Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether (a) authorised and (b) unauthorised traveller pitches count towards housing targets.

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.