Issue - meetings

Report of the Corporate Director of Adults, Housing and Health. To be presented by the Cabinet Member for Housing & Planning (Deputy Leader).

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST FOR THIS ITEM:

None

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1. Adopted the draft Good Neighbourhood Management Policy to come into effect from 23 December 2025.
   
   
2. Delegated authority to the Director of Housing, in consultation with the relevant Cabinet member for Housing and Planning, to make any future modifications to this policy required by changes to legal or regulatory requirements arising in the three-year period before the policy was due for review.
   
   

Reasons for Decision

This newly drafted, clear and accessible policy outlined the Council’s approach to tenancy management for Council tenants and their wider households. It also helped the Council meet the Social Housing Regulator’s consumer standards, specifically the Tenancy Standard and the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard.

Alternative Options Considered

The Council could have continued without a policy on good neighbourhood management. This option was rejected because it would not have met the Council’s needs or those of its tenants. Introducing this new policy assisted the Council in meeting the Social Housing Regulator’s Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard requirement to deliver fair, reasonable, accessible and transparent policies. Not introducing this policy would also not have met the Council’s commitment to introduce updated policies in the Housing Strategy 2024 and the Housing Improvement Plan 2023.

The Cabinet Member for Communities introduced the report.

It was stressed by the Cabinet Member that the Council were committed to ensuring residents lived in safe, well-maintained homes where they could thrive and that the Good Neighbourhood Management policy was an important next step in the transformation of landlord services. It was explained that the proposal aligned with broader plans to enhance housing services for tenants and leaseholders and to improve the quality of Council homes, as outlined in the Housing Strategy 2024–2029 and the Housing Improvement Plan.

The proposed policy outlined how the Council would respond to behaviours that were not ASB or considered a breach of tenancy. These behaviours could still be impactful but required a different response, where residents were provided with access to the appropriate advice and tools so that, as neighbours, they could work together to resolve any differences. It was explained that the proposal would also help deliver a recommendation from the Housing Ombudsman to have a proactive Good Neighbourhood Management policy, distinct from the ASB policy, with a clear suite of options for maintaining good neighbourhood relationships.

Following questions from Councillor Connor, the following information was shared:

• It was explained by the Cabinet Member that there was a clear distinction between the Good Neighbourhood Management Policy and the Anti - Social Behaviour Policy, and that this would also be managed on a case-by-case basis, depending on the cases’ need.
  
  
• It was explained by officers that resources to encourage behaviour change had been allocated as part of the Housing Improvement Plan, and this plan formed part of that.
  
  
• It was explained by officers that there was an anti-social behaviour strategic group which would be established to monitor work and improvement across the borough.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1. Adopted the draft Good Neighbourhood Management Policy to come into effect from 23 December 2025.
   
   
2. Delegated authority to the Director of Housing, in consultation with the relevant Cabinet member for Housing and Planning, to make any future modifications to this policy required by changes to legal or regulatory requirements arising in the three-year period before the policy was due for review.
   
   

Reasons for Decision

This newly drafted, clear and accessible policy outlined the Council’s approach to tenancy management for Council tenants and their wider households. It also helped the Council meet the Social Housing Regulator’s consumer standards, specifically the Tenancy Standard and the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard.

Alternative Options Considered

The Council could have continued without a policy on good neighbourhood management. This option was rejected because it would not have met the Council’s needs or those of its tenants. Introducing this new policy assisted the Council in meeting the Social Housing Regulator’s Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard requirement to deliver fair, reasonable, accessible and transparent policies. Not introducing this policy would also not have met the Council’s commitment to introduce updated policies in the Housing Strategy 2024 and the Housing Improvement Plan 2023.