Draft guidance for managing Gypsy and Traveller sites - Chapter 9: site maintenance

It is important that local authority sites are maintained to a reasonable standard to ensure the well-being of residents and site sustainability. The maintenance costs for Gypsy and Traveller sites can be higher than for other forms of housing and therefore it is very important to have a planned maintenance programme as well as a reactive maintenance plan in place.

To ensure that sites are kept to a reasonable standard the site manager and operational manager should work in conjunction to ensure that a realistic and scheduled maintenance plan is developed and employed. Maintenance plans and new works should be designed in consultation with residents .

The 2013 Act sets out the local authorities responsibilities for repairing and maintaining:

• the base of the pitch
• any gas, electricity, water, sewerage, or other services supplied by the site owner to the pitch or mobile home
• any other amenities provided by the owner on the pitch, including any outhouses and facilities provided
• all parts of the site that are not the responsibility of individual pitch agreement holders, including boundary fences, access ways and trees

The maintenance plan should be drawn up in advance by the site manager and agreed with the local authority. The plan should clearly define the day-to-day duties that fall to the site manager and larger scale planned maintenance, along with a budget. Emergency works also need to be factored in with an estimated, ring fenced, budget.

Many sites will have a grass or landscaped area. Where these are in place they will require regular maintenance. Keeping grass at a minimal length will not only help prevent fire risks but also help foster a sense of belonging on site and help ensure positive relationships the site’s residents and the settled community. Grassed areas can also provide important play areas for children and other people that live on the site. Functions such as cutting the grass may fall to other departments of the local authority, but the site manager should ensure that maintenance is completed regularly.

As detailed in the Designing Gypsy and Traveller Sites in Wales guidance, communal areas can be problematic unless they have a clearly defined purpose. Where landscaped areas are intended as play areas, residents should be informed of its purpose and be made aware that misuse of this area will not be accepted.

It will be the responsibility of the site manager to prevent any rubbish from accumulating on communal areas. The site manager should arrange for rubbish to be cleared as soon as possible, either personally or by the local authority. Communal pathways and roads on site should be swept regularly. Road gutters should also be cleared on a regular basis.

Local authorities may wish to include a provision in the pitch agreement that incidents of fly-tipping will be pursued, initially with a Fixed Penalty Notice and followed by legal action where required. This is consistent with the approach taken by local authorities in response to any fly-tipping by members of the settled community. Where fly-tipping becomes a persistent problem, notices on site warning residents of the action that may be taken against them may be a useful deterrent. Fly-tipping is a criminal offence punishable by prison and or a fine up to £50,000, depending on the severity of the crime.

The site manager should seek to ensure that equipment and facilities provided on site are kept in a reasonable state for use and comply with health and safety requirements.

Where play facilities are in place, the site manager should inspect these on a regular basis to ensure they are safe. Where repairs are required the site manager should inform the relevant local authority department. Where apparatus is considered dangerous, they should be taken out of operation. All efforts should be made to ensure that equipment is returned in reasonable condition, as soon as possible. Residents should be given an indication of how long repairs will take.

The site manager should conduct routine inspections of the amenity blocks, internally and externally, and report faults or repairs immediately to the local authority.

The site manager may enter a pitch without giving the occupant any prior notice between the hours of 9 am and 6 pm to deliver written communications, including post and notices, and to read any meter for gas, electricity, water, sewerage or other services supplied by the local authority. If any essential repair or emergency works are needed, the site manager may enter the pitch after giving as much notice to the occupier as is reasonably practicable in the circumstances. In all other cases, the site manager must not enter an occupant’s pitch unless they have given the occupier at least 14 clear days’ written notice of the date, time and reason for the visit. The site manager may not enter the occupant’s mobile home without the permission of the occupant or the court or tribunal.

Residents should be encouraged to report incidents of faults and items in need of repair. Where concerns arise, these should be noted and logged by the site manager and always inspected in a timely manner.