Official Statistics

Count of Traveller Caravans, January 2023: England

Published 15 June 2023

Applies to England

All comparisons refer to year-on-year changes to reflect the overall trend rather than seasonal fluctuations. For this statistical release (January 2023), comparisons have been made against data collected in January 2022.

1. In this release:

• Overall, the number of traveller caravans has increased since the last January count in 2022, in line with the long term trend observed over previous counts. The total number of traveller caravans in England on the count date in January 2023 was 25,333, an increase of 864 (4 per cent) than the 24,469 caravans in comparison to the January 2022 count.
• The growth in number of caravans since the January 2022 count has been led mainly by a rise in the number of Private caravans (with permanent planning permission). This has resulted in an increase in the total authorised caravans, despite a decrease in socially rented caravans.
• The number of caravans on authorised privately funded sites was 15,354, an increase of 654 (4 per cent) than the 14,700 recorded in the January 2022 count.
• The number of caravans on authorised socially rented sites was 6,792, a decrease of 85 (1 per cent) since the January 2022 count.
• Overall, the January 2023 count indicated that 87 per cent of traveller caravans in England were on authorised land and that 13 per cent were on unauthorised land.
• There were 3,187 unauthorised caravans reported in the January 2023 count, an increase of 295 (10 per cent) since January 2022. Of these, 2,716 were reported on unauthorised developments on land owned by travellers, an increase of 339 (14 per cent), and 471 were on unauthorised encampments on land not owned by travellers, a decrease of 44 caravans (9 per cent).

Release date: 15 June 2023
Date of next release: December 2023 (provisional)
Contact: 0303 444 4805 / travellercaravancountform@levellingup.gov.uk (Responsible Statistician: Katherine Harris)
Media enquiries: 0303 444 1209 / NewsDesk@levellingup.gov.uk

2. Introduction

This statistical release presents official statistics on the count of traveller caravans in England. The count is carried out to provide local data on the number and seasonal movement of caravans and trends over time.

This publication is compiled from information submitted by local authorities in England. Local authorities carry out the count of caravans on traveller sites twice a year, in January and July, providing a snapshot of the number of caravans on the day of the count. Information is collected about caravans on authorised socially rented sites, authorised privately funded sites, unauthorised developments (sites on land owned by travellers for which planning permission has not been granted) and unauthorised encampments (sites on land not owned by travellers and which do not have planning permission).

The traveller caravan count covers data on the number of caravans and traveller sites in England; it does not cover the number of occupants residing in these caravans or caravan sites, or the potential drivers for any observed change.

The count takes place twice a year to reflect winter residence and summer travelling trends. All comparisons refer to year-on-year changes in order that changes between counts reflect the overall trend rather than seasonal fluctuations. For this statistical release (January 2023), comparisons have been made against January 2022.

The information in this release is based on data returned to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities by local authorities in England. Users should note that revisions may have been made to figures from previous counts in this release as a result of updated data being received. This release presents the most accurate data on the number of traveller caravans in England and the accompanying live tables should be used for historic comparisons.

Further information is given in five accompanying live tables, which can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/traveller-caravan-count-january-2023.

3. Count of Traveller Caravans

Local authorities carried out the January 2023 count on or around 19 January 2023. Aggregated totals by site type are presented in Table 1 below, and comparative figures from the previous count are presented in Table 2. At the time of the January 2023 count, the total number of traveller caravans in England was 25,333. Of these 6,792 (27 per cent) were on socially rented sites; 15,354 (61 per cent) were on privately funded sites; 2,716 (11 per cent) were unauthorised developments on land owned by travellers; and 471 (2 per cent) were unauthorised encampments on land not owned by travellers. This information is also illustrated in Figure 1 below and in accompanying Live Table 1.

Table 1: Number of Traveller Caravans in January 2023 by site type, England

	Number of caravans	Percentage (%) of total caravans
Caravans on Authorised sites (with planning permission)	22,146	87.4
Of this: Socially Rented Caravans	6,792	26.8
Of this: Private Caravans	15,354	60.6
Of which: Temporary Planning                Permission	347	1.4
Of which: Permanent Planning                Permission	15,007	59.2
Caravan on Unauthorised Sites (without planning permission)	3,187	12.6
Of this: Caravans on sites on         Traveller’s own land	2,716	10.7
Of which: Tolerated	1,332	5.3
Of which: Not Tolerated	1,384	5.5
Of this: Caravans on sites          not on Traveller’s own land	471	1.9
Of which: Tolerated	224	0.9
Of which: Not Tolerated	247	1.0
All caravans	25,333	100.0

Table 2: Number of Traveller Caravans in January 2022 and January 2023 by site type, England

	Number of caravans: January 2023 count	Number of caravans: January 2022 count	Difference in number of caravans between collections	Percentage difference in number of caravans between collections
Caravans on Authorised Sites (with planning permission)	22,146	21,577	569	2.6
Of this: Socially         Rented Caravans	6,792	6,877	-85	-1.2
Of this: Private         Caravans	15,354	14,700	654	4.4
Of which:                Temporary                Planning                Permission	347	455	-108	-23.7
Of which:                Permanent                Planning                Permission	15,007	14,245	762	5.3
Caravans on Unauthorised Sites (without planning permission)	3,187	2,892	295	10.2
Of this: Caravans         on sites on         Traveller’s own         land	2,716	2,377	339	14.3
Of which:                 Tolerated	1,332	1,085	247	22.8
Of which:                  Not                 Tolerated	1,384	1,292	92	7.1
Of this: Caravans         on sites not on         Traveller’s own         land	471	515	-44	-8.5
Of which:                 Tolerated	224	188	36	19.1
Of which:                  Not                 Tolerated	247	327	-80	-24.5
Total (all caravans)	25,333	24,469	864	3.5

