Our Purpose
The London Gypsy and Traveller Unit supports Travellers and Gypsies living in London: to influence decisions affecting their lives; to improve their quality of life and the opportunities available to them and to challenge the discrimination they routinely experience. In partnership with the Traveller community, LGTU uses this detailed experience to contribute to the development of local, regional and national policy.
What do we do?
- Accommodation and Advocacy Advice - An advocacy and advice service to Gypsies and Travellers living on sites and in houses, on accommodation, benefits and access to services.
- Community development - Support on sites, particularly in relation to site provision and site management, and setting up residents associations.
- Youth programme – For young Travellers in North and East London, including group work, and courses in personal development. LGTU is NEET registered.
- Campaigning for new sites in London - Supporting Travellers in responding to London boroughs plans and pitch proposals based on our work responding to the Mayors London Plan.
- Media - Promotion of positive and fair media coverage of Traveller issues. Work with the media and Gypsies and Travellers, to challenge negative coverage and promote a fair representation of their views.
- INSET training for local authority services and other agencies.
- Research - In relation to issues arising from work on the ground, or on a commissioned basis. Also routinely respond to requests by other researchers to facilitate consultation with the community.
- Strategy Work and Policy Development - Having been strongly involved in campaigning on the London Plan, policy development is currently focussed on national policies as the coalition government is initiating so much new legislation with direct implications for Gypsies and Travellers. At a national level, the managing agency for the Traveller Law reform Project - a partnership of 3 Traveller organisations. At a Borough level, key agency in setting up and ensuring informed and representative input to inter-agency and strategy groups in the Boroughs worked in.
- Advice and information - To agencies, professionals, community groups, the media and students. We have a number of resources available for sale.
- Services on a commissioned basis, using specialist associates.
We are Londoners Too - Event held on Wednesday 30th November 2011
An invited audience heard London Gypsies and Travellers in their own words give a lively presentation telling the story of London's Gypsies and Travellers' campaign for more sites over the last three years, which was followed by the launch of a report of the same name. The Report presents unique evidence from letters sent by Travellers to the Mayor, urging him to take note of the scale of need for sites and presenting him with stark evidence.
The eviction of 400 Dale Farm residents has taken centre stage highlighting the huge shortage of sites. At our Event, London's Gypsies and Travellers told the story of how they responded to consultation on the Mayor's London Plan - which included figures for new Travellers' sites; how they jumped through every 'democratic' hoop put in their way in order to place their need on record and how in the end their voices were ignored when the Mayor eventually dropped the policy altogether. London Gypsies and Travellers are not giving up and celebrated their efforts so far at the Event held on a wintery Wednesday evening at Garden Court Chambers, Lincolns-Inn-Fields.
Annual Report
Our latest Annual Report 2011 describes another successful year for the London Gypsy and Traveller Unit where we continued to support, empower and represent Gypsies and Travellers at all levels.
