This book set out to examine a range of issues affecting Gypsies and Travellers (such as accommodation, health, education, social policy and employment). Throughout the chapters we explored cross-cutting challenges, including social inclusion, discursive control, media power, representation, empowerment, justice and contested spaces. We conducted our analysis in a reflexive way, asking about the place of the researcher (Chapter Nine) and exploring power relationships in the representation of Gypsy and Traveller communities and the issues relating to them (Chapters Seven and Eight). There are a number of ideas weaving in and out of the specific and cross-cutting issues that this book has sought to examine. In this conclusion we select some of the prominent themes identified throughout.

Challenges of policy reform

Policy reform under the Coalition Government saw a coupling of localism with a process of marketisation: services are put through processes of commissioning, potentially undermining strategic decision making and local democracy. Localism appeals to notions of individualism, the free market and laissez-faire social policy and belief that these reforms will be cost cutting: an attractive proposition in an age of deficit reduction (Carswell and Hannan, 2008). The vacuums that are left are to be filled by forms of 19th-century philanthropism, volunteerism and welfare strategies based on business models, which constitute the ‘Big Society’ or what could equally be termed the ‘small state’. The conclusions drawn in this book (particularly in Part One) are that Gypsies, Roma and Travellers could be further marginalised in this policy framework, by virtue of the fact that at present they lack the resources to take advantage of opportunities to deliver services or in light of a lack of popular support and understanding are unlikely to feature prominently or favourably in any localist-driven social policy agenda in a particular community. These issues of localism, public service commissioning agenda, choice, personalisation of services and individual budgets cut across a number of service areas, and the discussion on health, education and social care in Chapters Three, Four and Five demonstrated the impact that these changes in public services may have for Gypsies and Travellers, as well as discussing the opportunities, provided there is good leadership in public services, and partnership with Gypsies and Travellers, for improvements to be made.