Reporting Anti Social Behaviour
All complaints and enquiries will be logged. You can
contact us in a number of ways:-
Visit, telephone or write to:-
South Lakes
Housing
South Lakes Housing
Little Aynam
House
Town Hall
Little Aynam
House
Queen Street
Kendal
Ulverston
Cumbria LA9
7AH
Cumbria LA12 7AR
Tel: 0845 057 0080 or 01539
717717
Tel: 0845 057 0080
Complaints can be received from neighbours, neighbours'
friends and family, local Councillors, Members of Parliament,
Citizens Advice Bureau or other agencies working in
the community.
How your Complaint will be dealt with
All complaints will be treated seriously, recorded, and fully
investigated. Confidentiality is assured at this stage.
It will then be decided if your case is serious.
Serious cases are those involving violence, threats, harassment or
criminal activity - other cases such as noise nuisance may become
serious if it is persistent. If your case is considered serious you
will be contacted within 24 hours, otherwise you will be contacted
within 5 working days.
A member of our staff will discuss the case with you. A course
of action will then be agreed with you. This may involve us trying
to gather evidence from other neighbours, or visiting the person
you have complained about. Please note that we will not do anything
without your consent.
You may also be asked to maintain a diary/log sheet(s) in
which you will be asked to record details of problems as they
happen.
After considering all the facts of the case, such as what the
problem is and how persistent it is, we will decide what action to
take. Again, we will fully consult you about this. In some cases
this involves a warning being given to the person causing the
nuisance (this may be verbally or by letter).
We can also refer you to RESOLVE an independant mediation
service who may be able to help you.
Possible Remedies
Possession Proceedings, Anti-Social Behaviour
Orders,Injunctions,
Acceptable Behaviour Contracts
If a complaint cannot be sorted out, despite warnings having been
given by South Lakes Housing, we may consider taking legal
action.
Before taking legal action we will consider if the case is
serious enough to warrant legal action, whether residents are
prepared to give evidence in court, whether evidence can be gained
by other means, if the case can be resolved in any other way, and
if legal action can settle the problem.
1. Possession Proceedings
Possession proceedings involve South Lakes
Housing gathering evidence in order to persuade the Court to
award a Possession Order. South Lakes Housing would then
be allowed to evict that person. South Lakes Housing can
only gain Possession Orders against their tenants.
2. Injunctions
Proceedings involve South Lakes Housing gathering
evidence, in this case to persuade the Court to grant an injunction
against a person or persons. An injunction is an Order of the Court
which places certain restrictions upon a person, for example to not
go within a certain distance of a property and to not harass
another person.
3. Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABC)
ABCs are written agreements designed to be the first step in
combating anti-social behaviour, particularly intended for use with
young people aged 10-16. Breach of an ABC can be used as
evidence when applying for an ASBO.
4. Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs)
ASBOs can be sought to prevent a particular person from
causing future problems. They are also designed to keep
offenders out of a particular area. They are an alternative
to Possession Orders and they can be applied anywhere, for example
Town Centres. In some cases they can be applied to children
who repeatedly cause problems. In order to gain a
ASBO South Lakes Housing and the Police have to work
together to satisfy the Court this is the right action to
take.
You can take your own legal action if you wish. Contact a
solicitor for further advice.
Evidence
Enough evidence is essential
if South Lakes Housing is to take any court
proceedings. The Court prefers to hear evidence directly from
residents who have experienced the problems. This is where the
diary/log sheets prove vital. It may be possible for a housing
officer to give an account of your experiences on your behalf,
known as hearsay evidence, however the Court is less likely to
grant an Order.
South Lakes Housing can also try to obtain evidence
by other means. Professional witnesses can be used for this
aim (this usually means employing a private detective).
Also, video and noise surveillance equipment can be used to
provide good evidence in Court.
Other Courses of Action
Staff in the Councils Environmental Protection Group
investigate any noise complaint they receive. This includes all
properties, not just Council properties. They can take legal action
to seek an Order from the Court to prevent noise nuisances. We will
work with this Group to make sure everything possible is being done
to resolve any noise complaint.
South Lakes Housing also works with other agencies, such
as the Police and Social Services, in order to resolve problems. We
are also keen to work closely with residents groups to identify and
tackle problems on our estates together.
Who to Contact
Little Aynam House
Little Aynam
Kendal
Cumbria
LA9 7AH
Telephone: 0845 057 0080 or (01539) 717717
Town Hall
Queen Street
Ulverston
Cumbria
LA12 7AR
Telephone 0845 057 0080