Gypsy Sites Budget Cut After £15m Underspend

The Homes and Communities Agency spent just under 5 per cent of its £32 million Gypsy and Traveller Sites grant last year. In May, communities secretary Eric Pickles announced that the budget for the programme this financial year - also £32 million - was to be scrapped altogether. Inside Housing has discovered that of the budget for 2009/10 only £1.5 million was spent and £15 million was diverted to the national affordable housing programme. Although £17 million was allocated to 21 councils for 90 new pitches last year, the HCA has still to spend £15.5 million of that. Read more on Inside Housing.