Leeds City Council Research Articles

Cultivating ‘communities of practice’ to tackle civic policy challenges: insights from local government-academic collaboration in Leeds

Background:The academic impact agenda and evidence-informed policy movement have formed dynamic incentives for engagement between universities and local authorities. Yet, in the competitive higher education landscape, research-intensive universities frequently gravitate towards global rather than local impacts, while local government resources are diminished. In this context, how can universities and councils collaborate effectively to inform solutions to complex policy issues? Aims and objectives:This paper draws on data from a Review of Collaboration between researchers at the University of Leeds and officers at Leeds City Council, which explored factors that enable and constrain research–policy engagement. Where limitations of linear models of research–policy interaction are well documented, we consider how a ‘community of practice’ (CoP) approach might offer insights for accelerating civic knowledge exchange. Methods:A CoP lens was applied in analysing data from a mapping exercise, survey and semi-structured interviews involving academics and council officers. Findings:Examining research–policy engagement in terms of the ‘domain’, ‘community’ and ‘practice’ constituents of CoPs highlights the significance of interpersonal connections in forging ‘boundary-crossing’ collaborations that have spurred innovation in the city. Academics and officers commonly advocated enhanced inter-organisational processes whereby relationality is supported institutionally. Proposals are encapsulated in a model that conceptualises civic collaboration as a series of domain-specific CoPs supported by an inter-sectoral CoP performing vital ‘boundary bridging’ functions. Discussion and conclusions:Drawing on experiences from one English city, we advance a framework which offers promising insights into integration of organisational and relational facilitators of research–policy partnerships in responding to municipal policy challenges.

A novel one-vs-rest consensus learning method for crash severity prediction

Research in crash severity prediction is necessary to allow safety planners to take precautionary measures and enable first aiders to remain prepared for assisting the injured. Existing literature in the field of crash severity prediction is mostly focused on generating the attributes for predicting the severity. However, in reality, not all features are discriminating, and certain classes are challenging to detect even employing the entire feature set. Although to tackle these problems several techniques are developed in the Machine Learning (ML) literature. But their application to crash severity prediction and an optimal strategy for the best combination of features or classifiers for achieving high accuracy is a less studied area. To address these problems, this work first provides a comparison of widely used classifiers for predicting crash severity; and secondly, by combining class-wise majority voting with One-vs-Rest (OvR) approach, a novel classification framework named, OvR consensus learning (OvRCL) is proposed. The proposed method avail a feature selection technique, Mutual information (MI), to acquire the most relevant feature set regarding the output class (i.e. severity). Moreover, to differentiate each class in the multi-class data, OvRCL iteratively runs ML algorithms as binary classifiers in an ensemble framework to significantly ameliorate classification performance. In our experiments, we use four classifiers, namely, the k-Nearest Neighbors (k-NN), Support Vector Machines (SVM), Random Forest (RF), and Bagging classifier, to get the consensus. Analysis was done using a real crash dataset obtained from an open data source of Leeds city council. A four-year crash data (2015–2018) is used for training and the OvRCL is tested on the 2019 data. Moreover, to validate the performance of OvRCL, this study also utilizes two more datasets with high-class imbalance. In contrast to conventional ML algorithms, our experiments depictthat the OvRCL is a potent method for forecasting crash severity levels on the data under test.

Perceptions of E-Micromobility Vehicles Amongst Staff and Students at Universities in the North of England

