Inquiries made by this Guardian Focus podcast suggest that of the £97m made available for the Gypsy and Traveller grant programme in 2008, only £17m has been spent on providing sites. So where did the money go?
In light of the ongoing situation at Dale Farm, where Basildon council is trying to evict 86 families from an illegal site, Hugh Muir and Alexandra Topping examine what's happened to the state money that was supposed to be spent on providing Travellers somewhere to live.
Hugh visits the Hovefield site, also in Essex, and finds a healthy relationship between occupants, local residents and the council. Do they think the negative stereotype of Travellers is the reason more sites like this don't exist?
Candy Sheridan from the Gypsy Council joins the podcast to explain how the coalition's new policy on Travellers will effect her community.
Listen to the podcast and leave your comments below.
