Issue - meetings

Report of Cabinet Member for Housing and Customer Services, Councillor Flo Clucas

RESOLVED THAT:

-       adoption of the Housing Service Anti-Social Behaviour Policy is approved.

The Leader introduced the report, which focuses on an updated anti-social behaviour policy for housing services, as part of a wider service improvement plan to make things clearer and more supportive tenants.  She said the team has worked hard to make sure the policy speaks directly to residents, explaining what counts as anti-social behaviour, how different agencies work together to tackle it, and what tenants can expect from council’s anti-social behaviour team.  The key goal is to build trust and improve tenant satisfaction through realistic expectations and outcomes, and the policy reflects strong partnership working, shaped by feedback from internal teams, Gloucestershire Police, Victim Support, and a tenant focus group in ASB awareness week. 

She said the feedback is overwhelmingly positive, and the policy is about being fair, clear and responsible, making sure anti-social behaviour is dealt with properly, in an evidence-based and focussed way, to make sure everyone feels safe in homes.

Members supported the report and the clarity provided by the updated policy, and made the following comments:

-       the policy document is very clear in its definition of anti-social behaviour, which includes loud noise, shouting, drug use or dealing, threats or verbal abuse,  hate crime, vandalism and fly tipping;

-       anti-social behaviour can have a cumulative effect over weeks and months, and have a negative impact on people’s mental health when they feel under threat in their own homes or communities;

-       the anti-social behaviour team perform a very important and impressive function within the housing team, working with residents in some very difficult circumstances;

-       the lower reading-age pamphlet is a very good initiative, championed by the Cabinet Member for Housing and Customer Services, and could be spread to other areas, such as licensing policy.    

RESOLVED THAT:

-       adoption of the Housing Service Anti-Social Behaviour Policy is approved.