The number of complaints relating to anti-social behaviour reported to Clare County Council has nearly quadrupled in two years.
Figures obtained by Clare FM show 316 separate complaints were made to the local authority last year alone.
Clare County Council, along with other local authorities, has legal obligations in relation to ensuring its tenants are peaceful and that others are secure in their homes as a result.
A Freedom Of Information request from Clare FM has established no records of such anti-social behaviour incidents were kept in this county until 2018, when 81 complaints were documented, around half of which were in Ennis.
This increased by 70 percent in 2019 to 138 complaints, including 52 in West Clare, 51 in Ennis and 24 in the Shannon municipal district.
2020 saw the number of issues documented here rocket to 316 – 135 in Ennis, 106 in West Clare and 26 in the Killaloe area, along with 2 unidentified incidents.
Common problems include ‘loud neighbours’ and intimidation and harassment, while drug issues, racist behaviour, damage to property, poor waste management and unauthorised occupiers are also among the difficulties some dwellers have complained about.
The Council has told Clare FM it carries out investigations as necessary under its Anti-Social Behaviour strategy, which was adopted by elected members earlier this year.
Three Tenancy Enforcement Officers have been hired as of January to help address the issue in the county, and the Council says they continue to work with stakeholders in Clare, including the Travelling Community and An Garda Siochana.
The local authority says Covid lockdowns ‘significantly increased’ the number of complaints, and that its Estate Management Unit has been ‘successful and effective’ at proactively dealing with them.
Statement from Clare County Council
‘Clare County Council has a duty to manage and control dwellings let under the Housing Acts, with a view to securing and protecting the interests of tenants and their families in the peaceful occupation of their homes. In accordance with our Anti-Social Behaviour Strategy, adopted by the Council earlier this year, Clare County Council is committed to the preservation of the peaceful occupation of all dwellings for which it is responsible and will not tolerate anti-social behaviour. Clare County Council will investigate all complaints of anti-social behaviour in an efficient, fair and impartial manner and will take all appropriate steps, in accordance with best practice as set out in this strategy, to prevent anti-social behaviour. Clare County Council will carry out such investigations and inquiries as it considers necessary to establish whether there is substantive evidence to suggest that the respondent is or has engaged in anti-social behaviour. Upon investigating any such complaints of alleged anti-social behaviour the Council can decide on an appropriate remedy in accordance with the Anti-Social Behaviour Strategy ranging from:
– Advice
– Verbal warning
– Tenancy notification
– Written warning.
Following additional funding being approved by the Elected Members for the 2021 Budget, Clare County Council enhanced the Housing Estate Management unit by appointing 3 temporary Tenancy Enforcement Officers (TEOs) in January 2021 to support existing staff, to help address and enforce instances of anti-social behaviour in Local Authority tenancies in a more proactive manner.
The primary role of the TEO team is to:
– Receive and investigate fully in a proactive manner, as part of the Estate Management team, any complaints relating to alleged failure of tenants to abide by the conditions of their letting agreements
– Work closely and collaboratively with the Traveller community and respond to complaints of anti-social behaviour, serve notices on illegally parked caravans as required and to liaise with Local Authority services and other statutory agencies, i.e. Gardaí to remove unauthorised encampments within the county in accordance with the relevant legislation
– Provide support to communities in relation to anti-social behaviour of Council tenants.
It is generally recognised that as a result of Covid-19 lockdowns and stay-at-home restrictions the number of anti-social behaviour complaints, particularly those associated with noise complaints, would have significantly increased. This is reflected in the increase in the number of reported anti-social behaviour complaints for 2020 compared to those of 2019 and 2018. The enhanced Estate Management unit has been very successful and effective in proactively dealing with anti-social behaviour complaints.
Clare County Council has a very close working relationship with the Gardaí and meets with them formally on a monthly basis, as well as engaging with them directly on a continued basis, to discuss specific cases of anti-social behaviour with a view to enlisting their assistance as required.
Any matters that need to be brought to the attention of the Estate Management unit can be done so by emailing [email protected] . The working hours of the TEO team are flexible to meet required need, involving working after hours and weekends as the need dictates. The team can be contacted out of office hours, should the need arise, by contacting the Council emergency phone number.’
