Bryan
I'm sure your Hackney link had a point - it won't open for me.
I know there was some good will there - mainly from Labour politicians, but no action up to the mid nineties apart from assistance in making the 'no Traveller signs' illegal - much appreciated.
We learned of an hilarious event which, unfortunately we didn't witness.
Mikeen McCarthy, a Traveller friend of long-standing, along with other local Travellers, started up a collection for the 'Save the Children' fund, and managed to raise a fair amount of money for it, which they sent off.
In return, Mikeen received a thank-you note along with a request that their President, Princess Anne, wished to visit the site and thank him, a organiser, personally; they were stopping in a small rented yard surrounded by a high, barred fence adjacent to Mare Street, at the time.
H.R.H. arrived on cue, along with two 'suits' as bodyguards, the gate was locked and the 'suits' stood on guard at the gate.   
Unbeknownst, the Mayor of Hackney had got wind of the visit and, as there was an election due, decided to contact the press and make a photo-opportunity of the visit.
He turned up at the site, only to be given his marching orders by the 'suits', so he walked around the fence until he spotted a small child, who he instructed to tell 'the lady' that the Mayor would like a word with her.
The child went off, opened the door of Mikeen's caravan and shouted, "Eh, missus, someone wants to talk to you".
The incident was reported in The Hackney Gazette, late tha week under the headline, "Eh Missus" - we still have a photo of Mikeen and H.R.H.
Mikeen's family was among those forced to flee London shortly afterwards, following John Major's abandoning the legal obligation to provide sites - they ended up in a field outside Thetford.
Good days!
Jim Carroll