| Administrative History | The Caravan Sites Act (1968) made local authorities responsible for ensuring adequate provision for the accommodation of Gypsies. The Act defined Gypsies as "persons of nomadic habit, whatever their race or origin", although the Race Relations Act (1976) protects Romany Gypsies as a race. Section 12 of the 1968 Act allowed local authorities to apply for designation as an area in which existing accommodation met any demonstrated need. If the application was successful, it would then be an offence for a Gypsy to camp without the consent of the landowner. In 1994, the responsibility for Gypsy accommodation was removed from local authorities with the passing of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act. |
| Custodial History | These records were transferred to Derbyshire Record Office in March 2010 |
| Arrangement | The records in this collection reflect the role of Derbyshire County Council and district councils in establishing and administering formal sites, and taking action against the occupants of unauthorised sites. The collection also includes returns from the annual count of caravans, a national exercise aimed at estimating the size of the Gypsy population. The arrangement of the material reflects its original order, with minor modifications to make the classification system comply with archival standards. Files likely to contain information about living individuals have been divided into two sections: (i) records without any access restrictions and (ii) records not normally available for public consultation, which appear in italic type. Some items have shared character or come from similar series but are distributed across multiple files. For instance:
Technical Services Committee Gypsy Panel/Travellers Panel minutes: 1981-1991: D7269/3/1; 1992: D7269/1/1, 4/2, 9/2; 1992-1994: D7269/4/2; 1994: D7269/6/3, 1/2; 1996: D7269/1/4; 1997-1998: D7269/2/2; 1998: D7269/2/4
Technical Services Committee Delegation Subcommittee minutes: 1985: D7269/4/4/7; 1989: D7269/5/1; 1995: D7269/1/3; 1997: D7269/8/6/6; 1998: D7269/2/2, 5/3
Property and IT Delegation Subcommittee minutes: 1998: D7269/1/5, 2/6
Plans of Gypsy sites: Blackbridge, Pleasley, 1982: D7269/2/3; Corbriggs, Hasland, 1979-1980s: D7269/7/3;
Woodyard Lane, Foston, 1978-1980: D7269/8/1, 8/6/3; 1981: D7269/8/6/2; 1992: D7269/8/6/6
Petitions against unauthorised encampments: Swadlincote, 1979: D7269/8/6/1; Ilkeston, 1989: D7269/3/1; Radbourne Common, 1992: D7269/8/6/6; Brailsford, c1980: D7269/9/3
Petitions against proposed Gypsy sites: Blackbridge, Pleasley, 1982: D7269/2/3; Derby, 1978: D7269/4/1, 4/4/2,
1981 D7269/4/4/3, 1983 D7269/4/4/5; Lullington Crossroads, c1980: D7269/8/6/3
Petition against raised rents: Corbriggs site, 1979: D7269/7/3
Letters from Members of Parliament:
Derby North: Philip Whitehead, D7269/4/4/2-3; Margaret Beckett, D7269/4/4/5; Derby South: Walter Johnson, D7269/4/4/2; Edwina Currie, D7269/4/4/5, 4/4/7, 8/6/4, 8/6/6; Bolsover: Dennis Skinner, D7269/1/3, 2/3; West Derbyshire: Sir James Scott-Hopkins, D7269/9/3; Matthew Parris, D7269/4/4/4, 9/3; South-east Derbyshire: Peter Rost, D7269/4/4/4; North East Derbyshire: Harry Barnes, D7269/7/2; Belper: Sheila Faith, D7269/7/2, 8/6/2-3 |