London council apologises for three-year repairs delay and ‘slum conditions’ on Gypsy and Traveller site

Nancy Hawker, policy and research officer for London Gypsies and Travellers, said: “Just around the corner from Haringey Civic Centre [the headquarters of the local council], social tenants are living in slum conditions that are the result of council neglect and dysfunction.

“Tenants on Wallman Place Traveller site have been asking for essential repairs to amenity blocks for more than three years, but apart from a few surveying visits, nothing has been done to fix the bathrooms and kitchens that are broken.

“Our organisation has supported community members to go through the appropriate channels, but to no avail.”

The charity reiterated the need for repairs in an email to Haringey Council last month.

Ms Hawker added: “I understand that children have suffered with their health this winter due to the poor conditions they are living in.

“Those children are now three years older, and still living without a bathroom. Their parents take them to the leisure centre to wash. Finally, last June, the tenants submitted a complaint about the lack of repairs, with London Gypsies and Travellers’ support.

“The Travellers have been very patient while the council collects its rents, and while small overstretched charities like ourselves do the council’s advice and outreach work for free.”

A council spokesperson said: “We fully appreciate the concerns being expressed and can only apologise for the delays and impact these issues are having on families at the site.

“This case was initially dealt with as a legal disrepair claim which inevitably led to delays, but getting the problems resolved could and should have happened much sooner.

“A comprehensive surveyor inspection took place in December 2025, and a contractor has been appointed to undertake the works, which will start shortly.

“We are working very hard to improve our repair services and are committed to ensure that all in our Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community have access to good-quality amenity provision.”

The charity is concerned that the neglect of these sites could be more widespread. Towards the end of last year, London Assembly members accused the mayor’s team of not meeting targets for Gypsy and Traveller sites.

For Traveller sites, City Hall promised hundreds of new pitches, but delivered only 10 in 15 years, despite its own estimates that up to 708 were needed for London’s 30,000-strong Gypsy and Traveller community.

LGT has previously said there are “errors” in the mayor’s plan, which have led to a significant undercount of the number of new Traveller pitches needed in the capital.

Researchers from LGT pointed out that a previous Greater London Authority plan from 2008 for new Traveller pitches in the capital established a need for 1,626 pitches, but that the highest figure proposed by the plan for 2025, which is currently in its draft form, is about half that.