We attend the launch of an All-Party Parliamentary Group on ASB

This month we attended the launch of an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on anti-social behaviour (ASB) at Westminster.

We were approached by housing association Midland Heart to be part of the group after their CEO Glen Harris shared the below statistics from last year’s Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week survey on the Housing Quality Network (HQN) website:

• 12% of all the adults surveyed had been a victim of ASB in the previous 12 months
• 45% said ASB was a problem where they live
• 59% of people who reported ASB were dissatisfied with the way it was handled whilst only 22% were satisfied
• 83% of people who had reported being a victim of ASB said more needed to be done to tackle it
• 56% of people who were victims or witnesses of ASB did not report it

These statistics encouraged Midland Heart to work with the Midlands’ MPs, the police and other housing associations to form the All-Party Parliamentary Group to combat ASB, and to provide landlords with the authoritative support to help comply with the new Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSM).

The All-Party Parliamentary Group are committed to frequently discussing how ASB affects customers and the issues impacting local authorities, housing providers, and other stakeholders in addressing it. They will also contribute to the development of policy and legislation around ASB.

Our Community Involvement and Investment Officer, Tina Dalton, and two of our customers attended the All-Party Parliamentary Group launch event earlier this month.

Tina says: “We are pleased that GSA were invited to join the All-Party Parliamentary Group for anti-social behaviour, as we take the duty of care we have for our customers extremely seriously.

“Being unable to protect our customers as much as we would like to, due to the lack of external enforcement is a really difficult reality that we do not want to settle for.

“It was really encouraging to be in the company of six other housing associations and stakeholders who are just as determined to combat anti-social behaviour and make communities safe like we are.

“It was a great day to be a part of and it was fantastic to be involved in positive conversations of change with authorities such as the police and local MPs.”

One of our customers, Sarah, who attended the launch said: “I really enjoyed being in a room with so many like-minded people who really care about keeping our homes and neighbourhoods safe.

“The work of the All-Party Parliamentary Group is really needed to make people like me feel safe in my home and not feel vulnerable in my community.”

The next step for the All-Party Parliamentary Group is to meet with all stakeholders and customers who have agreed to work together to address the affects anti-social behaviour. The group will meet over a series of planned workshops that will discuss topics such as the types of ASB and what impact it has on customers, communities, and stakeholders.

The other housing associations involved in the All-Party Parliamentary Group include Midland Heart, WHG, Accent, Karbon, EMH, and Sanctuary.