Anti-social team is making a difference

COMPLAINTS made about antisocial behaviour have fallen by nearly a third since a housing trust relaunched a team tackling the issue, a council report says.

Cheshire East Council began investigating antisocial behaviour at Peaks and Plains Housing Trust properties in April 2017, after it scrapped its inhouse anti-social behaviour unit following a cut in rental fees.

But the trust began reintroducing the unit this year, and figures put together by the council’s anti-social behaviour team have found that complaints relating to Peaks and Plains residents have dropped by 30 per cent so far this year compared to 2017.

Councillor Beverley Dooley, Conservative member for Macclesfield Central, was chairman of the task group that looked into the matter.

In the report, she said: “Anti-social behaviour is an area of great concern that affects people in many parts of the world, and Cheshire East is no exception to this.

“It can have negative impacts on the emotional, physical and mental health and wellbeing of its victims.

“If it is not addressed or dealt with in a timely or effective manner, it can also detrimentally affect community spirit and cohesion on a wider level.

“Dealing with disruptive behaviour and its impacts on our residents is essential - however, services are having to be delivered and maintained in a challenging financial climate.”

Macclesfield- based Peaks and Plains has properties in the north of Cheshire East - including Macclesfield.

The council learned Peaks and Plains had removed its neighbourhood and anti-social behaviour unit in April 2017, one year after the housing trust had been hit by a one per cent cut in social housing rental income.

Peaks and Plains told councillors that it began telling residents to contact the council or police when complaining about anti-social behaviour, instead of the housing trust.

The report said that this led to ‘ greater pressure’ on police and the council.

Peaks and Plains told the task group that it stopped referring matters to the council last September, and at the start of 2018 it reintroduced its anti-social behaviour unit.

The report added that the housing trust ‘should have consulted in more detail’ before it cut its anti-social behaviour unit last year.