City of York Council (Logo)

Meeting:

Combined Executive Member Decision Session

Meeting date:

27 January 2026

Report of:

Pauline Stuchfield, Director of Housing and Communities

Portfolio of:

Councillor Pavlovic - Executive Member for Housing, Planning and Safer Communities

 

Decision Report: Approval of Revised Anti-Social Behaviour Policy – City of York Council Housing


Subject of Report

 

1.           Approval is sought for the adoption of a revised Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Policy, contained in Annex A.

 

2.           This is an important policy for several reasons:

 

·               Regulatory Compliance: the policy is required as part of our statutory duties under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

 

·               Tenant Safety and Wellbeing: anti-social behaviour has a significant impact on the safety and well-being of our tenants, so it is important that we have a clear policy in place.

 

Benefits and Challenges

 

3.           The revised policy document contains no major changes to policy, but the language and terminology have been updated to make it clearer to read

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.           The policy also includes new sections which make it more comprehensive:

 

·               New section on Domestic Abuse and on Tackling Hate, both of which have new policies

·               Reference to the Good Neighbourhood Management process

·               New section on roles and responsibilities

·               New section on informal and formal remedies

·               Section on what happens after a tenant has reported ASB

·               Updated section on Multi Agency working

·               Updated section on ASB case review (formally known as the Community Trigger)

 

Policy Basis for Decision

 

5.           Provision of good quality housing in mixed and sustainable neighbourhoods to meet the range of needs across the City’s residents is recognised as central to the Council Plan 2023-27 as part of Core Commitments, Affordability and Health and Wellbeing, and to the vision of “One City, for all”.

 

6.           The council’s Housing Charter vision of One Team, Healthy Homes, Better Lives and principles including “We Think Forward, We Think Together and We Think You” are embedded within the approach taken in this policy.

 

Financial Strategy Implications

 

7.           This report has no direct financial implications.

 

Recommendation and Reasons

 

8.           The Executive Member is recommended to approve the revised Anti-Social Behaviour Policy for Council Housing in York.

 

9.           Reason: To meet statutory requirements and the revisions ensure clearer language and terminology is used and is more comprehensive.

 

 

 

 

 

Background

 

10.        This policy was last reviewed over 10 years ago when the partnership Community Safety Hub was first launched between the council (including Housing Enforcement) and North Yorkshire Police. Local authorities and housing associations are required, under section 218A of the Housing Act 1996, to publish ASB policies and procedures so that tenants and members of the public can be informed about the measures landlords will use to address ASB issues in relation to their stock.

 

11.        Since this time there have been a number of changes which should be reflected in the ASB Policy:

 

·               New policies on Tackling Hate and Domestic Abuse have been introduced.

 

·               Good Neighbourhood Management process introduced.

 

·               Changes in Multi Agency working.

 

 

Consultation Analysis

 

12.        The Policy was reviewed by an external policy adviser, who advised that only minor updates were required to bring it up to date and confirmed that a full review was not necessary.

 

13.        The policy was shared with Tenants Voice, our tenant feedback group, and their constructive input has informed several improvements. Amendments include creating a summary version of the policy (for ease of reference, while retaining the full policy for staff training), broadening the definition of Hate beyond the criminal threshold in line with Stop Hate York Partnership guidance, providing clearer details on partnership working and when it applies, and refining language throughout to improve readability.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Options Analysis and Evidential Basis

 

14.        Option 1 Approve the revised policy. This is the recommended option.

 

15.        Option 2 Reject the revised policy and retain the existing policy. This option is not recommended as it the existing policy is out of date and has less clear language and terminology.

 

Organisational Impact and Implications

 

16.        Financial, There are no direct financial implications. The new policy does not require any additional staff and that the training requirements can be met from the existing budgets.

 

17.        Human Resources (HR),

Awareness training for council staff on changes to the policy, its use and responsibilities will need to be developed with budget provision identified. There are no other HR implications contained within this report.

