Removing a nightmare neighbour from a housing estate has sent a message to other problem tenants, a residents’ representative said yesterday (Tuesday 13 December).
Craven Vale resident Alan Cooke spoke out as fellow residents, councillors and Brighton and Hove City Council officials discussed anti-social behaviour on local estates.
People on the Brighton estate have shared their anger at the lack of response from the council to threatening behaviour, intimidation and attempted break-ins by other tenants.
In November, Mr Cooke presented a petition from Craven Vale Residents’ Association asking the council to “get tough” and stop housing “well-known” drug dealers.
In March, Labour councillor Nancy Platts, who represents East Brighton ward, called for “sensitive lets” at Craven Vale and an end to the council housing people with a history of drug dealing.
The issue came to a head after an individual with a history of drug issues was housed on the estate in August.
He was reported to be carrying a knife and caused so many problems for neighbours that his flat was closed by police in October.
At a housing management panel meeting at the Whitehawk Hub yesterday, housing official Justine Harris told residents that the council would serve community protection notices on nightmare neighbours who had secure tenancies.
Previously the council had only served such orders on people with temporary tenancies.
This decision follows a review of the council’s anti-social behaviour policy, with the new approach due to be presented to the Housing Committee next month.
In response to the council’s proposals, Mr Cooke said: “Fine words butter no parsnips.”
He was reflecting residents’ lack of confidence that their peace would last because there were other homes on the estate where anti-social behaviour had occurred.
He said: “Because of the actions that effectively Craven Vale (residents) forced the council to undertake, and the police, it has led to a dramatic improvement in the environment on the estate.
“The other drug dealers still on the estate have seen what happens if they start behaving stupidly and they’re beginning to worry about losing their own tenancies.”
He said that the problems were not over in Craven Vale because there was still a resident causing issues but there was a general improvement as the troublesome neighbours were “keeping their heads down”.
Ms Harris said that the council was publicising action to make clear that it was not tolerating anti-social behaviour.
I ve living with anti-social behaviour from neighbours for 3 years now the Brighton council not doing any about making my family feel unsafe in our own homes this not fair on victims.
This is not new and has been happening for years with the councils doing nothing about it and it is the ordinary people who have been suffering the consequences
The article literally says they did something about it. First sentence dude.
So they throw out a nightmare neighbour? What do they do with them then?
They just move them somewhere else to be a nightmare neighbours al over again only somewhere else, until they are evicted and moved somewhere else!
And so the nightmare continues again,and again and again!
The decent people on this estate, are people just trying to live in peace,in these horrible times. People probrably struggling enough with the cost of living crisis, without having to endure weeks, months even years before useless council’s (such as Brighton’s), do anything?
And like I said, they just move these junkies, drug dealers and alcholics somewhere else!
We’re told by various housing committees that we have to feel ‘conpassion’ and feel recovering alcholics and drug addicts need help? But what percentage of them are recovering? Many still seem to be enjoying their ‘habits’ and enjoying the mayhem and misery their ‘recovering habit’ is causing for everyone else on these estates???
I know!
I grew up on one of these estates!
And though my present was once peaceful,it is rapidly turning into another drug and drink fueled estate!
I’m led to remind myself, that I’d sooner kill myself than go back to the hell hole of an estate I grew up in!
And yet even though I haven’t returned to that same estate, I appear to have have just ended up on another one!
Compassion to helping alcholics and drug addicts continues to be to the detriment of everyone else on an estate!
Maybe now what’s needed, is to find some cold, crappy island somewhere, and dump them all there along with all the other yobs and thug families that know only the joy the have in causing nothing but misery from people that just want to live in peace!
I’m 61 years old, and the misery these people gave caused me, has plagued me my entire life to the point, thar I now relish the time when my body leaves this mortal coil and I’ll be free from them!
If they follow the petition they have to follow the government policy on anti-social behaviour and crime 2014 that was revised in June 2022 to which means they will not be re-housing these people in normal Estates they will have to be rehomed if they took the choice to rehome them my in sheltered accommodation. But if they follow this policy there is no legal requirement to rehouse them Brighton and Hove Council have just chosen not to follow the government rules. All of the councillors have been sent the relevant information of how to proceed to remove anti-social behaviour tenants to help Brighton and Hove. The first step is you send emails to the anti-social behaviour team and temporary housing team as well as as the council always copy in your local MP every single time I’m you send an email. The only way things will change is if every area starts doing the same as Craven Vale have. And if you’re not satisfied you need to do do stage 1 complaint followed by stage 2 and then send it to the ombudsman if the ombudsman received too many complaints from residents to do with their council they will be removed and the government will replace them.
As well as all of this after 3 incidence and you do not feel the council have done their job properly you can do a community Trigger which means the council police and everyone else involved in the situation regarding the problem have to do their own assessments come together and then you are invited to put your side what’s the situation and how it’s impact in you all of these go to the government as well and are all part of the levelling up the government wants to do so puts more pressure on them to do their job properly at the council.
The residents of Craven Vale have probably sent over 2000 emails regarding anti-social behaviour and crime. Will continuing to do so until the council do the job correctly and support the police in the there work at the same time.
A word of advice do not do diary sheets as the council seem to be prone in losing them do everything by email this form of keeping records anti-social behaviour and crime means the council cannot say say you’ve not sent anything in which is a common practise for them as far as we are concerned. You may be told by some members of staff that these are not acceptable however it has been cleared and they are acceptable it would mean you have have a member of staff that has not been trained properly and maybe will lose your information you have sent in. Also do not put up with no response is coming from the council they are meant to respond with an automated message saying they have received your information and then within 10 days give you a response if this does not happen you can I start to complain and then start the procedures to go to the ombudsman if they don’t change.