Housing Landlord
Anti-Social Behaviour Strategy 2026 - 29
Contents
What is Housing related Anti-Social Behaviour?
Community Safety Partnerships review and Anti-Social Behaviour Powers
The Crime and Policing Bill 2025
Safer Neighbourhoods standards
Tenant Satisfaction Measures Standards (TSMs)
Why this is important for New Forest Resident Services & Tenants
Our Current Approach to ASB & Neighbour reports
The current ASB picture: Key Problems and Strategic Drivers
Our vision and strategy are built on 4 Strategic priorities
2. Prevention & early intervention
3. Managing risk and supporting victims
Prevention & early intervention
Managing risk and supporting victims
Annexe 1: Strategy Action Plan
Priority 1, Putting tenants first
Priority 2, Prevention & early intervention
Priority 3, Managing risk and supporting victims
Priority 4, Work in partnership
Tenant Satisfaction Measure (TSM) Data
Foreword
I am delighted to introduce this new Housing Landlord Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Strategy for New Forest District Council’s (NFDC) housing tenants.
We understand the negative impact ASB can have on our communities and on individuals. No-one should live in fear of intimidation from neighbours or others from within their street or neighbourhoods. Too often ASB is referred to as a 'low level' crime or behaviour that should just be tolerated. Police, local authorities, and community agencies all have responsibilities to tackle ASB by working together to help victims.
Whilst no single organisation holds the key to resolving or preventing ASB, this strategy lays down the Council’s Housing Service’s commitments to take steps towards preventing ASB, supporting victims of ASB, investigating ASB and when necessary, ensuring that we have the necessary mechanisms in place to take rigorous action as a landlord.
ASB is not solely an issue for our tenants, but it is important that we acknowledge our role as the largest social housing provider in the district and the responsibilities we have for keeping our tenants safe and well in their homes. This strategy builds on the work already undertaken in our district through effective community safety partnership arrangements, including the longstanding and effective work of the Safer New Forest Partnership.
I am pleased therefore that this strategy aims to deliver 4 key priorities which will raise the profile of our work to prevent and tackle ASB but is also victim centered and has a clear commitment to continuous improvement and enhancing partnership working.
Introduction
This strategy responds to a changing legislative and regulatory landscape, as well as feedback from our tenants on how we have managed previous reports of ASB, and how living though ASB feels to our tenants.
The Regulator for Social Housing has led the implementation of a new regulatory regime, including a tenants’ charter and consumer standards which provide clear guidance on the role of landlords. In response to these changes and the feedback from our tenants the Council has developed a strategy to deliver effective prevention and support initiatives.
As the largest landlord in the district NFDC has a significant role to play in managing our estates and neighbourhoods to ensure that they are a safe and welcoming environment and one where we encourage harmony in our communities. In doing this we must continue to develop preventative measures and early intervention measures to prevent ASB occurring and escalating.
This strategy sets out the Council’s priorities to preventing and responding to ASB, building on the longstanding work of the Safer New Forest Partnership, which will continue to take a strategic overview of Crime and ASB within the New Forest District involving all our partners and commissioned services, including the Council’s landlord services.
As a landlord, we are responsible for supporting our tenants who may be victims of Anti-Social Behaviour as well as taking swift and effective action where a perpetrator is our tenant.
Our primary funding is from the Housing Revenue Account, which via income from tenants’ rents funds all housing related services and facilities. Therefore, any service relating to Anti-Social Behaviour must primarily be for the benefit of our own tenants or related to our housing management functions.
What is Housing related Anti-Social Behaviour?
Housing Related ASB is defined as activity that affects our housing management functions.
Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) is a term which covers a broad range of issues and there are several definitions for it. The general agreement is that it is defined as 'anything causing a nuisance or annoyance.'
Definition:
The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Police Act 2014 Part 1 section 2 defines the meaning of ASB as:
a) conduct that has caused, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm, or distress to any person,
(b) conduct capable of causing nuisance or annoyance to a person in relation to that person’s occupation of residential premises, or
(c) conduct capable of causing housing-related nuisance or annoyance to any person.
National context
There is considerable emphasis placed on the Police, Councils and Housing providers by Central Government on ASB and the methods used to tackle it. This focus began in 1998 via the Crime and Policing Act with the introduction of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs). The Crime and Policing Act described ASB as “Causing or likely to cause harassment, alarm, or distress to one or more person not of the same household as the perpetrator.”
