Have Your Say: Help Shape NFDC’s New Anti-Social Behaviour Strategy

Anti-Social Behaviour Strategy outcome “Working Together for Safer Communities”  

Your Voice Matters – What We’ve Been Doing 

Over the summer, we launched an online consultation and attended community hub events in Calshot, Totton, Lymington, and New Milton. Thank you to everyone who shared their views! Most residents supported our priorities, and your feedback is shaping real changes. 

What You Told Us 

Whilst limited engagement online, we did manage to speak many residents directly at drop-in sessions, at our relaunched community walkabouts and via open reports. 

Overall, residents agreed with our four priorities. (1. Prevention & early intervention, 2. Managing Risk & Supporting Victims, 3. Working in Partnership and 4. Putting Tenants First  

Key themes raised: 

• More youth services –but did you know youth-related ASB accounts for 2% of reports 
• Continued need for improvement of your homes and blocks  
• Desire for stronger police presence and quicker response times. 
• Pride in gardens and communal spaces. 
• Tackling tenant stigma  
• Taking “action”  

Your feedback led to changes in our strategy: 

• We’ve added a section on reducing stigma and changed language to focus on behaviors, not labels. 
• Promoting positive stories from mediation and community engagement. 
• Changes in some of the wordings such as “community” & “homes” removing the word estates   
• Sharing when we do take action, this is to promote partnership working & challenging behaviour that are not welcome in our homes.  

Community Walkabouts are Back! 

We’ve restarted walkabouts in Parkside, Rushpole Court, Dinham Court, Player Court, Efford Way, and Widbury Road. These visits help us spot issues early and take action fast: 

Such as:  

• Fly-tipping cleared immediately. 
• Abandoned vehicles flagged for removal. 
• Door entry systems scheduled for replacement. 
• Garden areas improved for safer play spaces. 
• Gutters, Gutters and more gutters raised for clearances 

We’ll be sharing the walkabout dates for the next year, and residents can request one 

Hello Neighbours Cards:  

Other new changes are that we’ve introduced Hello Neighbour Cards as part of our commitment to fostering stronger, more connected relationships between neighbours. These cards are given out at sign-up, available at council offices, accessible on our website, and can be sent out on request. 

The idea is simple: encourage new residents, and existing to introduce themselves and start off on the right foot with their neighbours. Since launching the cards, we’ve seen a noticeable drop our involvement in reports of neighbour-related issues. It’s a small gesture, but it’s making a big difference—helping people feel more welcome and involved from day one. 

Acting when needed – Our priority is to managing risk and impact on victims.  

We’ve used legal powers to protect communities, including: 

• Two successful closure orders reducing disorder. 
• ASB Injunction breaches leading to a suspended prison sentence & possession order resulting in eviction. 
• ASB injunctions with an exclusion order, using a multi-agency approach to exclude a person from the area.  
• Shared Community Protection Warnings with Hampshire Polie and increased joint visits.  

Working Together 

Our growing partnerships with the Police, Open Spaces teams, and Housing Associations are helping us deliver faster responses and better outcomes for residents. By working together, we’re able to tackle issues more efficiently and build safer, more welcoming communities. 

One example is our noise protocol with Environmental Health, which ensures that noise complaints are handled swiftly and consistently. These kinds of joined-up approaches mean residents get the support they need without delay. 

You may have recently seen this in action at Widbury Road, where the Neighbourhood Housing officer was out with Abri Housing Association. Together, they reviewed the garden areas and checked on the newly delivered bins—small steps that make a big difference to the look and feel of that area.   

What’s Next? 

• More walkabouts over the next 12 months. 
• Continued focus on prevention and early intervention. 
• Continue to use those ASB powers when necessary , but make sure we find the correct balance from sharing successful enforcement but also stories that don’t paint a problematic image of tenants homes or communities  

The ASB strategy will now be updated and asked to be formally adopted  

Thank you for the feedback.