Background: Currently, many journeys are under three miles, with most of these journeys completed using private cars. This leads to congestion, pollution and reduced opportunity for physical activity. Swapping private car journeys for walking, cycling or using electric micromobility (e-micromobility) vehicles, such as electric scooters and electric bicycles, could create healthier environments and populations. Whist e-micromobility vehicles are increasing in popularity, questions remain about how they might fit into current transport networks and how they are perceived by communities. Leeds is striving to become a zero emission city by 2030 and the student and staff population in Leeds is diverse and provides a good opportunity to explore perceptions relating to e-micromobility in the region. Objective and methods: This study aimed to explore perceptions of e-scooters and e-bikes as key groups of e-micromobility vehicles amongst university staff and students working or studying at universities in Leeds. An online survey was disseminated online via social media, email networks and via Prolific in November 2021.Findings and implications: Few respondents currently use e-micromobility vehicles. Advantages of e-micromobility vehicles were mentioned and included reduced pollution and convenience for short journeys. Many respondents stated that they would be unlikely to purchase or hire an e-micromobility vehicle soon. Deterrents included cost, concerns about safety and uncertainties about where they can be ridden. Required regulations that respondents mentioned included compulsory training and maximum speed restrictions. These findings could inform future policy relating to e-micromobilities and support transport changes to support ambitions to achieve net zero emissions by 2030 in the region and beyond.

Parents’ awareness and perceptions of the Change4Life 100 cal snack campaign, and perceived impact on snack consumption by children under 11 years

BackgroundChildhood obesity is a pertinent public health problem in the UK. Consumption of free sugars has been associated with the development of obesity. In 2018, the Change 4Life (C4L) 100 cal snack campaign was launched with the slogan ‘100 calorie snacks, two a day max’, aiming to encourage parents to choose lower sugar, fat and calorie snacks for their children. This study aimed to examine how the campaign has been perceived by parents.MethodsAn online survey was developed to explore parent awareness, perceptions and understanding of the C4L 100 cal snack campaign. Respondents were recruited via Leeds City Council, posters displayed at primary schools and children’s centres across Leeds and via social media. Paper surveys were also shared with voluntarily led playgroups. Survey data was analysed using descriptive statistics. Thematic analysis was performed on open text responses.ResultsThree hundred forty-two 342 respondents completed the survey. Just over half of the respondents had come across the campaign, most seeing the leaflet or a television advert. Over two-thirds of respondents ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that the campaign caught their attention. A similar proportion ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that the campaign informed them about 100 cal snacks and just over a half thought it was memorable. Most respondents used positive language to describe the campaign, but there was no clear consensus of a perceived positive impact on healthier snack purchasing, nor preparing more 100 cal snacks at home. Respondents provided examples of how the campaign could be improved to positively impact eating behaviours: better publicity and information delivery; healthier snack examples made more visible; improved nutritional labelling and access to healthier products in supermarkets (availability, promotion, display, choice).ConclusionsThe C4L 100 cal snack campaign was perceived positively by parents and carers, with many agreeing that the campaign was informative and memorable. However, there was no agreement in terms of the parents reporting an impact of the campaign on behaviour change and healthier snack habits. Future social marketing campaigns could be improved through more formal pilot testing to assess the understanding and acceptance of the campaign amongst the target audience.

Sensory spaces: sensory living – studio teaching the design of autism-friendly adult accommodation

PurposeThe study aims to evaluate: (1) How university students from interior architecture can create a forward-looking “Sensory Living” brief informed by both external autism experts and a specialist tutor, evidenced through Leeds City Council's live autism adult accommodation project. (2) Issues involved with moving an experimental studio teaching model online during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachA grounded theory approach informs an innovative teaching model, run over two years, to create a better normal; challenges and opportunities are critiqued.FindingsFeedback from experienced autism-specific experts raises recurring sensory and communication issues which frame a series of design problems to help inform the student briefs. Students learn that the designer as advocate for vulnerable users is imperative. Aspects of online teaching that can benefit an experimental studio teaching model are identified.Practical implicationsIdentification of the responsive “Sensory Living Model” illustrates (1) How local authorities can avoid seclusion and integrate meaningful “continuous learning opportunities” into autism-friendly adult accommodation for post-pandemic health and wellbeing. (2) How to embed autism-friendly design in the university curriculum.Social implicationsThe study helps address some of the UK Government's “National strategy for autistic children, young people and adults: 2021 to 2026”.Originality/value“Ten Novel Sensory Living Themes” are uncovered to help inform the design of autism-friendly adult accommodation. These are of value to (1) local authorities and design practitioners in formulating design briefs and (2) universities in educating future designers of inclusive spaces.