In 2003 Central Government set up the Anti-Social Behaviour unit, launched the Anti-Social Behaviour Together action plan and introduced the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003. The accompanying guidance outlined the process for tackling ASB via respect and responsibility. It provided Local Authorities and the Police with a wider and more flexible range of powers to meet their existing responsibilities.
From a social housing perspective, the changes included developing the use of injunctions and demoted tenancies. It included provisions to deal with noise nuisance and introduced closure powers on premises that were being used for drug dealing, it defined ASB to ensure reports were acted upon, as well as stressing the importance of collecting data on ASB and using this to support any community response.
In 2014 The ASB Crime and Policing Act was introduced with the aim of providing simpler, more effective powers to tackle ASB, that would provide better protection for victims and communities. This Act split the definition of ASB to cover the different legal tools available to both the Police and Local Authorities. The Definition under Section 1 of the act became widely recognised by Housing Providers as the definition for Anti-Social Behaviour. Statutory guidance was published in 2019 which focused on the importance of tackling the impact of Anti-Social behaviour and the effect this has on victims and on victim’s needs.
In 2022 National Government published five ASB principles, which are:
1. Victims should be encouraged to report Anti-Social Behaviour and expect to be taken seriously. They should have clear ways to report, have access to help and support to recover, and be given the opportunity to choose restorative approaches to tackling ASB.
2. Agencies will have clear and transparent processes to ensure that victims can report ASB concerns, can understand how the matter will be investigated and are kept well informed of progress once a report is made.
3. Agencies and practitioners will work across boundaries to identify, assess and tackle ASB and its underlying causes. Referral pathways should be clearly set out between services and published locally. This includes pathways for the ASB case review and health services.
4. The public’s ASB concerns should always be considered both nationally and locally in strategic needs assessments for community safety. Best practice should be shared through a network of ASB experts within each community safety partnership, each policing area and nationally.
5. Adults and children who exhibit ASB should have the opportunity to take responsibility for their behaviour and repair the harm caused by it. Agencies should deliver appropriate interventions, which may include criminal justice options, based on the seriousness, risks and vulnerabilities of the case.
5.
In March 2023, the national government set out a new approach to working with local agencies to tackle ASB across England and Wales including:
· Increasing the urgency ASB is responded to.
· Changing laws and system to take a zero-tolerance approach to ASB, cracking down on illegal drugs such as cuckooing.
· Increasing Police and other agencies’ tools to discourage ASB, such as higher on the spot fines, increase in youth support and filling empty shops and regenerating local parks.
Community Safety Partnerships review and Anti-Social Behaviour Powers
As Part of the ASB Action Plan national government ran a consultation between March and May 2023 which included a focus on how existing ASB Powers could be improved and expanded. The consultation concluded that respondents felt that expanding the powers in the Anti-Social Behaviours, Crime and Policing Act 2014 would ensure they are used more frequently and consistently to tackle ASB.
The Crime and Policing Bill 2025
This bill seeks to strengthen enforcement against anti-social behaviour (ASB) through the introduction of Respect Orders, replacing Civil Injunctions for adults. These orders impose strict restrictions, such as area bans, and mandate positive requirements like rehabilitation programmes. Breach of a Respect Order becomes a criminal offence, enforceable by arrest, with penalties of up to six months’ imprisonment in Magistrates’ Court or two years in Crown Court. Social landlords will still be able apply for ASB injunction where behaviours impacts housing management, supported by risk assessments to ensure proportionality. The Bill also extends dispersal powers to 72 hours, raises fixed penalties for Community Protection Notices and PSPOs to £500, and grants landlords direct authority to seek Closure Orders. Additional measures include expanded drug testing on arrest for Class B and C substances, rapid seizure and disposal of nuisance vehicles within 48 hours, and new offences targeting cuckooing and child criminal exploitation. These reforms aim to deliver a robust, multi-agency response to persistent ASB, combining tougher sanctions with pathways into treatment and rehabilitation.
Regulatory
Framework
Following
the tragic event at Grenfell Towers in 2017 the government
introduced The Charter for Social Housing Residents –
Social Housing White Paper 2020 with the aim to make sure
social housing tenants are treated with the respect they deserve.
