People affected by anti-social behaviour and hate crimes are afraid to speak out and some who do just have their fears and concerns dismissed, councillors told housing bosses.
The comments came as Brighton and Hove City Council’s People Overview and Scrutiny Committee debated the draft “housing hate incident policy” before it is adopted by the council’s housing team.
The council is required to have a policy on dealing with hate crimes in its housing after the introduction of the Social Housing Regulation Act 2023.
Hate crimes include people treating someone differently because of their race, religion, gender or gender identity, disability or sexuality.
This could include name-calling, sending offensive letters or emails or criminal behaviour such as threats, intimidation, violence or criminal damage.
Anusree Biswas Sasidharan, a co-opted member of the committee, said that the debate on hate crime policy was timely, given the arson attack on Peacehaven Mosque last weekend.
She described the effects of the attack as “reverberating” beyond the town and across the county to those who “look different”, not just the Muslim community.
Dr Biswas Sasidharan said: “A lot of racialised minorities do not report hate crimes in general. They just don’t do it because it’s ‘normal’ and it just happens. You must move on. Don’t make a fuss.
“There are a lot of people in the community who are really scared, especially when there is heightened, dangerous rhetoric going on. It’s really difficult.”
She welcomed the “easy read” element of the survey which was co-produced with learning disability advocacy charity Speak Out – and she suggested that the council use a similar format for other information.
On Wednesday (8 October) the committee was told that there had been 57 responses to the online public consultation held last year.
Conservative councillor Anne Meadows, who represents Patcham and Hollingbury ward, highlighted the lack of response, representing less than half a per cent of the 13,000 council tenants and leaseholders.
This was despite the council sending out thousands of texts and promoting the consultation.
She said that the lack of response did not mean that tenants were satisfied with how the council was dealing with hate crime and anti-social behaviour.
Councillor Meadows said: “They will talk to each other. They won’t respond to consultations, especially formal ones, if there’s any way of being identified. They just won’t do it.
“If someone reports problems within blocks or on estates and everyone goes to them to report the problem, they’re constantly reporting. They’re then made to feel like they’re a nuisance.
“They are told: ‘We can’t deal with you any more. We can’t talk to you because you’re taking up too much time.’
“I feel that’s a wrong approach. There are many tenants who won’t talk to housing officers. If you’re lucky, you’ll get them to talk to a councillor.
“The majority will talk to someone they feel safe with but then they’re left out in the cold for being ‘a nuisance’.”
Councillor Meadows was referring to Craven Vale resident Lee Catt, who co-chairs the council’s central area housing panel.
Mr Catt received an email earlier this year telling him that the council would only communicate with him through one dedicated email address because of the volume of complaints.
The council’s director for housing people services Harry Williams said that a lot of work was done to encourage people to respond.
Mr Williams said: “It reflects the nature of hate reporting that it is under-reported.
“We’re not taking it as a guarantee that our tenants are happy with this policy but more we have a lot more work to do about how we engage with community groups.”
When it came to third-party reporting, he was concerned to hear of the experiences mentioned by Councillor Meadows and said that it was not a nuisance but welcomed.
Labour councillor Jackie O’Quinn, who chairs the committee, also referred to Mr Catt, who has spoken at the committee’s anti-social behaviour working group meetings.
She echoed the comments by Councillor Meadows about the low response rate, referring to her own experience as a councillor for more than 10 years with a large estate in her ward.
Councillor O’Quinn said: “(Mr Catt) also talked about training and said there are these policies and so on but they’re not always adhered to when dealing with people. That is something that needs work.
“I agree (with Councillor Meadows) that it can be incredibly difficult when you have estates where people don’t want to talk to you, officers or councillors, or anybody in any kind of position of authority, as it could get them into trouble.
“They don’t even seek a third party. They suffer in silence.”
Let’s also remind ourselves of the various determinations made in Mr Catts’ favour by the Ombudsman. Advocates should never be discriminated against in that way.
As someone with autism and acquired brain injuries, I’ve personally experienced how council staff and social housing officers can cause hate incidents rather than prevent them. In my case, the behaviour of certain officers effectively set me up to fail under a tenancy agreement. Instead of receiving the understanding and reasonable adjustments required by law, I was met with hostility, misrepresentation, and punishment for communication difficulties directly linked to my disabilities.