Deliberative democracy and environmental justice: evaluating the role of citizens’ juries in urban climate governance

ABSTRACT Understanding mechanisms of policy engagement and the participation of different actors in urban climate governance is particularly important as cities follow climate emergency declarations with corresponding action, to ensure that inequalities are not exacerbated by climate action. Citizens’ juries are a deliberative democracy tool that allows a demographically representative sample of the population to learn about a contested issue from experts, and discuss, debate and develop policy recommendations. Leeds City Council declared a climate emergency in March 2019, compelling the local authority to take serious measures to implement a reduction in carbon emissions to net zero by 2030. A citizens’ jury was established by an independent local body, the Leeds Climate Commission, to debate various possible courses of action in response to the declaration. This research critically examined the processes surrounding and embedded in the Leeds citizens’ climate jury with a focus on procedural justice and representation justice. Emerging lessons include that recognition of power differentials between various social groups should be carefully considered throughout deliberative processes to ensure representation justice is achieved in decision making. Representation justice demands that those who are included in decision making spaces are able to harness their position to voice their experiences, opinions, hopes and concerns in deciding which trade-offs will be made. In citizens’ juries, facilitation style and techniques play a critical role in achieving this participatory parity, alongside other factors. There is potential for important procedural co-benefits to emerge, such as trust-building, place identity and hope for the future.

Building momentum for local action on problem gambling in Leeds and Yorkshire

Problem gambling has not been a priority within either Leeds City Council or partnership plans. However, financial inclusion, licencing and public health teams have been able to develop a cross-Council approach to problem gambling. This has been aided by an upfront payment plus annual payments to the Council that have been part of the licencing agreement for a new casino. As a result, research has been commissioned on local prevalence. This showed a higher rate of problem gamblers (1.8%) than national estimates with a similar level to nationally of those ‘at risk’. The research also showed that local services had difficulties identifying problem gamblers and signposting for support. This had led to a high profile communications campaign to coincide with ‘Responsible Gambling Week’ complemented by training for frontline workers. The interviews undertaken for the research, plus the findings themselves, have been a powerful help in securing interest and commitment beyond the Council and to the health and third sectors. The use of local stories has helped build momentum for partnership working. For example, focus groups to explore how gambling affected migrants and medical student interviews with university students. The article will describe how increasing understanding across partners has helped build confidence to provide cross city responses to national consultations and contribute to national publications and conferences. Of even greater significance, the local National Health Service has secured funding from GambleAware for a Northern Gambling Service to be based in Leeds with satellites in the North East and Greater Manchester. This will provide treatment for those with severe gambling addiction. Additional support will come from a significant increased provision of GamCare services working to identify, screen and support problem gamblers. The use of Council premises for both of these services is testament to joint working. Recognising that this is a new emerging agenda has led to the creation of a Yorkshire and Humber Problem Gambling Working Group, endorsed by the Association of Directors of Public Health. This has resulted in shared learning and determining a consistent approach to harm. Even during a short time, the degree of interest has risen substantially. A regional gambling harm reduction framework has been produced that sets out a menu of actions. This intends to help local areas determine their own priorities. There is increasing recognition that problem gambling is a public health issue. Leadership requires a systems led, and Health in All Policies, approach to ensure problem gambling is not seen as a narrow niche issue led by public health staff. There is a need to recognise that engagement takes time. However, this is a new and emerging issue. The solutions to problem gambling are not clear and this allows for more creative, pragmatic and coproduced approaches.

Leeds City Council

Outstanding-rated children's services has succeeded despite a rise in the child population and levels of poverty

Leeds City Council

Children and Young People NowVol. 2017, No. 9 Special Report: PracticeLeeds City CouncilEmily RogersEmily RogersSearch for more papers by this authorEmily RogersPublished Online:7 Dec 2017https://doi.org/10.12968/cypn.2017.9.35AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail View article FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails 2 May 2017Volume 2017Issue 9ISSN (print): 1755-8093ISSN (online): 2515-7582 Metrics History Published online 7 December 2017 Published in print 2 May 2017 Information© MA Education LimitedPDF download

The state of men's health in Leeds

Steve Chaplin reviews a recent report from Leeds City Council and Leeds Beckett University focusing on men's health in Leeds. The ground‐breaking report will help shape policies for men's health in the city in the years ahead.

