Anti-social behaviour drops to zero after agreements signed

A long term commitment to improving behaviour in the village of Hadston has paid dividends for Castle Morpeth Housing.

The introduction of neighbourhood agreements on one street in the village which had an unfortunate reputation for anti-social behaviour, has seen the number of incidents reported by residents drop to zero.

Earlier this year, CMH tenancy enforcement officer Garry Scurfield visited every house on Hedgehope Crescent in Hadston asking all the residents to sign a neighbourhood agreement, and now 84% of the 57 households are part of the scheme.

The agreement highlights the key components of a Castle Morpeth Housing tenancy agreement which relate to behaving responsibly, including such measures as:

* The tenant being responsible for their own behaviour and for children, visitors and friends.
* Not allowing dogs out unless they are on a lead and cleaning up after them.
* Being considerate when playing music or carrying out noisy activity like DIY.
* Making sure wheelie bins are put out in time to be collected each week, and disposing of large items which the council does not collect.

The scheme is a partnership effort with CMH taking the lead, but also involving Northumbria Police, Northumberland County Council and - most importantly - the residents of Hedgehope Crescent.

Since the agreements came into force on July 23rd last year, none of the three agencies has received any reports of anti-social behaviour.

The signing of the neighbourhood agreements represents the latest in a series of initiatives by Garry and tenancy enforcement manager Stuart Brown.

Other measures used include:

* a postponed possession order granted in October last year, imposed for 18 months, which means the tenant involved can be evicted if further complaints are made.

* one ASBO (Anti Social Behviour Order) banning a youth who has committed offences in Hedgehope Crescent from entering Hadston for three years.

* Acceptable Behaviour Agreements (ABAs) signed with a number of youths resident in Hedgehope Crescent.

* four notices of seeking possession served.

* two covert CCTV operations to tackle reports of anti-social behaviour and crime.

Garry said: "We like to be pro-active in our efforts to see good standards of behaviour in and around our properties.
"Most of our tenants look after their homes and live quietly and peacefully, but where that is not the case, it's helpful to ensure everybody is signed up to the same standards.
"These agreements make life better for our tenants, but also for the local Police as they can concentrate on tackling crime rather than being sidetracked by domestic disputes."