Residents’ complaints spark damning investigation into Fife Council-run Gypsy/Traveller site

Tarvit Mill residents forced to live in dilapidated wooden ‘pods’ – which failed for over a year while waiting for the council to start work on refurbishing their Traveller site

A damning investigation by the Scottish Housing Regulator sparked by complaints from residents of the Tarvit Mill Gypsy Traveller site, has found serious failings by Fife Council in how it has handled the refurbishment of the near-derelict site.

A resident of Tarvit Mill said, “This situation has been going on for more than five years, and we are pleased the Regulator has taken our concerns seriously and listened to the complaints we had about Fife Council.”

The Regulator took action to investigate after residents of the Tarvit Mill Gypsy/Traveller site reported serious concerns about a lengthy delay to the redevelopment of the site, which included health and safety concerns, and lack of communication from the Council about the issues they had raised.

In June 2023, some of the residents were moved into wooden ‘pods’ adjacent to the site and others were moved into bricks and mortar housing whilst the Council continued its refurbishment work – but no further work on the site happened for over a year.

“We have to go above the Council to get anything done,” one of the residents said.

For people living on the site, problems have included safety concerns with the site, problems with sewage and drainage, and no access to play facilities for children.

For families who have been living in settled accommodation, the length of time that children have spent away from their friends and their culturally appropriate accommodation has been traumatic.

Clare MacGillivray, Director of the Scottish charity Making Rights Real, said: “We have been working alongside residents at Tarvit Mill for 18 months about their human rights concerns.”

“Tenants wrote to the Regulator, as well as the Scottish Human Rights Commission and formally raised their concerns with the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.”

MacGillivray added that the findings by the Scottish Housing Regulator was “a wake-up call” for landlords that tenants’ rights must be upheld, including Scotland’s Gypsy Traveller tenants.

“We know that other Gypsy Traveller communities are concerned about the standard of accommodation on Local Authority run sites, and we hope more will now come forward with their concerns to the Regulator,” said MacGillivray.

The Scottish Human Rights Commission Professor Angela O’Hagan, Chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission, said that the Commission was 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,” said O’Hagan.

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

Fife Council has accepted the findings of the investigation and work has finally started on the refurbishment of Tarvit Mill.

Making Rights Real press release/TT News