Gypsy/Travellers Action Plan: Ministerial Oversight Group minutes - January 2026

Attendees and apologies

• Kaukab Stewart, Minister for Equalities
• Councillor Maureen Chalmers, Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA’s) Spokesperson for Community Wellbeing
• Jenni Minto, Minister for Public Health and Women's Health
• Natalie Don-Innes, Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise
• Helen Wood, Principal Planner - Planning, Architecture and Regeneration Division, representing the Minister for Public Finance
• Matt Elsby, Deputy Director - Better Homes, to present progress made on Accommodation actions

Apologies      

• Ivan McKee, Minister for Public Finance

Items and actions

Welcome

• Ms Stewart welcomed all attendees, noted apologies, and outlined that the purpose of the meeting was to receive updates on delivery of the Action Plan ahead of its conclusion in March
• Ms Stewart reaffirmed the Scottish Government’s commitment to sustaining progress for Gypsy/Traveller communities after the end of the current Plan in March
• Ms Stewart noted that the 2026–2030 Anti‑Racism Delivery Plan (to be published early this year) will include specific actions for Gypsy/Traveller communities, and encouraged Ministers to work closely with officials to ensure their high‑level commitments are accurately reflected
• Ms Stewart confirmed that the final meeting in March will include a recap of achievements and an outline of high‑level commitments for 2026–2030

Brief update on work related to the “Tinker Experiment(s)”

• the Minister highlighted recent engagement with members of Gypsy/Traveller communities, including meetings in Pitlochry with Bobbin Mill residents in October and with a group of Gypsy/Traveller women in November. These discussions helped identify key priorities in addition to those set out in the reports published in June 2025 alongside the Scottish Government’s apology
• to respond to some of these priorities within limited timeframes, the Scottish Government will allocate £10,000 to support cultural initiatives linked to the “Tinker Experiment(s)”, with funding available until March 2026 (the end of the financial year). Officials are working to rapidly identify a suitable mechanism to allocate this fund; if this proves not possible, the project may need to be postponed until after the election
• the Minister reaffirmed that broader work under the current Action Plan (addressing many of the points raised during the discussions like barriers in health, education, and wider discrimination) will continue, and that high‑level commitments for work beyond March 2026 are essential, with further actions to be considered in the next parliamentary term

Updates on actions

Scottish Government Equality Actions - Ms Stewart

• following publication of the Seldom Heard Groups Action Plan in August 2025, officials continue to work with stakeholders to ensure effective engagement with seldom-heard communities in shaping the next Benefit Take-Up Strategy, due this year
• the Strategic Team for Anti-Racism continues to champion Gypsy/Traveller priorities across government, supporting connections between policymakers, stakeholders, and community representatives. Current efforts focus on ensuring the forthcoming Anti‑Racism Delivery Plan includes clear commitments for 2026-2030
• Ms Stewart participated in community discussions with Gypsy/Travellers in Dumbarton (30 September) and Inverness/Highlands (23 October). These conversations support ongoing efforts to strengthen engagement and ensure meaningful involvement in decision-making. Key issues have been shared with partners and COSLA for follow-up. Ms Stewart also attended an Article 12 event (4 December) showcasing a project which supports young Gypsy/Travellers to understand and exercise their rights
• following publication of Census 2022 analysis on Gypsy/Travellers in June 2025, the Scottish Government released new data in September offering the first detailed insights on Roma communities. While some experiences overlap, distinct challenges are evident

COSLA actions - Councillor Chalmers

• Scottish Government, COSLA and the Association of Local Authority Chief Housing Officers (ALACHO) have begun work to review Gypsy/Traveller site standards, a technically complex process that will require strong community and stakeholder engagement. COSLA also engaged through the Research Advisory Group on the Accommodation Fund and Interim Site Design Guide, with the final report expected year
• COSLA’s Negotiated Stopping Working Group has met regularly since summer 2025 to consider recommendations from the pilot evaluation. A draft discussion paper was shared with the Gypsy/Traveller Officer Group in November, and work is underway on a resource for local authorities. Additional proposed solutions will be developed across short, medium and long term timelines
• COSLA surveyed local authorities in autumn 2025 on community cohesion issues affecting Gypsy/Traveller communities, receiving 14 responses. Findings and case studies were presented to the Officer Group in November and will shortly be shared with Councillors through the Local Leaders Network, ahead of finalising the cohesion report
• Cllr Chalmers joined Ms Stewart for community conversations in Dumbarton and Inverness during September and October. It was positive to hear strong feedback on improvements at the Longman Site. Cllr Chalmers also attended Minority Ethnic Carers of People Project (MECOPP)’s 25th Anniversary event in September, celebrating their longstanding contribution

