By Billy Briggs and Bill Heaney
Journalistic investigation by The Ferret
It used to be that homeless people were discriminated against and ignored by local councils.
Especially when it came to making use of public services such as housing.
Some would say that still happens. That councils still create ghettos where anti-social behaviour is commonplace. Evidence of this is recent crowd trouble in Bonhill and Brucehill.
I can remember when houses and council housing offices had notices placed in their windows saying: “No blacks, no Dogs, no Irish need apply.”
And when, at Helensburgh Town Council’s office in Sinclair Street, a list of the names of people who were in arrears with their rent was posted at the front door.
Tinkers, or travelling people as they are known now, were shunned by the local populace.
They wouldn’t be served in some shops and were regularly refused a haircut in barber shops.
The public swimming baths used to close when the “Shows” came to Dumbarton Common and when that ceased to happen, there were local people who prohibited their children from using the baths — even if it was during the schools holidays.
If you were to ask West Dunbartonshire Council – I am banned by them myself, so I cannot ask questions on readers’ behalf – how travellers are treated now, in the first quarter of the 21st century, they would probably spin you a line about them being well treated by the authorities.
However, you should ask your local councillor when was the last time they allocated a local authority house to a travelling family.
Many of you might say that the council, seeing the mess that travellers leave behind them at Levengrove Park, along the Clydeshore at Havoc and other places such as Castle Street before the LIDL supermarket arrived, that the council is quite right to keep them out.
That won’t be the story the council spin doctors are instructed to tell you though.
That will be that the council makes provision for travellers by way of a serviced site down at the old Dennystown Forge and Phoenix Park and Levenside sand pits, alongside the Dalreoch-Renton railway line, the Loch Lomond cycle track and an access road from Renton Road that the travellers have to share with a local dump.
A journalistic investigation by Billy Briggs in The Ferret this week has revealed that even authorised Gypsy/Traveller sites in Scotland are likely to be located near sewage plants, recycling and refuse centres, industrial estates and motorways.
Using the Scottish Government’s official count of sites, The Ferret mapped 28 sites in Scotland and used Google Maps to establish how near they were to a number of potential hazards to health including pollution. These included busy A roads, railway lines, rivers, canals, and areas affected by flooding and other water-related problems.
Some sites are in areas that may present a risk to health. Living near water can present issues for residents including pollution, vermin and flooding.
The new analysis is the most comprehensive mapping of authorised sites in Scotland, revealing they are routinely located on the ‘wrong side of the tracks’ isolated, and with poor access to services.
Human rights campaigners said that while recent funding by the Scottish Government for Gypsy/Traveller sites was welcome, it has not addressed “the unhealthy and or dangerous location of sites”. They said that until new sites are built in good areas, upgrading is nothing more than “papering over the cracks”.
The Ferret’s analysis selected indicators of unhealthy places, using sources such as Natural England’s research on environmental justice, international research on air quality and roads, and work from Network Rail on the health effects of living near railways and stations due to diesel trains and other pollutants, including noise.
Of the sites mapped in Scotland: 13 out of 28 (46 per cent) were 50m or less from the hazards and locations with pollution and environmental degradation, with 15 out of 28 at 100m or less (54 per cent), and 21 out of 28 (75 per cent) at 300m or less. One site in West Dumbartonshire is near a railway line and on the access road to the tip.
Scottish Environmental Information Regulations (EIRs) requests to all councils revealed that the most common complaint from Traveller tenants was linked to vermin on the sites West Dunbartonshire one of those complaining about the issue. There were also complaints about stinging insects and blocked drains. Other complaints included issues with sewage.
This research comes hot on the heels of the Scottish government’s implementation of its five year £20m action plan on accommodation for community members, starting with a number of ‘demonstration’ projects in three council areas. This followed the government criticising several councils for the lack of safe sites for community members in 2018.
Colin Clark, professor of sociology and social policy at the University of the West of Scotland, added: “This innovative data journalism work unfortunately confirms what we already know: if you stay on a local authority Traveller site you will be close to hazards that nobody wants as a neighbour.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson told The Ferret: “The Scottish Government’s £20 million Gypsy/Traveller Accommodation Fund is developing examples of model public sites that meet the varying needs of families, including children, older and disabled people. Our Interim Gypsy/Traveller site design guide gives parity with social housing standards, designed around the cultural needs of residents.
“Recent changes to Scottish planning policy and legislation will ensure Gypsy and Traveller communities are properly involved in planning their places. A new inclusive definition of Gypsies and Travellers, specific to planning purposes, will ensure effective future engagement.”
West Dunbartonshire Council refuses to speak to The Dumbarton Democrat.
The full story of this journalistic investigation is in The Ferret.
Travelling families ignore the poor facilities provided by West Dunbartonshire Council at Dalreoch and park caravans in other places, including Levengrove Park, Havoc shore and Castle Street.
Im a havoc dog walker and am infuriated by the mess and damage done by the tinkers at havoc in recent days. This is echoed by every walker I’ve met. I’m a live and let live person but these people are filthy leaving excrement and rubbish where I’ve pleasantly walked before. I wish they would just move on and take lessons on how to live among human beings. You seriously can’t expect these people to feel they are hard done by. How hard is it to pick up your rubbish and shite and not subject it to other people walking their dogs. I would be more than happy to meet these people and put my grievances to them as would many other dog walkers.Their behaviour is totally unacceptable 😡😡😡