Methodologies for city-scale assessment of renewable energy generation potential to inform strategic energy infrastructure investment

In support of national and international policies to address climate change, local government actors across Europe and Asia are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Many recognise the contribution that decentralised renewable electricity production can bring towards reducing emissions whilst also generating revenue. However, these actors are often subject to significant financial pressures, meaning a reliable and compelling business case is needed to justify upfront investment. This article develops a method for rapid comparison of initial project viability for multiple city sites and installation options using data from wind and solar resource prediction techniques. In doing so, detailed resource assessments grounded in academic research are made accessible and useful for city practitioners.Long term average wind speeds are predicted using a logarithmic vertical wind profile. This employs detailed three-dimensional building data to estimate aerodynamic parameters for the complex urban surface. Solar resource is modelled using a Geographical Information System-based methodology. This establishes the location and geometry of roof structures to estimate insolation, whilst accounting for shading effects from other buildings and terrain features. Project viability for potential installations is assessed in terms of the net present value over the lifespan of the technology and associated Feed-in Tariff incentive. Discounted return on investment is also calculated for all sites. The methodology is demonstrated for a case study of 6794 sites owned by Leeds City Council, UK. Results suggest significant potential for small-scale wind and solar power generation across council assets. A number of sites present a persuasive business case for investment, and in all cases, using the generated electricity on site improves financial viability. This indicates that initial installations should be sited at assets with high electricity demands. Overall, the work establishes a methodology that enables large city-level asset holders to make strategic investment decisions across their entire portfolio, which are based on financial assessment of wind and solar generation potential accurate to the individual asset scale. Such tools could facilitate strategic planning within cities and help to ensure that investment in renewable energy is focused at the most viable sites. In addition, the methodology can assist with asset management at the city scale by identifying sites with a higher market value as a result of their potential for renewable energy generation than otherwise might be estimated.

P84 National hiv testing week 3: finding the hard to reach and building on success: Abstract P84 Table 1

<h3>Background/introduction</h3> The third National HIV Testing Week (NHTW) was in November 2014. <h3>Aims</h3> To build on our previous success of testing the most-at-risk populations (MARP), focusing on outreach. <h3>Methods</h3> A third sector organisation, primarily targeting gay communities, provided club and bar outreach and offered point-of-care testing (POCT) on-site and at 2 saunas. A second third sector organisation, targeting African communities, offered POCT at 6 venues, including local markets, an asylum-seeker centre, pharmacies, health centres and an African football match. CASH services offered POCT at 3 clinics across the city. GUM and Leeds City Council staff volunteered to provide outreach and testing support for the 12 different testing sites across the city. <h3>Results</h3> 167 people tested (126 in 2013, 94 in 2012). 71% were from MARPs, unchanged from 2013. 1 female black African and 1 MSM tested HIV+ve, the first HIV diagnoses resulting directly from NHTW initiatives in our city. 74% of people who tested were sensitised through community outreach. Over 90% of people tested were given advice on PEP, repeat testing, STI screening and offered condoms. <h3>Discussion</h3> Two undiagnosed HIV+ve people were identified as a result of NHTW efforts, and both are now in HIV care. A greater population, including those from MARPs tested. Of the MARPs, a higher percentage were testing for the first time. This may reflect decreased overall testing in MARPs, or that our NHTW 2014 campaign was more successful at reaching and testing people who are less likely to attend more traditional testing sites.

