Housing news
Housing providers across Shropshire have worked together to agree a common, countywide approach to dealing with antisocial behaviour in local communities.
Severnside Housing, Shropshire Housing Group and Shropshire Council, who between them have almost 14,000 homes in the local area, have worked together to develop a common set of policies, procedures and reporting mechanisms that have been adopted by all three organisations.
The partnership researched best practice in dealing with antisocial behaviour before developing a draft antisocial behaviour policy for consultation with tenants, and West Mercia Police and the newly formed Shropshire ASB Team.
By working together more closely, housing officers from each organisation have been able to build working relationships in order to share their working knowledge and expertise. The three organisations have also taken part in joint training sessions, leading to significant cost savings for all involved.
This combined approach aims to reduce the number of serious antisocial behaviour cases in the Shropshire and includes tackling complaints at low-level, before they are allowed to escalate.
Nirmal Samrai, Housing Manager at Shropshire Housing Group, said:
“This more consistent approach to how antisocial behaviour is dealt with benefits all Shropshire residents. Reporting of issues has been made easier, and by taking a partnership approach to dealing with complex cases, they can be resolved more quickly.”
Nicola Robinson, Neighbourhood Manager at Severnside, added:
“This has also led to the development of county-wide Domestic Abuse and Hate Crime policies and has enabled housing officers to deliver a holistic approach to conflict resolution, and joint working has already led to the resolution of some longstanding neighbourhood disputes.”
Councillor Malcolm Price, Shropshire Council Cabinet Member for housing added:
“Ultimately our ambition is to ensure that our neighbourhoods are free from antisocial behaviour and that they are places where people enjoy living.”
Further notes
Shropshire Housing Group is made up of Meres and Mosses Housing Association, South Shropshire Housing Association and Total Response Ltd.
The Group owns and manages 4,500 homes in Shropshire and Herefordshire.
Shropshire Council Landlord Services owns and manages more than 4,000 homes in the Oswestry and Bridgnorth areas of Shropshire.
Severnside Housing owns and manages 5,320 homes in and around Shrewsbury following the transfer of stock from Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council on October 1, 2001.