Within this it states that “social housing tenants are
more likely to experience anti-social behaviour and be victims of
crime than those in other tenures.”
 |
The Regulator of Social Housing launched its new regulatory framework on 1 April 2024. The Regulatory standards relating to ASB are contained in within the Customer Standards including Neighbourhood and Community Standards, Tenant Involvement and Empowerment Standard and the Tenants Satisfaction Measure Standards, which stipulate:
Safer Neighbourhoods standards
· Registered providers must have a policy on how they work with relevant organisations to deter and tackle ASB in the neighbourhoods where they provide social housing.
· Registered providers must clearly set out their approach for how they tackle and deter hate incidents in neighbourhoods where they provide social housing.
· Registered providers must enable ASB to be reported easily and keep tenants informed about the progress of their case.
· Registered providers must provide prompt and appropriate action in response to ASB, having regard to the full range of tools and legal powers available to them.
· Registered providers must support tenants who are affected by ASB, including by signposting them to agencies who can give them appropriate support and assistance.
Tenant Satisfaction Measures Standards (TSMs)
· Registered providers must collect and provide information to support effective scrutiny by tenants of their landlord’s performance in managing their homes and neighbourhoods.
This places a requirement on landlords to publish performance on the number of ASB cases relative to the size of the landlord (NM01) and 'How satisfied or dissatisfied tenants are with New Forest Director Council’s approach to handling Anti-Social Behaviour.
Housing Ombudsman Services
The Regulator of Social Housing & Housing Ombudsman Service has strengthened their investigative approach, and their response to failings. With failings identified by the Ombudsman leading to real change expected by the Regulator.
Landlords have been notified of the increase in expected standards in a series of special reports from the Housing Ombudsman, who have published landlord complaints where evidence of maladministration has been found, with a large focus on ASB complaints.
The Housing Ombudsman continue to publish spotlight reports on common failings within the sector including:
· The Ombudsman’s Spotlight on Noise complaints report (October 2022)
· The Ombudsman’s Spotlight on Knowledge and Information Management report (May 2023)
· The Ombudsman’s Spotlight on Attitudes, respect, and rights (January 2024)
The spotlight report on noise complaints made 32 recommendations to tackle the issue, including looking at refurbishment, neighbourhood management and anti-social behaviour policies, allocations and record-keeping, information-sharing, and complaint handling.
Tenant Stigma
During the consultation for this strategy, we launched an online consultation and attended community hub events in Calshot, Totton, Lymington, and New Milton. Through active casework and feedback from the Tenant Involvement Group (TIG), a recurring theme emerged: the impact of tenant stigma. This is a well-documented issue and resonates with the tragic case of Awaab Ishak, where tenant concerns were ignored—highlighting how negative perceptions of social housing can lead to reduced service quality and systemic neglect. Tenants often feel that social housing is portrayed as a “last resort” compared to home ownership, reinforcing harmful stereotypes and undermining trust.
This ASB strategy aims to challenge these perceptions by embedding fairness, transparency, and respect into how we address ASB and support individuals. We will achieve this through clear and fair communication, ensuring tenants understand their rights and responsibilities, and by sharing success stories where early intervention improved community safety without resorting to tenancy enforcement. Each priority within the strategy will be reviewed to assess whether it effectively tackles stigma.
Tenant involvement will be central to this approach. We will work with TIG and community panels to review and continue to shape ASB & Neighbourhood policies, avoid language that labels tenants or entire communities, and focus on behaviours rather than identities or tenure. ASB interventions will be framed as safeguarding community well-being, not punishing individuals.
Local
context
Stock and Tenancy Type
The council remains the largest provider of housing within the district, managing a stock of over 5,250 socially rented homes. Under the Council landlord strategy it is the Council’s objective to ensure council housing is used as effectively as possible to provide homes for New Forest residents who are unable to secure their own accommodation. The aims of Council’s tenancy policy (Tenancy Police 2025) is to ensure tenants understand their rights and responsibilities and to support the Council’s Anti-Social Behaviour and Tenant Engagement Strategies.
NFDC offers a secure lifetime tenancy to all tenants. All new tenants will normally be granted an initial Introductory Tenancy. Should acts of ASB be carried out the Council can seek to end either the introductory tenancy or secure tenancy.
NFDC provides temporary housing and a private sector lease scheme which is let to homeless households or to prevent homelessness. We are responsible for managing these tenancies and ensuring tenants are supported to keep to the terms of their agreements, whilst awaiting permanent offers of accommodation to be made.
