and local police in redirecting travellers from unauthorised sites. Funding also helps support community cohesion between the settled community and travellers.

In addition to this fund, councils can already apply for a share of the £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Fund 2021-2026 for permanent and transit sites, and bricks and mortar accommodation for travellers.