Social landlords' representatives have written to housing minister Lord Rooker telling him not to play a "blame game" when it comes to antisocial behaviour.
The Social Landlords Crime and Nuisance Group was prompted to write the letter, requesting a meeting with the minister, by Rooker's comments in Housing Today last week (8 August, page 16). Rooker said landlords, not tenants, were mostly to blame for antisocial behaviour.

"I don't blame the tenants. I blame poor management," he said. "You can't erect a tower block, streets in the sky, and walk away."

Housing associations deal better with antisocial behaviour than councils in "most cases", Rooker added.

In the letter to Rooker, SLCNG national organiser Tim Winter said: "The blame issue, whether tenants or landlords, may be something of a red herring."

The real issue was to improve the ability of all social landlords to ease the suffering of tenants who are the victims of nuisance and antisocial behaviour, he explained.

Councils and housing associations have shown examples of best practice in the prevention of nuisance behaviour, rehabilitation of offenders and enforcement, Winter said.

"The good practice is out there, much of it from members of the SLCNG," the letter says. "Rather than play a blame game, the important issue seems to us to be that you should work, as the SLCNG does, to ensure this good practice becomes common practice." The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister said Rooker had not yet seen the letter.

Source

Housing Today