Why this is important for New Forest Resident Services & Tenants
As ASB is often primarily referred to as a ‘local concern’. We will need to recognise ASB will fundamentally look and feel different in every area of The New Forest and a one size fits all approach will therefore not work for our tenants.
The New Forest is a large district which is mainly rural with urbanised areas in Totton and Hythe to the east, Lymington and New Milton on the southern coast and Ringwood in the west. These areas hold 73% of the district population. A further 16% of the population live in rural towns and fringe areas, whilst the remaining 11% are in rural villages.
Research and analysis completed by the Home Office in 2023 around the impact of ASB evidenced that the people most likely to be victims of ASB tend to live in more deprived communities. Therefore, we need to look more closely at our deprived areas. Overall, New Forest has a low level of deprivation. It was ranked 240 out of 317 local authority districts across England (where rank 1 had the highest level of deprivation). However, there are small areas of deprivation within the district, with pockets of higher levels of deprivation located in Totton, areas near to Hythe, Lymington, and New Milton. The New Forest ranks similar to the Hampshire average when looking at income deprivation affecting children.
Social demographics and personal circumstances are a key factor in influencing the scale of impact of ASB experienced by individuals. Examples being that those with long term physical or mental health conditions are more likely to have experiences or witness ASB to those without the same conditions. Social demographics will include different genders, housing tenures, age, and vulnerability such as physical and/or mental health conditions.
Taking the example of age. The New Forest has one of the lowest population densities across English local authorities, but the New Forest has seen an increase in the average age of the population from 47 to 51 years of age, with a 19.9% increase in people aged between 65 and 74 years.
Research on the impact on individual and community by central government has shown that age was key in determining views when determining the perception of ASB. The youngest age group (those aged 18 to 34) being more likely to feel that ASB is a ‘very big’ or ‘fairly big’ problem in their local area (57%) than those aged 35 to 54 (50%) and those aged 55 and over (34%). This was despite the 18 to 34 age group being more likely to interpret ASB as ‘normal’ behaviour.
Interventions identified with our strategy will pay close attention the social demographic profile in the New Forest and effectively target and support groups who may be disproportionately impacted by ASB.
Tracking data
We continue to make improvements in how to track and record vulnerabilities – Annexe 2: ASB Data. Our social housing tenant demographic data survey is not yet fully complete as of April 2025. But this data collection exercise is well underway and will obtain key personal data important to designing services.
Staff feedback received on ASB casework is that we continue to see increased levels of vulnerabilities in our housing stock, and this will need to be reviewed in line with the recommendation made in the housing ombudsman spotlight report on attitudes, respect, and rights – relationship of equals.
A significant amount of our housing stock is found in our urbanised areas and the more deprived areas of The New Forest. A majority of our ASB reports will continue to be reported from these traditional built-up areas and our response will therefore need to be primarily focused to these areas. We do however need to recognise the rural landscape of The New Forest where we also hold housing stock in more sparsely populated rural areas such as Martin, Sway, Burley, Calshot and Bransgore - which will have a different local perception to ASB.
Corporate Plan 2024-2028
Our tenants and the communities they live in are an ongoing priority for this council, which is supported by the themes in our Corporate Plan 2024-2028. NFDC is keen to promote opportunities to gather feedback from our tenants through the delivery of a new Tenant Engagement Strategy and our annual tenant survey, as we look to continually improve and evolve our services.
The new corporate plan priority themes are People, Place and Prosperity. Consultation to develop the Corporate Plan involved a resident survey which was conducted between 8 September 2022 and November 2022. Of the 760 interviewed nearly all (96%) respondents stated they felt very/fairly safe in their local area, however nearly a quarter of the respondents reported their quality of life was affected by the fear of crime. This indicated that whilst the people feel safe there is an increased perception of crime and disorder, leading to anxiety and adjustments with daily life.
Our Current Approach to ASB & Neighbour reports
The Council is committed to sustaining tenancies with our Tenancy Policy
Our current preventative measures include:
· Use of Introductory Tenancies – all first-time council tenants are given an introductory tenancy.
· New tenancy visits and structured home visits – taking place with 3 months and 9 months of a tenancy to emphasise tenant obligations, support, and identifying vulnerabilities or disadvantages.
· Regular estate visits and block inspections.
· Regular tenancy visits / check in to update tenant information and check property condition
· Provide training that equips staff with the knowledge of support services available from other agencies and how to access them.
· Attending strategic partnership meetings such as New Forest Drug Related Harm Forum, Partnership Action Group and the New Forest District Tactical Planning Group to ensure there is adequate focus and resources directed toward tackling ASB.
