GLASTONBURY MP and vice-chair of the APPG for Gypsies, Roma and Travellers has said that a lack of traveller sites in Somerset has led to “huge additional costs” for councils.

Sarah Dyke MP has highlighted a concern that due to Somerset not accommodating sites for Gypsies, Roma and Travellers, Somerset Council is losing money from “wasting officer time dealing with complaints and cleaning up encampments.”

During a Westminster Hall Debate yesterday on planning policy for Traveller sites, Liberal Democrat MP for Glastonbury and Somerton, Sarah Dyke, said: “Somerset, like most of the country, is facing some huge challenges with properly supporting our Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.

“Whilst this community is naturally transient, they need access to transit pitches. 

“Somerset has no transit provisions—none at all.

“The only way members of the Gypsy and Traveller community can stop when passing through our sizeable county of Somerset is in the form of an unauthorised encampment.

“We only need to look at my casework to see that such encampments inflame tensions between my constituents and Travellers - some of whom are, of course, my constituents - and reinforce dangerous stereotypes.

According to figures from the Office for National Statistics, 184 people in Somerset West and Taunton said they were gypsy or Irish travellers in 2021.

Gypsy and Irish travellers in Somerset West and Taunton were more than twice as likely to report having bad or very bad health.

The All-Ireland Traveller Health Study found that the suicide rate for Irish Traveller women is six times higher than the general population, and seven times higher for Irish Traveller men.

Suicide is thought to be the cause of 11% of all deaths for Irish Travellers.

As well as highlighting the lack of transit sites, Sarah Dyke MP called on the Government to support local authorities like Somerset Council by delivering more permanent sites.

Sarah said: “Not only do we need more transit sites; we need permanent pitches where members of the Gypsy and Traveller community can stay longer than just three months.

“If we expect local authorities to be able to maintain a constant and consistent number of sites, we must provide them with consistent and adequate funding.

“Councils could avoid huge additional costs if they did not have to waste officer time dealing with complaints and cleaning up encampments.”