Gypsy and Traveller caravan count: January 2024
This release details the number of caravans, pitches and sites for Gypsy and Traveller populations by local authority and their trends over time for January 2024.
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Main points
On 18 January 2024 there were 1,216 Gypsy and Traveller caravans and 158 sites reported in Wales.
Between January 2023 and January 2024, the total number of Gypsy and Traveller caravans rose by 14% (1,216 caravans in January 2024 compared to 1,066 in January 2023), and the total number of sites rose by 11% (158 authorised and unauthorised sites in January 2024, compared to 142 in January 2023).
Change of data source
The All Wales Caravan Count online collection tool was used to source caravan count data between January 2021 and July 2023. This tool was discontinued in 2023, and from January 2024 onwards DataMapWales has been the source for collecting the Gypsy and Traveller Caravan Count data from local authorities in Wales. More information on this process is included in the quality report.
Caravans by site authorisation
At the time of the January 2024 count, the total number of Gypsy and Traveller caravans in Wales was 1,216. There were 1,055 caravans on authorised sites with planning permission, accounting for 87% of all caravans. Of these, 647 (61%) were on socially rented sites and 408 (39%) were on privately funded sites. Cardiff, Flintshire, and Pembrokeshire had the highest total numbers of caravans, followed by Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend and Torfaen; combined these six local authorities accounted for around two thirds (65%) of all caravans.
Figure 1 below shows the breakdown of caravans by authorised and unauthorised status.
Figure 1: Gypsy and Traveller caravans by type of site, January 2024
Description of Figure 1: A pie chart showing the percentage of caravans that are on authorised sites (87%), unauthorised sites on Gypsy owned land (7%) and unauthorised sites on land not owned by Gypsies (6%).
Source: All Wales caravan count (Welsh Government).
There were 84 caravans on unauthorised sites on land owned by Gypsies and Travellers, accounting for 7% of all caravans. A further 77 caravans (6% of all caravans) were on unauthorised sites on land not owned by Gypsies and Travellers, making a total of 161 caravans on unauthorised sites. This is a 16% increase in caravans on unauthorised sites since January 2023, when there were 139 caravans on unauthorised sites. The number of unauthorised sites themselves increased from 37 in January 2023 to 43 in January 2024.
Swansea had the highest number of caravans on unauthorised sites (34 caravans, accounting for 21% of all caravans on unauthorised sites).
In some cases, caravans are on sites which are unauthorised but the local authority has decided not to seek removal of the encampment. In January 2024 there were 97 caravans on tolerated unauthorised sites. The largest number of these were seen in Swansea where there were 28 caravans on tolerated unauthorised sites. There were 64 caravans on unauthorised sites that were not tolerated in Wales.
Figures 2 and 3 below show, respectively, the number of caravans and sites by site authorisation.
Detailed local authority level tables are provided in the ODS spreadsheet found under the data tab. Further background and quality information can be found in the quality report. Terms which have a special meaning are explained in the glossary.
Figure 2: Number of Gypsy and Traveller caravans by site authorisation, January 2018 to January 2024 [Note 1] [Note 2]
Description of Figure 2: A line chart showing the number of caravans on authorised and unauthorised sites. The number of caravans on authorised sites was higher in January 2024 compared to recent years.
Sources: Gypsy and Traveller caravan count, All Wales caravan count (Welsh Government)
[Note 1] Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Welsh Government’s biannual caravan census count was not conducted in Wales in July 2020.
[Note 2] From January 2021 onwards, the All Wales Caravan Count online data tool (and DataMapWales from January 2024) has been used to produce counts of Gypsy and Traveller caravans in Wales. As such, some caution is advised when considering trends across time. Please see data quality report for more information.
Figure 3: Number of Gypsy and Traveller sites by authorisation, January 2011 to January 2024 [Note 1] [Note 2]
Description of Figure 3: A line chart showing the number of sites by authorisation. The number of authorised sites has shown a steady increase since January 2011. There was an increase in the number of unauthorised sites between January 2023 and January 2024.
Source: Gypsy and Traveller caravan count, All Wales caravan count (Welsh Government)
Notes
[Note 1] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Welsh Government’s biannual caravan census count was not conducted in Wales in July 2020.
[Note 2] From January 2021 onwards, the All Wales Caravan Count online data tool (and DataMapWales from January 2024) has been used to produce counts of Gypsy and Traveller caravans in Wales. As such, some caution is advised when considering trends across time. Please see data quality report for more information.
Pitches on local authority sites
There were 465 pitches on Gypsy and Traveller sites provided by local authorities in Wales on 18 January 2024. Of these, 463 were residential pitches and 2 were transit pitches.
Pembrokeshire, Cardiff and Neath Port Talbot had the highest number of pitches provided by local authorities (83, 80 and 67 pitches respectively) accounting for around half of the total number of pitches (50%). There were 6 local authorities that reported having no pitches on 18 January 2024. At the time of the count, 96% of the residential pitches were occupied.
Quality and methodology information
Detailed information on data quality and methodology can be found in the Gypsy and Traveller Caravan Count quality report.