Achievements to date
· Publication of a new Tenant engagement strategy in April 2024.
· Newly created ASB Manager post in 2023 and wider resources review ensuring we have the necessary resources identified to tackle ASB.
· Restructure of the Neighbourhood and Estate Management team and the creation of a dedicated Neighbourhood & ASB services (3x Full time Neighbourhood officers and 1.5 full time neighbourhood assistants)
· Adopted ASB, Hate Crime and Good Neighbourhood Management Policies in April 2025
· A single point of ASB & Neighbourhood reports without housing resident services
· New ICT Housing Management Systems (HMS) developed and launched in February 2023 to support case management and data collection.
· Redefining sub-categories of reports to allow for greater analysis of trends.
· Regulator of social housing learning and internal knowledge sharing applied to processes and disseminated to housing employees.
· Digital consultation platform implementation to allow targeted consultation to different tenant groups.
· Updated procedures and staff guidance.
· Staff Training
· Commissioning of a ASB victim support services
· The adoption of “community walkabouts”
The current ASB picture: Key Problems and Strategic Drivers
Based on our data and Tenant Satisfaction Measures, ASB in the New Forest remains relatively low, and satisfaction levels benchmarked against other organisations are good but remains one of our lowest performing areas.
Cases managed by the team are closed as either resolved, unresolved (where no further intervention is possible), or unproven. The largest reason for the closing unresolved cases is due to low-level disputes between neighbours; such as parking, animals or specific person behaviours. This representing approximately 33% of all unresolved cases. In these situations, advice and guidance around self-help is recommended.
The majority of resolved cases relate to behaviour (linked to alcohol , substance misuse, disturbance from visitors, shouting and screaming and noise report, which together make up nearly 50% of all resolved cases, with behaviour accounting for 26.15% and noise for 23.08%.
Analysis of the data and regular case reviews shows that neighbour disputes remain a significant challenge, suggesting that residents in the New Forest may lack confidence in self-resolution and that there is limited uptake in self-help guidance.
Withdrawn complaints, which do occur, may indicate dissatisfaction with the process or fear of escalation, while anonymous complaints, continue to be difficult to verify and often lead to non-actionable outcomes.
Reports to Housing Resident Services are regular with our highest proportion linked to our largest towns - Totton, New Milton and Lymington/Pennington, creating an ongoing ASB workload that can delay resolutions.
Our data highlights noticeable challenges in managing anti-social behaviour which is seen both nationally and locally. There remains a need to balance officer time between complex cases linked to behaviour and noise and one on one neighbour disputes, which consume staff and partner resources despite solutions often being achievable through resident self-help. If not addressed correctly, these disputes can escalate into more serious ASB or cooperate complaints.
It is essential that we continue to engage with residents to encourage effective use of self-help tools and provide clear guidance, while also addressing reasons for complaint withdrawal through better communication – this is under our good neighbourhood management Policy. Noise and behaviour issues should remain a priority as they account for nearly half of resolved cases. Improving evidence collection through better reporting channels and regularly reviewing cases will help prevent workload pressures from diverting focus away from high-risk or high-harm cases.
Active case monitoring indicates that the main drivers of reports to us as a landlord are behaviour (linked to alcohol, arguments or visitors) and noise-related reports (impact sounds, arguments and noise from neighbours). These reports often involve one or more parties with additional medical diagnoses, long-term health conditions or substance misuse. These factors can make individuals either more vulnerable to experiencing anti-social behaviour or more likely to exhibit behaviours perceived as ASB. This complexity requires a balanced approach that combines enforcement with tailored support and multi-agency collaboration.
Other common themes noted are the security of our blocks, including older, less secure communal entry doors which do not have electronic fob access, and which allow visitors to contribute to existing ASB issues.
Our vision and strategy are built on 4 Strategic priorities.
 |
||||
 |
||||
 |
 |
|||
As a landlord our priority should always be to our tenants. Our vision is one where all cases of ASB and reported problems between neighbours are responded to, with clear actions agreed.
The definition of ASB has a low threshold, and what can cause or is likely to cause a nuisance or annoyance can be subjective to the person making the report.
Given the risks attached to ASB; We will follow a harm-based approach towards ASB so that the most serious behaviour, which has the greatest impact on people’s lives, is prioritised, tackled and solutions are found.