Scottish Government health actions - Ms Minto

• Public Health Scotland (PHS) has been gathering detailed feedback from Community Health Workers (CHW) through small focus groups and is engaging Health Boards without CHWs to understand progress on Gypsy/Traveller health work. Quarterly reporting has now run for two cycles, helping identify strengths, challenges, and areas needing support, with all findings feeding into a short report for Scottish Government and Boards on long‑term sustainability
• a national group—bringing together Scottish Government, MECOPP, Health Boards and PHS—has been established to embed learning from the CHW project. This group is exploring how CHW roles can be mainstreamed into services rather than remaining an add‑on, assessing a wide range of funding models. The options‑appraisal work will inform how mainstreaming can most reliably be achieved and will continue over the months ahead under the forthcoming Anti‑Racism Delivery Plan.
• examples of progress include NHS Highland strengthening links between services and Gypsy/Traveller communities following a health needs assessment, and contributing to refreshing the national TURAS awareness training on Gypsy/Travellers. Within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHS GGC), all children at the official Gypsy/Traveller site in Dennytoun, Dumbarton are now registered with a General practitioner (GP),vaccinated and attending routine health visitor checks. This is part of wider engagement within NHS GGC which reached over 500 community members, contributing to around 6,000 primary engagements a year nationally.
• Public Health Scotland is completing an evidence review on current and future health needs of Gypsy/Traveller communities, with the first draft report expected late January 2026.
• under the national suicide prevention plan Creating Hope Together, multi‑agency suicide reviews are being rolled out using the Quality Education Solutions Ltd (QES) system, which records near real‑time data including ethnicity (with Gypsy/Traveller as an option). Nine local areas currently use QES, with two more in training, and related community‑focused work is underway on topics such as help‑seeking and links between gambling and suicide, to better understand needs.
• some limitations remain, including lower contact between Gypsy/Travellers and statutory services and variation in local review criteria, which can reduce the volume and consistency of data available.

Scottish Government education actions - Ms Don-Innes

• progress across the education actions remains strong, with several areas now completed and others reaching key delivery stages. The Scottish Traveller Education Programme (STEP) has refreshed its Practitioner Toolkit—adding community‑made TikTok insight videos—and is preparing to launch. New transitions guidance to help Gypsy/Traveller families move smoothly between school stages or into alternative pathways will be launched as part of the toolkit.
• schools involved in the Gypsy/Traveller School Pledge are continuing to work directly with community members to improve support and inclusion for young people. Alongside this, a new community information video is being finalised for launch in January 2026, and online resources signposting families and school staff to local contacts have been updated
• additional learning support has been provided, including 40 more Starter Sacks for young children and new reading materials for older learners. Schools signed up for the 2025–26 Pledge year are being supported to conduct a one‑year audit in March 2026
• work continues to strengthen whole‑school approaches to tackling racism and responding effectively to racist incidents, with national guidance on track for publication in early 2026
• STEP’s virtual toolkit now includes up‑to‑date literacy and digital support contacts, ensuring families can easily find local or national help—completing this strand of work

Scottish Government planning actions - Helen Wood, Principal Planner

• South Lanarkshire Council is committed to producing a good practice guide for planners and North Lanarkshire Council to producing a guide to the planning system for Gypsy/Traveller community members. Work had been delayed as both authorities had prioritised preparation of their new Local Development Plans
• Planning, Architecture and Regeneration Directorate met with both authorities in October and again in November 2025 to support progress. Work on both guides is expected to move forward at pace in January 2026, with a light‑touch clearance process across both councils to allow future updates as needed
• South Lanarkshire Council has now drafted the planners’ guide and aims to publish it in Spring 2026. A further joint meeting with both councils is scheduled for 20 January 2026 to review progress
• the objective to share advice on contacting communities and cultural awareness for planners is largely complete, but will be continued through the sharing of good‑practice —once the two guides are finalised

Scottish Government accommodation actions - Matt Elsby, Deputy Director

• good progress continues across all remaining Gypsy/Traveller Accommodation Fund projects: residents have begun moving into new homes in Highland and Perth and Kinross (with Perth due to complete in January 2026 and Highland due in May 2026), while Clackmannanshire’s project is scheduled for May 2026 completion and receiving positive resident feedback
• the independent evaluation of the Fund and Interim Site Design Guide is underway; due to project delays, the contract is being extended to June 2026, with final interviews and site visits scheduled for January 2026
• from 2026/27, Gypsy/Traveller accommodation will be funded through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme, and updated guidance has been issued to support Local Authorities and Registered Social Landlords in progressing new proposals
• Argyll Community Housing Association (ACHA) is actively developing plans for its sites and plans to visit other sites to inform design work; both Bayview and Duncholgan are included in Argyll and Bute Council’s Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) for 2026/27–2030/31
• the Scottish Housing Regulator continues to engage with Perth and Kinross Council following concerns raised by Bobbin Mill residents; Perth and Kinross Council has begun consultation with residents on site improvements. Bobbin Mill is included in Perth and Kinross Council’s Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) for 2026/27-2030/31
•  the Scottish Government and COSLA have begun scoping work to review site standards. This includes how Awaab’s Law will be applied to Gypsy/Traveller accommodation as part of the wider review of Gypsy/Traveller accommodation standards
• planned research to help Local Authorities assess Gypsy/Traveller accommodation needs has been delayed and will not report by March 2026; councils have been informed and an updated timeline will be provided

Any other business

• Ms Stewart urged members to maintain strong focus as the action plan concludes in March, noting that minutes will be published on the Scottish Government website
• Ms Stewart looked forward to the final meeting on 19 March to reflect on progress and discuss future commitments under the Anti‑Racism Delivery Plan, and thanked everyone for their continued dedication to improving outcomes for Gypsy/Traveller communities.