councils  must find gypsy sites  ministers are telling councils to find more sites for travellers  amid continuing rows concerning a string of unauthorised encampments.  councils are also to be given stronger powers to move on illegal settlements by gypsy communities on rural land. more money is to be given to councils to develop official caravan parks  said housing minister yvette cooper. in november  mps urged ministers to make councils create sites because 3 500 travellers have no place to stop. ms cooper said an annual scheme to refurbish existing traveller sites would now be extended to consider council bids for new stopping places. that scheme has paid out £25m in four years  with £8m available for 2005.   there are two major problems in the planning system at the moment concerning gypsy and traveller sites   said ms cooper.  firstly  local authorities are not identifying enough appropriate locations either for private or public sites. and secondly  they do not have enough powers to deal swiftly with development on inappropriate sites.  the result is that there are too many developments on inappropriate sites  causing tensions and difficulties for both the neighbouring communities and the gypsies and travellers.  that is why we are consulting on a new obligation on local authorities to identify more appropriate sites  as well as new powers to take immediate action if the development is in the wrong place and cannot be tolerated in even the short-term because of risk to local amenity and the environment.  under the new regulations  expected to be in force in the spring  officials will be able to serve  temporary stop notices  aimed at preventing works on a site before a council has had chance to obtain a full legal ban. many mps with rural constituencies  particularly in eastern england  have been pressing the government to create stronger enforcement powers  saying villagers are suffering because of the legal delays in removing illegal encampments.  andrew ryder  of the traveller law reform coalition  said:  we welcome talk about an obligation on councils to identify land for gypsies and travellers  so long as it is a real obligation as opposed to a recommendation which could be and was easily ignored.  new accommodation proposals for travellers need to be backed up with decent funding and intervention by the government when councils attempt to dodge their responsibilities towards travellers  as they often do.  living on the side of the road or being worn down by planning appeals  legal action and eviction is no one s idea of fun.  in their november report  mps from the committee scrutinising the office for the deputy prime minister  responsible for housing  said most illegal traveller encampments were caused by a lack of places to stop. numerous communities and councils were paying for lengthy and expensive evictions against travelling communities  said the mps. in turn  the problems had worsened because councils were reluctant to voluntarily provide sites because of resistance from residents. two of the most controversial traveller sites - cottenham in cambridgeshire and minety in wiltshire - remain embroiled in an ongoing legal battle.