Councillors taking an in-depth look at the effects of anti-social behaviour on people living in social housing are expecting to hear a great deal of “lived experience” over the next six months.
Brighton and Hove City Council’s People Overview and Scrutiny Committee agreed to start a task and finish group focusing on anti-social behaviour in council and housing association properties to better understand the situation locally and compare it with other areas.
The group’s six voting members – three Labour councillors, one Green, one Conservative and one Independent – are expected to look at best practice across the country and academic research and to hear from tenants about the effect of anti-social behaviour on their lives.
The group could also include councillors who are not cabinet members but who are interested in the issue as non-voting members.
Labour councillor Jackie O’Quinn, who chairs the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee, will also chair the task and finish group.
She was a member of a similar group that looked into short-term holiday lets in Brighton and Hove and said that it had been a fascinating experience. Members spoke with colleagues from other councils across the country about the same issue.
Councillor O’Quinn: “This is a big topic at the moment. There is a lot of anti-social behaviour. It’s very widespread nationally and I did really push to have the housing associations included because we have so many councillors reporting back that there are issues with a whole range of housing association providers in the city.
“I thought it was interesting that we didn’t have any figures for anti-social behaviour in housing associations, only from council housing.”
She added: “We will certainly have lots of lived experience, I think, an abundance of that. It will be an interesting journey.”
The council’s resident satisfaction survey results for 2023-24 were: Very satisfied 26 per cent, fairly satisfied 29 per cent, neither satisfied or dissatisfied 9 per cent, fairly dissatisfied 13 per cent, very dissatisfied 23 per cent. But the report did not include the baseline numbers.
A report to councillors said: “Anecdotally, councillors have reported being regularly contacted by residents about anti-social behaviour caused by their neighbours in housing association or council properties.
“Residents reporting these issues are not just concerned about the anti-social behaviour itself but the way it is dealt with and the timeframe in which it is resolved.”
Figures from the council’s housing performance report for 2024-25, presented to council housing management panels last month, said that 785 cases of anti-social behaviour were reported last year.
Three categories of anti-social behaviour were listed in a scoping paper to the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee – personal, nuisance and environmental.
And 13 types of anti-social behaviour were listed as
- Vehicle abandoned
- Vehicle nuisance or inappropriate use
- Rowdy or inconsiderate behaviour
- Rowdy or nuisance neighbours
- Littering or drugs paraphernalia
- Animal problems
- Trespassing
- Nuisance calls
- Street drinking
- Activity relating to sex workers or sex working
- Begging
- Misuse of fireworks
Last month, Hollingdean Residents’ Association again told a council housing management panel about rogue bikers racing around streets on the estate.
The “group” should also look at why nothing has been done about this for the last 50 + years, been left to degenerate for so long it’s common to every housing estate in the UK.