'Slow progress' on Gypsy sites criticised by Senedd members
John Griffiths raised concerns about the poor condition of council-run sites in Wales after hearing evidence of disrepair, pollution and rat infestations destroying people's lives.
The Labour politician, who chairs the Senedd's housing and local government committee, led a debate on a report following two inquiries into the provision of sites.
Mr Griffiths said it too often seems the needs of Gypsies and Travellers are not prioritised.
'Some described being treated as outcasts and second-class citizens,' he warned. 'Nobody should be made to feel this way; we urgently need to see improvement.
'At heart, this is a matter of human rights…. These communities are entitled to an alternative way of life, aren't they?'
Conservative Laura Anne Jones was similarly concerned by slow progress on new sites, with a 'shockingly' low number of applications from councils for grants.
Her Plaid Cymru counterpart Siân Gwenllian said: 'This is a very concerning situation. Although the Welsh Government has accepted the 21 recommendations from the 2022 report – very, very little true progress has been made.'
Jane Hutt said the Welsh Government shares the committee's ambition to deliver the best outcomes for Gypsies, Roma and Travellers in Wales.
She told the Senedd more than £2m was allocated to 14 councils for site improvements in 2024/25, with grant funding made available for buying land in 2025/26.
Ms Hutt vowed to take action if councils fail to meet their duties on housing needs, warning: 'I will use my powers to enforce action against them if a resolution cannot be found.'
The minister highlighted an ongoing consultation on non-statutory guidance for councils about managing Gypsy and Traveller sites, which was last refreshed a decade ago.
Closing the debate on May 7, Mr Griffiths said: 'We don't have to look very far from here to see the reality of some, at least, local authority sites in totally inappropriate places, juxtaposed to busy roads, to industrial development, to waste disposal sites.
'To see families living in that way in this new millennium is hugely disappointing, so there's still a lot of work to be done here in Wales.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
16 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Labour ridiculed for blaming surge in Channel migrants on weather as data shows Rwanda deportation plan WAS a deterrent
Labour has been ridiculed for blaming migrant crossings on the weather as it published data indicating the Rwanda asylum scheme had a clear deterrent effect on arrivals. The Home Office published figures on the number of so-called 'red days' which have seen calm weather conditions in the Channel. To a chorus of derision, it claim]ed good weather 'tended to coincide with an increase in the number of overall arrivals'. But the figures also showed migrant arrivals were far lower when Conservative ministers were poised to finally launch Rwanda removals flights last year. In the weeks after legislation designed to combat legal challenges against the scheme was passed by the Tories, Channel arrivals did not reflect the highest-ever number of 'red days'. In May last year, the month after the Tories' Safety of Rwanda Act entered law, there were a record 21 'red days' but only 2,765 arrivals – about the same as the previous two months when weather was poor. In June last year – immediately before the general election – there were 20 'red days' but only 3,007 arrivals. There was a similar effect on Channel arrivals in the month after the Rwanda scheme was first unveiled in April 2022, with low arrivals despite calm weather. The record number of migrants, at 1,195, on Saturday was the earliest point in any calendar year to have witnessed more than 1,000 arrivals in a day Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer scrapped the Rwanda scheme as one of his first acts after winning power in last July's election. It comes after Saturday witnessed 1,195 small boat arrivals - the fifth highest daily tally on record. It was also the first day to break the 1,000 barrier for more than two and a half years. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: 'This analysis proves the Rwanda removals plan was having a deterrent effect in the weeks before it even had a chance to start. 'The number of arrivals was low even on red days in the weeks after the Safety of Rwanda Act was passed. 'The deterrent effect of the prospect of removal to Rwanda was already kicking in. 'This proves it was a catastrophic mistake by Labour to cancel the Rwanda scheme. 'Common sense tells us that illegal migrants would not want to come to the UK if they faced the prospect of being removed to Rwanda.' He added: 'The Labour Government seems to think that praying for bad weather is a good border security strategy. 'This is a weak Government, with no plan to end illegal immigrants crossing the Channel. 'That's why 2025 is the worst year in history for illegal crossings - not the weather. 'Our borders have been thrown open by our weak Prime Minister and his weak Home Secretary.' Experts at Oxford University's Migration Observatory also contradicted the Government's claim that the weather was affecting Channel numners. Senior researcher Dr Peter Walsh said: 'There's no evidence to suggest that the weather is a major factor explaining long-term increases in small boat arrivals, such as the one we've seen over the past eight months. 'The data published today suggest that over long periods of a year, the number of crossings seems to be broadly unrelated to the number of red days that make the Channel safer to cross. 'It thus seems unlikely that the weather is much more than a short-term constraint on small boat crossings. 'Other factors, such as the number of people wanting to reach the UK and the number and professionalisation of smuggling gangs are likely to be more important.' A Home Office spokesman said in the first four months of this year there were 60 'red days', or 'more than double the number compared to the same period in 2024' when there were 27. During the same period small boat arrivals were 11,074, or 46 per cent higher than the same period in 2024. The spokesman said: 'This government is restoring grip to the broken asylum system it inherited that saw a whole criminal smuggling enterprise allowed to develop, where gangs have been able to exploit periods of good weather to increase the rate of crossings for too long. 'That's why we are giving counter-terror style powers to law enforcement, launching an unprecedented international crackdown on immigration crime, have prevented 9,000 crossings from the French coastline this year alone and have returned almost 30,000 people since the election. 'At the same time we are cracking down on the false promise of jobs used to sell spaces on these boats – with illegal working visits and arrests up by more than 40 per cent under this government.'
