Draft guidance for undertaking Gypsy and Traveller accommodation assessments - Chapter 5: review and update

The 2014 Act requires local authorities to undertake a Gypsy and Traveller accommodation assessment (GTAA) at least every 5 years. This is because it is difficult to accurately assess Gypsy and Traveller population changes over a period longer than 5 years.

Local authorities have the flexibility to undertake GTAAs at 5-year intervals or any time in between. They may choose to do more frequent assessments if a material change in the level of need in the area has been identified. Local authorities may choose to align the renewal of their GTAAs with the substantial review of the Local Development Plan every 4 years.

To ensure the local authority are meeting their statutory duties, the Welsh Government will continue to monitor site provision and progress towards meeting identified need in each local authority on a regular basis.

Once unmet pitch needs have been established through the assessment process and approved by the Welsh ministers, local authorities must work to meet that need.

The Welsh ministers will monitor the delivery of the accommodation needs identified in a GTAAs by local authorities. It is important for local authorities to remember that the duty to meet the identified accommodation needs remains with them, and not the Welsh Government. Where a GTAA has identified unmet Gypsy and Traveller site need, but the Welsh ministers are satisfied the local authority has failed to comply with their duty to meet that need, the local authority may be directed to do so as set out in section 103 of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014. The Welsh ministers will consult with the relevant local authority before issuing any direction.

Local authorities should be able to demonstrate they are doing all they reasonably can to meet identified accommodation needs, failing which, the Welsh ministers may have to consider exercising their powers under section 104 of the 2014 Act to direct local authorities to carry out their functions to provide the necessary sites.

The Welsh Government will review this guidance regularly and as a result of learning from GTAA cycles.