Guidelines for Linked Data generation and publication: An example in building energy consumption

Linked Data is the key paradigm of the Semantic Web, a new generation of the World Wide Web that promises to bring meaning (semantics) to data. A large number of both public and private organizations have published their data following the Linked Data principles, or have done so with data from other organizations. To this extent, since the generation and publication of Linked Data are intensive engineering processes that require high attention in order to achieve high quality, and since experience has shown that existing general guidelines are not always sufficient to be applied to every domain, this paper presents a set of guidelines for generating and publishing Linked Data in the context of energy consumption in buildings (one aspect of Building Information Models). These guidelines offer a comprehensive description of the tasks to perform, including a list of steps, tools that help in achieving the task, various alternatives for performing the task, and best practices and recommendations. Furthermore, this paper presents a complete example on the generation and publication of Linked Data about energy consumption in buildings, following the presented guidelines, in which the energy consumption data of council sites (e.g., buildings and lights) belonging to the Leeds City Council jurisdiction have been generated and published as Linked Data.

Retrofitting an accessible highway: a user-led approach

Although accessibility for mobility-impaired pedestrians is ensured at the planning stage for new highway developments, and accessible features such as dropped kerbs would normally be included in refurbishment works, the risk is that many areas of the existing public highway will otherwise remain inaccessible for years to come. This paper details one practical response to this problem, adopted by Leeds City Council in the UK, aimed at creating accessible routes linking places where disabled people live with local facilities. The paper illustrates how the local authority works directly with users who are currently encountering problems on their regular journeys, or are unable to travel independently because of the barriers in the street environment, and with other stakeholders, to formulate a targeted programme of works (with a dedicated annual budget) to retrofit the highway and alleviate the identified access problems. This approach seems to have a number of benefits, including the allocation of resources to the areas where they are most needed and are most likely to make a difference. Initial feedback indicates wider benefits for the wellbeing and independence of disabled people, better participation and social activities and community life, reduced cost of travel and reduced reliance on care services.

A cross sectional study investigating the association between exposure to food outlets and childhood obesity in Leeds, UK.

BackgroundCurrent UK policy in relation to the influence of the ‘food environment’ on childhood obesity appears to be driven largely on assumptions or speculations because empirical evidence is lacking and findings from studies are inconsistent. The aim of this study was to investigate the number of food outlets and the proximity of food outlets in the same sample of children, without solely focusing on fast food.MethodsCross sectional study over 3 years (n = 13,291 data aggregated). Body mass index (BMI) was calculated for each participant, overweight and obesity were defined as having a BMI >85th (sBMI 1.04) and 95th (sBMI 1.64) percentiles respectively (UK90 growth charts). Home and school neighbourhoods were defined as circular buffers with a 2 km Euclidean radius, centred on these locations. Commuting routes were calculated using the shortest straight line distance, with a 2 km buffer to capture varying routes. Data on food outlet locations was sourced from Leeds City Council covering the study area and mapped against postcode. Food outlets were categorised into three groups, supermarkets, takeaway and retail. Proximity to the nearest food outlet in the home and school environmental domain was also investigated. Age, gender, ethnicity and deprivation (IDACI) were included as covariates in all models.ResultsThere is no evidence of an association between the number of food outlets and childhood obesity in any of these environments; Home Q4 vs. Q1 OR = 1.11 (95% CI = 0.95-1.30); School Q4 vs. Q1 OR = 1.00 (95% CI 0.87 – 1.16); commute Q4 vs. Q1 OR = 0.1.00 (95% CI 0.83 – 1.20). Similarly there is no evidence of an association between the proximity to the nearest food outlet and childhood obesity in the home (OR = 0.77 [95% CI = 0.61 – 0.98]) or the school (OR = 1.01 [95% CI 0.84 – 1.23]) environment.ConclusionsThis study provides little support for the notion that exposure to food outlets in the home, school and commuting neighbourhoods increase the risk of obesity in children. It seems that the evidence is not well placed to support Governmental interventions/recommendations currently being proposed and that policy makers should approach policies designed to limit food outlets with caution.

The Changing Role of the Local News Media in Enabling Citizens to Engage in Local Democracies

Using Leeds City Council in the United Kingdom as a case study, we analyse comparatively the changing role of local journalism in the public communications and engagement strategies of local government. Drawing on over 20 semi-structured interviews with elected politicians, Council strategists, mainstream journalists, and citizen journalists, the article explores perceptions of the mainstream news media's role versus new modes of communication in engaging and communicating with citizens. We evaluate the Council's perceptions of its online and offline practices of engagement with different publics, and focus in particular on their interactions with journalists, the news media, and citizen journalists. The article considers how moves towards digital modes of engagement are changing perceptions of the professional role orientations of journalists in mediating between the Council and the general public.