The Social Housing Regulator’s view on ASB is clear and they want housing providers to also take a victim-based approach when responding to reports of ASB and in doing this we need to identify those more vulnerable to ASB and ensure their needs are considered and supported. This is sometimes also referred to as 'human centric' and involves seeing people as the most important thing.
Our data concludes that the majority of ASB or reported cases of annoyance or nuisance will not lead to 'high harm'.
In cases of that do not meet the threshold for ASB intervention, individuals and communities will continue to be provided with the access to the appropriate advice and tools so that they as neighbours can work together to resolve their differences.
To ensure this happens we will provide a robust assessment of all ASB and reported problems between neighbours to identify not only the nature of the behaviour and the causes, but also to identify at an early-stage cases of neighbour nuisance or disagreements which are not to be classified as ASB but may still impact on individuals or communities.
In cases of ASB, when the need for formal intervention is required by the Council, we will take a risk-based approach, assessing both the risk to the victims and their wishes. By assessing cases of ASB we will be able provide the flexible and tailored response to cases of ASB that the regulator and tenants expect.
We want tenants to take pride in their neighbourhood and communities. To support this, we aim to increase resources and funding, from existing budgets, to tackle ASB, to improve our neighbourhoods and other decent neighbourhood projects as well as working with diversionary projects.
These priorities are aiming for real, meaningful impact for both tenants and NFDC services. Our priorities will be reviewed periodically by both tenants and colleagues to make sure outcomes are being achieved and powers can be flexed up and down depending on what our tenants tell us as we progress with implementation.
Strategic Priority 1
Putting tenants first
Our service and response to ASB needs to be shaped by our tenants as our tenants are best placed to tell us what is working well and what we can do better.
We will
· Ensure tenants are at the forefront of shaping our response to ASB, neighbour disputes and their neighbourhoods.
· Ensure data analysis forms part of our proactive activities to improve our response to ASB and neighbour disputes.
· Learn from complaints , using the tenant complaint forum to implement learning.
· Ensure that the tenants are actively involved around any service improvement and receipt of feedback.
· Gain feedback on all closed cases of ASB and use lessons learnt from complaints to feed into service improvements.
· Identify the core skills and knowledge required to deliver an effective ASB service, and sourcing training that delivers this. As part of this exercise, it will be essential that training on safeguarding is recognised and included as core knowledge.
· Develop a staff essential training plan focusing on legal tools and powers to tackle Anti-Social Behaviour as well as training around Mental health, Drugs and Alcohol and Domestic Abuse.
· We will listen and respond to our communities around how we engage with our tenants, other residents and our elected members.
· Review the team structure to reflect best practice and current service need.
Strategic Priority 2
Prevention & early intervention
One of the most effective tools to resolving ASB is to be proactive in preventing ASB in the first place, as well as responding early to reports to stop issues escalating.
We will:
· Develop on the strategic approach to ASB and community cohesion (communication over conflict) but continuing to develop the adopted ASB Policy and a ‘Good Neighbourhood’ Policy
· Increase awareness of what ASB is and what services are available.
· Increase awareness of what a hate crime is through the introduction of a Hate Crime Policy and Procedure.
· Increase awareness of Domestic Abuse through NFDC’s Domestic Abuse Strategy and a Housing Landlord Domestic Abuse Policy & Procedure.
· Complete a self-assessment and respond to the Housing Ombudsman spotlight report on noise nuisance.
· Continuously review our ASB procedure to ensure it provides a fast response and remains focused on early intervention.
· Strengthen our existing messaging on ASB and make it clear what is a breach of tenancy and the likely consequences.
· Continue our close and effective partnership working arrangements.
· Listen to tenants on the current service provision around tenancy support and the support provided to alleged perpetrators of ASB.
· Ensure data and intelligence is shared between agencies to flag patterns of behaviour, crime & disorder and ASB via Community Partnership Forms (CPIs)
· Continue to review all associated documentation (letters, action plans, website) to ensure that there is a clear and consistent message delivered, with a real focus on prevention and resolution.
· Listen to our tenants when reviewing our processes around managing our neighbourhood and communal areas so that we promote environmental sustainability and tenant engagement through improvements to communal areas and neighbourhoods.
· Empower our communities and tenants not to tolerate ASB and how to safely challenge and report incidents.
· Actively prevent and reduce ASB through timely and appropriate interventions such as sending warning letters, offering mediation, and using acceptable behaviour contracts.
