Councils warn of delays in tackling anti-social behaviour

A survey commissioned by the Local Government Association (LGA) and charity Resolve has found that incidents of Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) are taking longer to tackle due to inconsistent and insufficient information sharing between agencies - in particular from housing providers to Community Safety Partnerships.

The results coincide with ASB week and highlight that current poor quality and inconsistent information sharing arrangements can delay in addressing instances of ASB.

The survey found that 80 per cent of councils say that current information sharing agreements between agencies cause delays in their investigations and taking action against perpetrators.

The LGA says that better information sharing arrangements with housing providers can expedite action on addressing instances of ASB and that when information is not shared by and with housing providers, it can mean that the agencies responsible for tackling ASB – largely councils and police – are not made aware at an early stage and unable to act swiftly.

94 per cent of councils thought that to a great or moderate extent a closer relationship between housing providers and CSPs leads to improved outcomes relating to ASB.

It was highlighted that a significant issue is the lack of standard arrangements on sharing data, causing inconsistency across council areas and knowledge gaps between agencies, with organisations not using the same format, having inconsistent deadlines, or even sometimes only sharing information one way or with one agency.

Cllr Heather Kidd, Chair of the LGA’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said: “Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour is a key priority not just for government, councils and the police, but our residents too – this survey shows very clearly what councils want and need to be more effective in tackling ASB.

“Often residents will first report incidents of ASB to their housing provider. Councils want this information more consistently shared with councils and the police so proportionate action can be taken. It does not help residents if we see a delay in taking action due to poor information sharing and duplicate reports to partner agencies that should be working together.

“We urge the Government to learn from this survey as councils are an integral partner to meeting its ambitions to tackle ASB.”

Rebecca Bryant OBE, chief Executive of Resolve, the UK’s leading community safety organisation, said: “This research highlights the importance of having efficient processes and mechanisms in place for agencies to access information when they are responding to anti-social behaviour.

“We know speed is crucial when resolving anti-social behaviour, but without access to key information, it often becomes impossible for any agency to resolve a case quickly. As a result, the issue is left to potentially escalate, and further harm may be caused.

“This is a challenge that plagues almost all of Resolve’s members, the vast majority of whom are registered housing providers or local authorities. Housing providers are well placed to respond to anti-social behaviour, but in a recent survey of Resolve’s members, a staggering 97 per cent said they have experienced difficulty accessing information from other agencies, even when this information was needed to prevent harm or criminal activity.

“A single information sharing agreement, signed off nationally, would ensure that all agencies responding to anti-social behaviour can access the information they need, when they need it.”