Use of information and communication technology to improve dietary assessment and tackle obesity

BackgroundIn 2010, 30 million British adults used the internet daily or nearly every day. 27% of UK adults and 47% of teenagers owned a smartphone in 2011. Information and communication technology (ICT) is a promising new route to deliver public health interventions. It allows a wide target population to be reached and offers cost-effectiveness, convenience, and familiarity of use. There is potential for ICT to be used in dietary assessment to monitor the effectiveness of interventions and assess exposures in aetiological investigations in epidemiology. Paper-based approaches to dietary data are time-consuming, need trained interviewers, and are costly to collect and code. Our hypothesis is that specifically tailored ICT methods can be successfully implemented to assess dietary exposures and aid weight loss and maintenance. MethodsWe have developed a smartphone application “My meal mate” (MMM) that allows participants to self-monitor their calorie intake and physical activity. It has been validated against a 24-h recall (based on the US Department of Agriculture multiple pass telephone recall procedure) in a sample of 50 adults (University of Leeds, UK, staff and students) and has been piloted in 128 overweight adults versus an online or a paper diary in a randomised controlled trial for 6 months to assess adherence and acceptability. Trial participants were recruited from large employers in Leeds, including Leeds City Council, Leeds Metropolitan University, University of Leeds, West Yorkshire Police, Asda, and Morrisons. As an extension of this work, we are also developing a UK online 24-h dietary recall. This recall will be developed on the basis of the automated multiple pass method, with focus groups' input after trying online tools developed in the USA and France. It will be validated against repeated interviewer-administered dietary recalls, and both will be compared with independent nutrient biomarkers. It will be piloted in subgroups of two epidemiological cohorts: the UK Women's Cohort Study, their children, and their grandchildren; and the UK Clinical Biobank. FindingsIn the validation study (72% female, 82% white ethnic origin, mean age 35 years [SD 9], mean body-mass index [BMI] 24 kg/m2 [SD 4]), energy recorded on MMM correlated well with the 24-h dietary recalls (day 1 recall: r=0·77, 95% CI 0·62–0·86; day 2 recall: 0·85, 0·75–0·91), and had a small mean difference (MMM recall, day 1: −16 kcals per day, 95% CI −132 to 100; day 2: −105 kcals per day, −204 to −7). It took an average 7 (95% CI 6–9) min to enter a meal and an average 22 (95% CI 19–26) min to input a day's intake. In the MMM pilot trial (71% female, 89% white ethnic origin, mean age 42 years [SD 9], mean BMI 34 kg/m2 [5]), retention rate was 93% (95% CI 81–99) in the smartphone group, 45% (30–61) in the website group, and 47% (31–62) in the paper diary group at 6 months. Adherence was measured as number of days recorded with 500–5000 kcals (either on app, diary, or online) by all participants. Adherence to dietary self-monitoring was higher in the smartphone group than in the other two groups (p<0·0001). MMM was also rated higher in terms of convenience and comfort of use in social settings. However, the pilot was not powered to detect difference in weight change between the groups. InterpretationICT provides a step-change for improvement of dietary assessment and monitoring in population health research. MMM has shown potential as a feasible and acceptable dietary assessment and weight management aid. We now plan to undertake a full randomised trial of this approach to assess weight loss and maintenance. The UK online 24-h dietary recall should be ready for dissemination and use by 2015, free of charge to other UK researchers. FundingNational Prevention Research Initiative (grant G0802108) and UK Medical Research Council (G1100235).

Connectedness to school: A vital link for young people with autism?

Dr Louise Meehan works as an Educational Psychologist for Leeds City Council. She reports on the results ofa study which investigated the mental health of young people with an autistic spectrum condition in three mainstream secondary schools.

