Councillors say disputes are a‘big issue’in Renfrewshire
An investigation into neighbour disputes and how they are dealt with in Renfrewshire has been welcomed – with councillors describing the subject as a “really big issue”.
The review was approved by elected members at the recent audit, risk and scrutiny board and will report its findings to full council in September.
It will have four key aims, which include establishing the scale and nature of disputes in the area; setting out current approaches the council and other stakeholders have for tackling them; examining actions available to resolve them and identifying any policy changes or measures that could be used within existing resources.
For the purposes of the probe, a dispute will be defined as a “disagreement that causes stress or friction”.
Andrew Noble, lead officer for the review, presented a report at the board, which set out its purpose, scope and timetable.
The paper was welcomed by Councillor Andy Doig, board convener, who said: “Neighbour disputes are, I would say, one of the most common issues that local councillors deal with.”
Councillor Kevin Montgomery, depute convener, agreed and said the initial report had “quite an impressive scope”.
He continued: “As you’ve already outlined convener, neighbour disputes are one of the big items we see and they can have a huge impact on quality of life for residents, so I think it’s really important that we look at this.
“The scope to look at other tenure types and how other organisations deal with it is also quite important.
“Having worked in the advice sector for more than a decade, my gut feeling is that registered social landlords deal with this better than the council and it might be quite interesting – and it’s good that it’s in the review – to actually see what housing associations and the like are doing.”
Several common causes of issues between neighbours have been identified and relate to noise, access, shared amenities and facilities, boundaries, trees and high hedges, pets and the use of domestic CCTV cameras.
The investigation will look at “low level” disputes, as well as those that cross the threshold and need to be considered with reference to anti-social behaviour legislation.
Mr Noble will research available evidence on the severity of neighbour disputes and different levels of intervention available to resolve them; the role of the council and other key partners and tools they have at their disposal; and examples of best practice from other local authority areas which support resolution.
Evidence on the topic will be sought from the council’s housing and community safety services, registered social landlords, Police Scotland, Citizens Advice Bureau, tenants and residents associations and other local authorities.
Councillor Doig added: “It is a really big issue out there.
“I know a few years ago, the council did look at their anti-social policies in general.
“In terms of how Renfrewshire Council liaises with other bodies, we’re quite well ahead of the pack in terms of Scottish local authorities. We were commended for the procedures.
“What we need to do now is look at practical ways we can really deal with this on the ground to support the people affected.”
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Neighbour disputes are one of the big items we see and they can have a huge impact Councillor Kevin Montgomery