Scottish Housing Regulator finds serious failings in Fife Council Gypsy Traveller site

The Scottish Housing Regulator has found serious failings in the Fife Council Gypsy Traveller site at Tarvit Mill.

It published the findings in an updated engagement plan for the Council.

The Council has accepted the Regulator's findings and is working constructively to address the residents' concerns and deliver the necessary improvements.

Professor Angela O’Hagan, Chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission, says:

“The Scottish Human Rights Commission is concerned by the findings of the Scottish Housing Regulator in relation to Tarvit Mill in Fife. The Commission visited the site earlier this year and noted the lack of appropriate accommodation available to residents.

“Cultural life for Scotland’s Gypsy Traveller community is a human right and is protected in international human rights law.

“Access to appropriate housing without discrimination is protected by a number of international human rights treaties to which the UK is a party, for example, the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

“The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, as part of its recent review of the UK, said public authorities should ensure the provision of adequate and culturally appropriate accommodation for Gypsy, Traveller, and Roma communities.”

The Regulator's updated engagement plan for Fife Council is available on its website at www.housingregulator.gov.scot.

The Commission is currently exploring the denial of the rights to cultural recognition of Scotland’s Gypsy Travellers and the impact on the community, past and present. Read more about this work on the Spotlight Projects page of our website at www.scottishhumanrights.com.

For media enquiries, please contact media@scottishhumanrights.com