Leader Live
21 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Number of likely days for Channel crossings double compared with previous years
There were 60 so-called 'red' days between January 1 and April 30 this year, when factors such as wind speed, wave height and the likelihood of rain meant crossings were classed by officials as 'likely' or 'highly likely'. Some 11,074 migrants arrived in the UK during these four months after crossing the Channel. By contrast, there were 27 red days in the same period last year, less than half the number in 2025, with 7,567 arrivals recorded – nearly a third lower than the total for this year. There were also 27 red days in the first four months of 2022, with 23 red days in 2023, with 6,691 and 5,946 arrivals in these periods, respectively. Assessments of the likelihood of migrant crossings are prepared for the Home Office by the Met Office. The assessments are colour-coded red, amber or green according tothe likelihood of activity based on environmental and other factors, including wave height, surf conditions on beaches, wind speed and direction, the chance of rain, and other weather trends. Red days mean the probability of migrant activity in the Channel is greater than 55%, with crossings classed as 'likely' or 'highly likely'. Green days are determined by the likelihood being less than 35%, with crossings 'unlikely' or 'highly unlikely'. The analysis is based on data recorded in the Dover Strait and does not consider wider factors such as the availability of dinghies. The publication comes just days after 1,195 migrants made the journey to the UK in 19 boats on Saturday, in the highest daily total recorded so far this year. The cumulative total for the year, 14,812, is the highest for the first five months of a year since data collection began in 2018. Reacting to the figures, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: 'Labour seems to think praying for bad weather is a good border security strategy. 'This is a weak Government, with no plan to end illegal immigrants crossing the Channel. 'Blaming the weather for the highest ever crossing numbers so far this year is the border security equivalent of a lazy student claiming 'the dog ate my homework'. 'This is a clear failure for our weak Prime Minister and his weak Home Secretary.' Mr Philp also said the reason for the 'worst year in history' for Channel crossings was because the Labour government cancelled the Rwanda plan to deter migrants coming to the UK, not the weather. A Home Office spokesman said: 'This government is restoring grip to the broken asylum system it inherited that saw a whole criminal smuggling enterprise allowed to develop, where gangs have been able to exploit periods of good weather to increase the rate of crossings for too long.' The Government has vowed to crack down on people smuggling gangs, including by handing counter terror-style powers to law enforcement agencies under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, currently going through Parliament. The spokesman added that 9,000 crossings have been prevented from the French coastline this year. Officials are understood to be pessimistic about the prospect of bringing numbers down this year, with measures not expected to start paying off until 2026. On Monday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told MPs the Government is pressing their French counterparts to bring in agreed changes that would allow French police to also take action in the sea when migrants climb into boats from the water. 'A French maritime review is looking at what new operational tactics they will use, and we are urging France to complete this review and implement the changes as swiftly as possible,' she said. 'I have been in touch with the French interior minister who supports stronger action again this weekend, and there are further discussions under way this week.' Elsewhere, the data shows the number of migrants arriving per boat has been on an upward trend since data was first recorded in 2018, when the average for the year was seven. It rose to 11 per boat in 2019, 13 in 2020, 28 in 2021, 41 in 2022, 49 in 2023 and 53 in 2024. So far this year, the average has been 56. Gunes Kalkan, of Safe Passage International, said the rise only increases the risk to people's lives. 'This indicates the Government's approach isn't working, as the smugglers continue to exploit the lack of safe routes for refugees, cramming more and more people dangerously on each boat,' he said. 'But let's always remember these aren't just 'numbers'. People fleeing the horrors of war and persecution are simply seeking a safe life, and often to reunite with family they were torn apart from in the chaos. 'If this Government is serious about saving lives and stopping the smugglers, it must open safe routes and expand refugee family reunion.'
Telegraph
29 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Miliband poised to scrap 600,000-a-year heat pump target
Ed Miliband is poised to ditch targets for heat pumps amid budget cuts that threaten his net zero ambitions, industry sources have told The Telegraph. The previous government declared that from 2028, 600,000 heat pumps would be installed every year in British homes as part of the drive towards net zero. But official communications regarding the deadline have been dropped since Labour took power last year, and any mention of installation targets was absent from the party's 2024 manifesto. Labour has refused to recommit to the 2028 deadline, which was set by Boris Johnson's government in 2021. The Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, is expected to announce the changes in her spending review on June 11. It comes after The Telegraph revealed last week that cuts to the Department for Energy and Net Zero (Desnz) budget could force Mr Miliband to reduce funding for his flagship Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which provides up to £7,500 to homeowners looking to install a ground or air source heat pump. Funding for the scheme is expected to expire in 2028, and the Government is yet to confirm whether it will be renewed. 'The conversations I have been involved in suggest they're planning to get rid of the 2028 deadline, and it's not in any of their PR,' one source told The Telegraph. 'Because the budget is limited and this government isn't the best with finances, the Warm Homes Plan will also get shrunk.'
