Agenda item

To note the updates made to the Tenant Services Anti-Social Behaviour Policy.

The Head of Housing Services introduced the report. He explained that the policy provided an up-to-date approach to the management of anti-social behaviour (ASB) which was a statutory requirement for social landlords, and was in line with the Social Housing White Paper 2020. The last revision to the policy was in 2017.

The Head of Housing Services detailed some of the revisions and additions to the policy:

·       Acts of ASB towards elected members in relation to their Council duties would be included;

·       The service would expand its abilities to take further action using Community Protection Notices against perpetrators of ASB;

·       Drug dealing and substance misuse would be designated as high risk ASB, allowing greater powers to take action through the courts;

·       Details of the use of the community trigger to validate actions taken as a social landlord would be included;

·       A co-ordinated multi-agency framework of support approach would be applied when vulnerable persons were identified;

·       The victim of ASB would be given an Action Plan detailing actions to be taken to resolve the ASB with the appropriate review period.

The Head of Housing Services emphasised that tackling ASB and nuisance effectively was a high priority for the Council’s Tenant Services Team and corporately. The commitment was to tackle ASB swiftly and effectively, making use of legal powers where appropriate. It was important to maintain and improve strong working relationships with other agencies, including neighbourhood police teams and other support services, in order to achieve this. The Head of Housing Services highlighted the support for the policy from the Stroud Neighbourhood Police Team. In addition, staff would be supported and provided with the appropriate skills and knowledge to manage ASB effectively and safely. The Council’s response to ASB must be measured and proportionate at all times, and all complaints must be investigated thoroughly with appropriate professional input to achieve the best outcomes for all.

The Head of Housing Services clarified that reports would be made on ASB cases where any equalities issues were involved, and benchmarking would be carried out against other providers and included in performance reporting. He emphasised the importance of ongoing engagement and dialogue with tenants, including the effectiveness of actions taken to tackle ASB.

Councillor Kay explained that he was aware of a detailed proforma completed which explained the equality implications of this policy but was not included in the report. He asked whether in future it would be possible to include this detail, or to add this as an appendix to the report. The Head of Housing Services confirmed that he would discuss this with colleagues to ensure a uniform approach and update the committee.

Councillor Braun drew attention to the shocking increase in ASB cases reported this year for understandable reasons. She asked to what extent the number had decreased with the easing of lockdown, and when that information would be available. The Head of Housing Services confirmed that he would have expected the number of cases to have reduced slightly because of the proactive work carried out by the dedicated officer now in post to handle higher level ASB cases. He agreed to provide updated information to the committee as soon as possible.

Councillor Braun asked whether another Star Survey was planned for the new civic year and whether some focus could be placed on tenant satisfaction in terms of ASB so that monitoring was maintained. The Head of Housing Services confirmed that the Star Survey wass conducted on an annual basis but that, in order not to overwhelm tenants with questions on a range of issues, a targeted approach was needed.

Councillor Fryer asked how many of the 193 cases reported this year were at the higher level. The Head of Housing Services explained that it was difficult to quantify without referring to specific cases as often cases started in one category but on investigation may be unsubstantiated and downgraded. However, he agreed to provide the committee with a breakdown of cases in due course.

Councillor Job asked whether, in view of some recent tragic events involving victims of dog attacks, whether consideration should be given to moving ‘pets out of control’ into a higher ASB category. The Head of Housing Services explained that the lead on such cases would be taken by the Animal Welfare Officers, unless the tenancy agreement had been fundamentally breached. He agreed to have further discussion with colleagues in the Animal Welfare service regarding the best approach and report back to the committee.

Councillor Davies requested feedback on how well the service was working with other agencies, and whether there are some organisations which were less helpful than others. The Head of Housing Services confirmed that excellent relationships with the police exist internally and externally, but that there were some problems working with Mental Health services as they were under great pressure and did not have the resources to attend multi-agency meetings. He emphasised that although there was still work to be done on multi-agency working, this had improved significantly over the last 18 months.

Councillor Green asked whether it would be possible to get a breakdown of reported ASB cases and how they were resolved. She asked if tenants could be given a realistic timetable for how cases were worked on, in order to educate people and manage expectations. The Head of Housing Services explained that this was part of the discussion about the Action Plan for a victim of ASB, detailing what the issues were and how they would normally be resolved. The importance of being honest with victims about the details of the case and the likely timescales involved was recognised.

Councillor Dewey referred to paragraph 3.7 of the report and asked whether it was meant to read ‘mental health or criminality’ rather than linking the two. The Head of Housing Services confirmed this was an error and agreed to amend the text accordingly.

The Motion was proposed by Councillor Powell and seconded by Councillor Kay.

Councillor Davies stated that, whilst he was supportive of the policy, he wondered why this work had not been completed before, and why no details on the financial implications of the policy had been provided.

Councillor Braun stated that it was good to think about how these issues could be resolved with a focus on restorative justice in terms of low-level cases. Wherever possible neighbours should be encouraged to talk to each other to try to resolve these issues. She welcomed future reports offering a breakdown of cases by level and timescales taken to resolve them. She also welcomed the joint working with Community Services and all other agencies to resolve these difficult issues for tenants.

On being put to the vote, the Motion was carried unanimously.

RESOLVED To adopt the updated Tenant Services Anti-Social Behaviour Policy.