· Complete a review of communal entry door security as part of our stock condition surveys and maintenance programs.
Strategic Priority 3
Managing risk and supporting victims
ASB can leave victims feeling unsafe and afraid in their own home, often leaving them with the feeling that no one is listening. The ‘person’ needs to be at the centre of our response.
We will:
· Review internal guidance and processes around recording tenant vulnerabilities.
· Address victim’s immediate needs and allow time to discuss long-term support while their cases are being investigated.
· Help victims understand the options they have and what actions we can take.
· Complete regular case reviews with victims, listening to victims needs and wishes.
· Seek feedback on ASB cases to give victims the opportunity to give feedback on services.
· Use Risk Assessments in cases of ASB and use this to tailor our individual approach.
· Ensure safeguarding issues are raised and shared between agencies.
· Continue to use sensitive lettings and placements to help manage our neighbourhoods.
· Continue to use the Management Transfer procedure to support rehoming both victims and vulnerable tenants whose risks cannot be managed in situ.
· Using legal enforcement action where necessary, taking a robust approach to resolve ASB whilst ensuring any action is proportionate.
·
Work
in partnership with Support Services.
·
Strategic Priority 4
Work in partnership
Police, local authorities, and community agencies, all have the responsibility to tackle anti-social behaviour by working together to help victims.
We will:
· Respond to serious or persistent cases of ASB under MARM (Multi Agency Risk Management) frameworks or working with individual partners, such as Adult Services and Children Services.
· Review current practices and thresholds for support service access ensuring people do not fall through the gaps.
· Review how we manage our homelessness temporary accommodation with close interdepartmental relationships.
· Promote the use of ASB case reviews where complainants are experiencing persistent anti-social behaviour.
· Reviewing how well NFDC (Housing), NFDC (Community Safety) and the Police are reviewing cases and holding services to account for their actions.
· Develop a service level agreement with open spaces around the management of housing land, including tenant involvement on how their open spaces are managed.
· Develop closer relationships with local policing teams across the district.
· Develop closer relationships with Hampshire Adults and Children Services, Mental Health Services and Probation
· Work closely with Environmental Protection to swifty investigate and resolve noise complaints.
Work in partnership around any legal enforcement action.
Monitoring and review
The outcomes of the strategy and the work programme will be under continual monitoring and review. Updates to Members and the Council’s Executive Management Team will be provided at least annually.
The tenant perception survey carried out each year will provide valuable insight in to how satisfied our tenants are around our response to ASB. It is accepted that there are some quick wins that can be implemented whilst other changes will take time.
Annex 1 allows us to flex our approach and timescales, but the aim will always be to achieve the priorities in this strategy before the end of 2028.
New actions and targets may be agreed if further changes are made to corporate objectives, national legislation, and policy. The focus on ASB is at the forefront of both the regulatory framework and political attention in both the national approach within criminal justice system and Policing system. It is likely that further legislation, guidance, and funding arrangements will continue to change over the next few years.
We are keen to understand the ongoing impact of Anti-Social Behaviour on our tenants especially those victims who are vulnerable and live in more deprived areas. Our annual review will incorporate statistical and perception-based analysis of our ASB cases and impact on victims. This will enable us to be responsive in tackling any emerging issues.
The Portfolio Holder for Housing Services, working with the Housing Strategic and Assistant Directors, our Housing Service Managers and the Council’s Anti-Social Behaviour Manager will lead the review of the delivery action plan.
In reviewing its strategy annually this council remains committed
to embracing amended policy direction and incorporating it within
annual updates.
Measure of success
Our key measures of success will be quantitative:
- Improved satisfaction performance year on year following on from the initial set of Tenant Satisfaction Perception Survey in 23/24
- Improved satisfaction performance year on year when bench marked against similar sized landlords.
- Reduction in number of stage 1 and 2 complaints received relating to ASB compared with the 23/24 financial year.
- Increase in cases being successfully resolved year on year following outcome being recorded from 24/25.
Our key measures of success will be qualitative.
- By the end of the strategy period in 2028 tenants will have a clear voice under following implementation of the tenant engagement strategy. Tenants will tell us that they are able to directly influence and scrutinise out service.
- Learning from complaints and ASB case review will be embedded into service design and re-design.
- Tenants feedback on closed cases will be used to design and re-design the service.
- Streamlined process and access to more information and advice.
- Greater tenant data feeding into our initial response and tracking of cases