 

18.        Legal, contact: Head of Legal Services.

Section 218A of the Housing Act 1996, inserted by the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003, mandates that social landlords (including local authorities, housing action trusts, registered providers) must create, review, and publish clear policies and procedures for tackling anti-social behaviour in their housing, making summaries available to the public to ensure tenants know how their complaints will be handled.

 

19.        Per the Scheme of Delegation set out within Appendix 1 of the Council’s Constitution, any decisions pertaining to the policies which form part of the Council’s Policy Framework are reserved to Full Council. Regarding the Anti-Social Behaviour Policy, said policy is not among those which form part of the Policy Framework.

 

20.        The Local Government Act 2000 delegates most functions to the Executive, including (but not limited to) policy formulation within and across services and Agreeing detailed policy implementation criteria, with the exception of decision relating to those policies which form part of the “Policy Framework”, which are delegated to Full Council.

 

21.        However, individual Executive Members may make any decision relating to the functions within their portfolios with the exception of:

 

22.        Key decisions as defined in the Council’s Constitution;

 

23.        Decisions which in the opinion of the Executive Member significantly cut across more than one portfolio, in which case the Leader of the Council determines how the decision is to be taken;

 

24.        Other decisions which the Leader of the Council determines should be made collectively by the Executive.

 

25.        In Legal’s view, (a) to (c) above would not apply in this instance, so the Executive Member is authorised to make this decision in this instance.

26.        Procurement,.

No implications

27.        Health and Wellbeing,

Public Health support the recommended options in both these reports with particular note to the welcome inclusion of the Domestic Abuse Act

28.        Environment and Climate action,

No climate change implications have been identified

29.        Affordability,

Whilst this report in itself will not improve a family’s financial position. The area where they live should improve where ASB action is taken.

30.        Equalities and Human Rights,

The analysis demonstrates that any adverse impacts can be mitigated and referrals to support services can be made for those that may need them.

31.        Data Protection and Privacy,

The data protection impact assessment (DPIAs) screening questions were completed for the recommendations and options in this report and as there is no personal, special categories or criminal offence data being processed to set these out, there is no requirement to complete a DPIA at this time. However, this will be reviewed following the approved recommendations and options from this report and a DPIA completed if required.

 

 

 

32.        Communications,

Communications around this issue will be incorporated into the ongoing tenants’ engagement work delivered by the council. 

 

33.    Economy,

contact: Head of City Development.

 

Risks and Mitigations

 

34.    Failure to approve and implement the revised Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Policy would present risks to the Council, including:

 

35.        Non-compliance with statutory responsibilities: The Council has a legal duty to address ASB under housing and community safety legislation. Without a clear policy, we risk breaching these obligations, which could lead to regulatory scrutiny and reputational damage.

 

36.        Lack of enforceable standards: The policy sets out expected standards of behaviour for tenants and provides a framework for taking proportionate action when these standards are not met. Without this, ASB could be perceived as acceptable on Council-managed properties.

 

37.        Impact on communities: Absence of a robust policy could result in increased incidents of nuisance, harassment, and criminal behaviour, creating fear among residents and undermining community cohesion.

 

38.        Financial and operational consequences: Unchecked ASB often leads to property damage, higher repair costs, and increased tenancy turnover, placing additional strain on budgets and resources.

 

Wards Impacted

 

39.        All

 

 

Contact details

 

For further information please contact the authors of this Decision Report.

 

Author

 

Name:

Fiona Brown

Job Title:

Head of Strategy and Performance (Interim)

Service Area:

Housing and Communities

Report approved:

Yes

Date:

16/01/2026


Co-author

 

Name:

Pauline Stuchfield

Job Title:

Director of Housing and Communities

Service Area:

Housing and Communities

 


Background papers

 

None.


Annexes

 

·                    Annex A: Tackling anti-social behaviour statement of policy (revised version)

 

·                    Annex B: Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA)