Agenda item

Marianne Upton, Tenancy Services Manager and Ben Jackson, Public Protection, Anti-Social Behaviour and Licensing Manager:

a.    presented a report to update Housing Scrutiny Sub-Committee on the work done by the Tenancy Services Team and Public Protection and Anti-Social Behaviour (PPASB) Team to manage Anti-Social Behaviour in the city

b.    reported that Lincoln Tenant Panel (LTP) had not been formally consulted about this report but had the opportunity to comment on its contents at this meeting

c.     highlighted that an LTP working group had been set up to work with Debbie Savage, Area Housing Manager (ASB), on our processes and procedures and further improvements to the service for tenants reporting issues

d.    advised that both the Tenancy Services Team and the PPASB Team responded to, and case managed reports of Anti-Social Behaviour across the city

e.    highlighted the distinction between the Housing ASB team and PPASB team legislation which they relied on:

·       PPASB worked mainly with the Crime and Policing Act

·       The Tenancy Services Team in Housing used landlord and tenant law based in the Housing Acts

f.      outlined the work of the Tenancy Services Team which dealt with nuisance and Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) relating to tenants, anyone who lived with them and visitors to their homes, covering the following main topic areas:

·       What is Nuisance and ASB?

·       Managing ASB

·       Tenancy Services Data for Q 1 and Q2 2024/25

g.    further outlined the work of the Public Protection and Anti-Social Behaviour Team to protect individuals, the community and the amenity of the city over a broad range of areas, providing both proactive and reactive activities, covering the following main topic areas:

·       Anti-Social Behaviour

·       Noise

·       Animals

·       Pests / Conditions of Gardens

·       Accumulations of Waste

·       Fly-Tipping Investigations

·       Management of the Safety Warden Service

·       Representation at the Community Safety Partnership

h.    provided service request figures and details of housing referrals to PPASB

i.      reported on the wider role of the PPASB Team and future focus for work going forward

j.      invited members comments on the content of the report.

Members discussed the content of the report in further detail.

The following questions and comments emerged:

Question: Lincolnshire Police did not address young people on scooters creating nuisance on the city streets and simply recorded incidents. Were we going back to tenants as parents to take responsibility for their children’s behaviour?

Response: PPASB and housing officers held regular meetings to work alongside Lincolnshire Police and other agencies to issue warnings.

Question: Were there any funds to deal with waste bins being left on the streets?

Response: The process had been reviewed approximately a year ago and future policy was being looked at moving forward.

Question: Could Lincoln Tenants Panel be kept up to date with any progress on the policy relating to bins on the street?

Response: Yes, members would be kept informed as the policy went through the Committee process.

Question: Were officers dealing with the need for motorised scooters to be controlled sensibly by their operators?

Response: This area of work was something only Lincolnshire Police could deal with.

Question: Were officers still dealing with soft Anti-Social Behaviour within the banner of ‘nuisance’?

Response: This was dealt with based on the level of impact it had in the community and the level of intent to the behaviour.

Members received clarification on the relevance of the service request figures at paragraph 9.3 and housing referrals to PPASB at paragraph 10.2 of the officer’s report.

Paula Burton, Assistant Director, Housing Management confirmed that the increase in Tenancy cases registered within the report as received in Quarter two compared to that of Quarter 1 was due to improved record taking rather than being a negative result.

RESOLVED that the content of the report be noted.