The Moving for Change Project has funded an excellent report called Local authority approaches to roadside camps in a time of COVID-19. The report has been researched and written by Adrian Jones of the National Federation of Gypsy Liaison Groups and was published in February 2021.

The first part of the report looks at good practice by certain local authorities during the pandemic. The information here was obtained by sending a questionnaire to all local authorities in England. For example, Somerset West and Taunton Council stated:

Across Somerset, we will endeavour to ensure that anyone already in Somerset or those arriving in Somerset will be provided with a safe place to stay. This could mean accommodating people where they have stopped by providing basic sanitation and support around adhering to national guidance, or relocation to one of the temporary sites in direct response to the pandemic that are being set up around Somerset.

The final part of the report looks at evictions that have taken place and notes that there was an increase in evictions linked to the change of Government advice at one stage from ‘Stay at Home’ to ‘Stay Alert’.

You can find the report here: https://www.movingforchange.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Local-authority-approaches-to-roadside-camps-in-a-time-of-COVID-FINAL.pdf