When council workers label recognised symptoms of autism or brain injury as “behavioural problems”, it becomes a form of slander that deepens stigma and isolation. It’s especially damaging when no support is offered — only disciplinary or punitive action. That, in itself, is a kind of institutional harassment and discrimination.
Many of us are afraid to speak out because we know how easily our words can be twisted or dismissed. Until the council genuinely recognises the role its own staff can play in perpetuating these harms, policies against hate and discrimination will remain little more than paperwork.
Your not the only one .
Try to spend time on healing yourself.
For these people come 5,pm will not care about your situation. More likely making fun of you behind your back .
The fact your being honest says everything about you.
Document everything and then get on with your life
Let’s also remind ourselves that even when tenants do speak our and make reports they are often let down by the council. Before the fire at The Pines earlier this year residents repeatedly raised serious incidents of ASB behaviour with the council, including fire related incidents and threats. Why, when reports are made to the council that tenants are setting items on fire and making threats to other tenants is action not taken and reports handled more seriously.
As someone with autism and acquired brain injuries, I’ve personally experienced how council staff and social housing officers can cause hate incidents rather than prevent them. In my case, the behaviour of certain officers effectively set me up to fail under a tenancy agreement. Instead of receiving the understanding and reasonable adjustments required by law, I was met with hostility, misrepresentation, and punishment for communication difficulties directly linked to my disabilities.
When council workers label recognised symptoms of autism or brain injury as “behavioural problems”, it becomes a form of slander that deepens stigma and isolation. It’s especially damaging when no support is offered — only disciplinary or punitive action. That, in itself, is a kind of institutional harassment and discrimination.
Many of us are afraid to speak out because we know how easily our words can be twisted or dismissed. Until the council genuinely recognises the role its own staff can play in perpetuating these harms, policies against hate and discrimination will remain little more than paperwork.
We live in a toxic culture where the whistleblower is often victimised rather than thanked for flagging an issue up before it becomes even more of a disaster and reputational risk for the body involved. Issues never get any cheaper to deal with when left either. If someone breaches their tenancy agreement, it’s a simple enough matter to enforce it. Matters are often complicated unnecessarily because existing laws and legislation are not enforced, so people are always crying out for extra legislation rather than checking what already exists and demanding it be enforced. Poor training of council staff and trying to force as many processes online doesn’t help. There are a fraction of the site visits there used to be.
Take matters into your own hands then see the blowback and blame game in full action, too many problem cases in social housing and very few actually get taken care of, the council places them then the council should look after THEIR problem tenants, not the other tenants who just want to live their lives without government allocated problems.
Whistleblowing !
I was told by the council to make a complaint, something I really didn’t want to do or had the time for .
I went ahead with a sarcastic complaints handler at the council that made fun of my points I was raising .
A totally different story was presented at court . So I asked for the minutes of my conversation as it was serious and involved my MP. So we know exactly what it was about.
They then informed me it was shredded at the data office. Very interesting if there version was true .
I presented all of this in court but the court took no further action.
Other than I wouldn’t see my child for 18 years as a punishment.
That’s why people are afraid and why it’s called whistleblowing
Someone sells drugs and has prossies next to mine but am worried he will bash me or I will lose my benefits
Hi all I am lee in the article.
I would like to hear from All Of You when possible.
If you are living in central area that is covered by the co-chair roll I am current doing i encourage you to come to the resident only area panel meetings you will able to give me your information that I can then use the and we will be able to form a larger group.
meaning we will have greater power and be able to enforce the policy and procedure that the council should be using and stop the discrimination with inside the organization and hate within side brighton and hove city counci .
prevented it from being used on tenants and residents of the city and for senior management of brighter and hove city counci to take pomuch stronger action against individuals that behave in this manner towards anyone while they are representing the organization.
which the organization already has the policies in place to deal with it just needs the senior management to actually enforce it with your help this will be possible.
Rather than keep doing surveys on us and not getting their own house in order.
Anyone that is not in the Central area i recommend going to your resident only meetings for your area as this information will come through to myself at some point and will also help your local residents groups have a stronger voice.
Let’s work together and make the council work for us as it should be as it is a public body.
Is not meant to be a dictator they are public servants and meant to serve us not the other way.