Official Statistics

Count of Traveller Caravans, July 2024: England

Published 27 November 2024

Applies to England

• Publication for Wales

All comparisons refer to year-on-year changes to reflect the overall trend rather than seasonal fluctuations. For this statistical release (July 2024), comparisons have been made against data collected in July 2023.

Release date: 27 November 2024
Date of next release: June 2025 (provisional)
Contact: travellercaravancountform@communities.gov.uk (Responsible Statistician: Elise Whiteley)
Media enquiries: NewsDesk@communities.gov.uk

1. In this release:

• Overall, the number of traveller caravans has increased since the last July count in 2023, continuing the long-term trend observed over previous counts. The total number of traveller caravans in England on the count date in July 2024 was 27,429, an increase of 2,155 (9%) in comparison with the 25,274 caravans reported in the July 2023 count.
• Typically, we see an increase of around 3% year on year. Whilst the 9% increase observed this year is higher than average, this is partly explained by data quality improvements in the most recent counts. An increase of 7% was seen in January 2024 compared to January 2023.
• The growth in number of caravans since the July 2023 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 16,970, an increase of 2,006 (13%) from the 14,964 recorded in the July 2023 count.
• The number of caravans on authorised socially rented sites was 6,441, a decrease of 267 (4%) since the July 2023 count.
• Overall, the July 2024 count indicated that 85% of traveller caravans in England were on authorised land and that 15% were on unauthorised land.
• There were 4,018 unauthorised caravans reported in the July 2024 count, an increase of 416 (12%) since July 2023. Of these, 3,205 were reported on unauthorised developments on land owned by travellers, an increase of 214 (7%), and 813 were on unauthorised encampments on land not owned by travellers, an increase of 202 caravans (33%).

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 (July 2024), comparisons have been made against July 2023.

The information in this release is based on data returned to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government by local authorities in England. Users should note that where updated data for previous counts is received, revisions will be made to figures from previous counts in the most recent publication only. This release presents current best estimates on the number of traveller caravans in England for the most recent as well as previous counts; the accompanying tables published alongside this release should be used for historic comparisons.

Further information is given in five accompanying live tables.

3. Count of Traveller Caravans

Local authorities carried out the July 2024 count on or around 18 July 2024. 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 July 2024 count, the total number of traveller caravans in England was 27,429. Of these 6,441 (23%) were on socially rented sites; 16,970 (62%) were on privately funded sites; 3,205 (12%) were unauthorised developments on land owned by travellers; and 813 (3%) were unauthorised encampments on land not owned by travellers. This information is also illustrated in Figure 1 below and in accompanying Live Table 1.

In this count, the relatively large increase in caravan numbers in comparison to July 2023 has been driven in part by improvements in data quality. When local authorities do not submit data, their figures are imputed based on previous submissions. A number of authorities who did not provide a complete return in July 2024 submitted data in January 2024. Two authorities (Enfield and Buckinghamshire) were responsible for over a third of the 2,155 increase in caravan numbers. The large increase in unauthorised but tolerated caravans on land not owned by travellers was mostly driven by the large number of encampments recorded in Enfield.

Table 1: Number of Traveller Caravans in July 2024 by site type, England

	Number of caravans	Percentage (%) of total caravans
Caravans on Authorised sites (with planning permission)	23,411	85.4
Of this: Socially Rented Caravans	6,441	23.5
Of this: Private Caravans	16,970	61.9
Of which: Temporary Planning Permission	335	1.2
Of which: Permanent Planning Permission	16,635	60.6
Caravans on Unauthorised Sites (without planning permission)	4,018	14.6
Of this: Caravans on sites on Travellers’ own land	3,205	11.7
Of which: Tolerated	1,246	4.5
Of which: Not Tolerated	1,959	7.1
Of this: Caravans on sites not on Travellers’ own land	813	3.0
Of which: Tolerated	551	2.0
Of which: Not Tolerated	262	1.0
All caravans	27,429	100.0

Table 2: Number of Traveller Caravans in July 2023 and July 2024 by site type, England

	Number of caravans: July 2024 count	Number of caravans: July 2023 count	Difference in number of caravans between collections	Percentage difference in number of caravans between collections
Caravans on Authorised sites (with planning permission)	23,411	21,672	1,739	8.0
Of this: Socially Rented Caravans	6,441	6,708	-267	-4.0
Of this: Private Caravans	16,970	14,964	2,006	13.4
Of which: Temporary Planning Permission	335	546	-211	-38.6
Of which: Permanent Planning Permission	16,635	14,418	2,217	15.4
Caravans on Unauthorised Sites (without planning permission)	4,018	3,602	416	11.5
Of this: Caravans on sites on Travellers’ own land	3,205	2,991	214	7.2
Of which: Tolerated	1,246	1,424	-178	-12.5
Of which: Not Tolerated	1,959	1,567	392	25.0
Of this: Caravans on sites not on Travellers’ own land	813	611	202	33.1
Of which: Tolerated	551	228	323	141.7
Of which: Not Tolerated	262	383	-121	-31.6
All caravans	27,429	25,274	2,155	8.5

The total number of traveller caravans in England has risen from 19,958 in 2014 to 27,429 in July 2024, an increase of 37%. 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 10,242 private caravans recorded in 2014 compared to 16,970 in July 2024.

Figure 1: Number of traveller caravans in England by site type over last 10 July 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 July 2024 (62%). Caravans on unauthorised sites accounted for 15% of the total with caravans on authorised socially rented sites accounting for 23%. The underlying figures are included in accompanying Live Table 4.

Figure 2: Proportion of traveller caravans by site type groupings in July 2024 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, July 2024

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 8,065 caravans in 1979 to 27,429 in July 2024.

Figure 3: Number of Traveller caravans from 1979 to 2024, 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. New Affordable Residential Pitches

As part of the July count, local authorities are required to submit data on the number of new affordable rental pitches constructed since the previous year’s count. The number of new affordable residential pitches in each local authority area in England has been collected since July 2011 (whilst the July 2020 count was cancelled, information on new affordable residential pitches was still collected from local authorities). This has been reported to allow such pitches to be included in the calculation of the New Homes Bonus for individual local authorities. Table 3 below shows that, altogether, local authorities reported that 24 such pitches, all on socially rented sites, had been created between July 2023 and July 2024. Further details are provided in accompanying Live Table 5.

The next count of new affordable residential pitches is expected to take place as part of the July 2025 count of traveller caravans.

Table 3: Number of New Affordable Residential Pitches by site type, England

Year (1)	Number of socially rented new affordable residential pitches	Number of private new affordable residential pitches	Total number of new affordable residential pitches
2014	49	0	49
2015	162	22	184
2016	27	26	53
2017	41	35	76
2018	44	0	44
2019	57	3	60
2020	0	15	15
2021	2	0	2
2022	0	1	1
2023	9	1	10
2024	24	0	24

1. Policy guidance notes require these pitches to be new affordable residential pitches that met the ‘affordable housing’ definition in the National Planning Policy Framework.

7. Accompanying tables

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 2023 and July 2024 (updated as part of the July count).

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

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 MHCLG is available via the Department’s website.