The total number of traveller caravans in England has risen from 19,289 in 2013 to 25,333 in January 2023, an increase of 31 per cent. The growth in number of caravans has been led mainly by a rise in the number of Private caravans (with permanent planning permission). Figure 1 illustrates that the number of caravans on authorised private sites has increased from 9,609 private caravans recorded in 2013 compared to 15,354 in January 2023.

Figure 1: Number of traveller caravans in England by site type over last 10 January counts (1)

(1) Due to National lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Traveller Caravan Count was suspended in July 2020 and January 2021

Figure 2 shows that caravans on authorised private sites accounted for the largest proportion of the total number of caravans across England in January 2023 (61 per cent). Caravans on unauthorised sites accounted for 13 per cent of the total with caravans on authorised socially rented sites accounting for 27 per cent. The underlying figures are included in accompanying Live Table 4.

Figure 2: Proportion of traveller caravans by site type groupings in January 2023 count

4. Geographic distribution

The geographic distribution of traveller caravans varies across England. Map 1 below shows the total number of caravans on authorised sites within each local authority boundary.

The data has been grouped into five categories for the purposes of mapping using the Jenks natural breaks classification method. This method splits the data into intervals based on the natural groupings observed within. The class breaks identified work to minimise the variance or difference between individual cases selected in each group whilst also maximising the variances between each group taken as a whole. Maps created using this method allow trends in the underlying data to be accurately represented, aiding interpretation and further analysis.

As indicated in the key, darker colours represent those local authorities that have reported a higher number of total caravans on authorised sites whereas lighter colours indicate local authorities that have reported lower numbers of caravans.

Map 1: Traveller caravans on authorised sites in England, January 2023

5. Historic data

The traveller caravan count has taken place twice a year since January 1979, with the exception of collections cancelled in July 2020 and January 2021 due to the covid-19 pandemic. Figure 3 below shows how the total number of traveller caravans in England has changed over this period across both summer (July) and winter (January) counts. National totals from each count of the main categories of authorised and unauthorised sites are presented in accompanying Live Table 4. The figures show an increase in the overall total from 8,358 caravans in 1979 to 25,333 in January 2023.

Figure 3: Number of Traveller caravans from 1979 to 2023, England (1)

(1) Due to National lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Traveller Caravan Count was suspended in July 2020 and January 2021

6. Travelling Show People

The count also included a count of the caravans/moveable dwellings occupied by Travelling Showpeople in each local authority area in England. The results from previous years are published in Live Table 3 as ‘experimental statistics’. Further information about experimental statistics is available on the Office for National Statistics website.

The overall number of Travelling Showpeople caravans counted in January 2023 was 2,684, a an increase of 2 per cent from 2,641 in January 2022. This remains lower than the 3,159 caravans counted in January 2015, the highest total count recorded. The total number of caravans on authorised and unauthorised sites from the most recent 8 counts are illustrated in Figure 4 below. For full disaggregated data on Travelling Showpeople caravans for the last 6 counts see accompanying Live Table 3.

Figure 4: Number of Travelling Show People caravans in England on authorised and unauthorised sites over last 6 January counts (1)

(1) Due to National lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Traveller Caravan Count was suspended in July 2020 and January 2021

7. Accompanying tables and open data

Accompanying tables are available to download alongside this release. These include:

Table 1: Count of traveller caravans on authorised and unauthorised sites for the last six counts, nationally and by local authority area, based on local authority boundaries as at the time of the count(s);

Table 2: Location and size of traveller sites operated by local authorities and private registered providers in England;

Table 3: Number of Travelling Showpeople caravans on authorised and unauthorised sites for the last six January counts nationally and by local authority area (updated as part of the January count);

Table 4: National totals for the main categories of authorised and unauthorised sites for all counts since January 1979;

Table 5: Count of Traveller Caravans: new affordable residential pitches constructed between July 2022 and July 2023 (updated as part of the July count).

See Statistical releases and accompanying tables for data from previous caravan counts.

7.1 Symbols used

* Data imputed due to non-submission or data quality issues - some or all data has been carried forward from most recent submitted data (up to 3 counts of the same season)

.. Data not submitted for at least 3 previous consecutive counts (values are still imputed for England total)

a Authority abolished 31 March 2019

b Authority abolished 31 March 2020

c Authority abolished 31 March 2021

d Authority created 1 April 2019

e Authority created 1 April 2020

f Authority created 1 April 2021

p Data quality issues have been identified in one or more records for this authority and will likely be revised in the next publication

8. Technical Notes

Please see the accompanying Technical notes document for further details.

Information on Official Statistics is available via the UK Statistics Authority website.
Information about statistics at DLUHC is available via the Department’s website.