Strategic energy planning within local authorities in the UK: A study of the city of Leeds

This paper considers the development of a strategic energy body in a local authority in the UK and looks at the perceived need for, and possible roles of, such a body. Historically, energy provision and management has not usually been a strategic priority for UK local authorities. Yet energy considerations are implicit in key local authority responsibilities such as transport, waste management, planning, and the provision of housing services. In addition, recent UK central government policies support the move to localism and provide incentives for low-carbon energy generation. A study was undertaken to assess the potential (including both the perceived benefits and actual capacity to deliver) for Leeds City Council to develop a strategic body to execute delivery of city-level energy decision-making. We examine the perceived benefits to a range of main stakeholders, using data drawn from interviews with managers responsible for low-carbon and renewable energy projects across the city. Through participant observation we explore the capacity of a local authority to deliver a strategic energy body, and we briefly examine the possible forms of delivery. We conclude with recommendations for national policy that would enable the development of strategic energy bodies across local governments in the UK.

Dale Farm Eviction (U.K.): Why Human Rights Needs to Infiltrate the Planning Process

The impending eviction of travellers flora Dale Farto, Essex, delayed following a series of injunctions but, at the time of writing, scheduled for 23-24 September 2011, (1) raises the question of whether Basildon Council's actions will be a violation of the European Convention on Human Rights, as directly applied in the U.K. Human Rights Act 1998. There have been a number of cases involving Travellers (2) and Roma before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, but while the Roma have been relatively successful in defending their rights, the Travellers have won only one case. The Roma have won a series of decisions against a range of Council of Europe states, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Slovakia, Spain and Turkey. The case lave has included issues such as the failure to carry out an effective investigation into attacks on a Roma settlement (Koky et al. vs. Romania), (3) segregation of Roma in schools (Orsus et al. vs. Croatia), (4) and racially biased police investigations (Nachova et al. vs. Bulgaria). (5) These are examples of the court acting decisively in tackling what it perceives to be racial discrimination against the Roma, with one commentator noting that in relation to the schools segregation question, the court was behind 'a legal revolution of sorts'. (6) The facts can be extreme, as illustrated in Moldovan et al. vs. Romania, (7) which involved police collusion in the burning down of a Roma village, with three deaths. The cases involving Travellers have all been tried in the U.K. and have all involved evictions. In contrast with the Roma, Travellers have won only one case before the ECHR: the 2004 decision in Connors vs. U.K. (8) They have lost in Bucldey vs. U.K., (9) Chapman vs. U.K., Coster vs. U.K., Beard vs. U.K., Lee vs. U.K. and Jane Smith vs. U.K., (10) although the latter five of these cases were decided together. Buckley provides the benchmark for the ECHR approach as 'the first gypsy case that ever got to Strasbourg', (11) decided on the basis of an Article 8 right to private and family life. It involved a refusal by local authorities to allow the applicant to live in her own caravan on her own land, through a refusal of planning permission. Although the commission ruled in her favour, the court ruled against, noting that in planning matters, the state enjoys a wide margin of appreciation. (12) In Chapman vs. U.K., the court adopted a more compromising stance than was seen in Buckley, referencing the minority status of the applicant, noting that 'the applicant's occupation of her caravan is an integral part of her ethnic identity as a Gypsy, reflecting the long tradition of that minority of following a travelling lifestyle'; and 'the vulnerable position of Gypsies as a minority means that some special consideration should be given to their needs and their different lifestyle'. However it was held that there was no violation of Article 8, the interference--refusal of planning permission to station caravans on her land and enforcement measures to remove her as a result--having pursued the legitimate aim of protecting the 'rights of others' through preservation of the environment. In Connors vs. U.K., the only case in which a violation of Article 8 was found, the situation is similar to Dale Farm, as outlined in the judgment: 'The seriousness of what was at stake for the applicant is not in doubt. The applicant and his family were evicted from the site where they had lived, with a short absence, for some fourteen to fifteen years, with consequent difficulties in finding a lawful alternative location for their caravans, in coping with health problems and young children and in ensuring continuation in the children's education. The family was, in effect, rendered homeless, with the adverse consequences on security and well-being which that entails.' (13) The powers used by Leeds City Council in Connors vs. …