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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to issue good practice guidance to support local authorities’ use of powers to deal with unauthorised encampments; what his timetable is for issuing that guidance; and if he will make a statement.

Although the majority of the travelling community are law-abiding, it is clear that unauthorised encampments can pose serious difficulties for local residents.

The Government is determined to tackle this issue. This is why, in the Government response to the consultation on powers for dealing with unauthorised development and encampments published 9 February [https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/powers-for-dealing-with-unauthorised-development-and-encampments], my Department and the Home Office set out a comprehensive range of measures including a commitment to produce good practice guidance to support local authorities’ use of existing powers to deal with unauthorised encampments. We have committed to initially publish non-statutory guidance, which we will develop in consultation with local authorities and the travelling community. We will, in due course, create a power to place this guidance on a statutory footing and confirm the timetable.