Industry News


Kent council tackles drug dealing at properties as it cracks down on anti-social behaviour


with persistent drug use and anti-social behaviour. It is the first time that the council has brought


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three cases in one day and is a sign that the authority is determined to keep up the pressure against people who use council properties for illegal purposes. Folkestone Magistrates Court approved


applications relating to 2 Kenbrook in Kennington and also at 11 Croft Road and 13 Croft Road near Willesborough. The court imposed a three-month partial closure


order on the properties at 2 Kenbrook and 13 Croft Road. This means that no-one, apart from the tenants, council staff, health and care professionals, and police officers, are allowed to enter these two properties until Wednesday 11 December 2019. A full closure order was handed down on the 11


Croft Road flat, which means that no-one is allowed to enter the one-bedroom property for three months until 11 December. Doors and windows at the ground floor flat have been secured to prevent unauthorised entry. The council applied for a full closure order because it was felt that the tenant had been more complicit in the illegal activities taking place there. Ashford Council secured the orders under the


ASB, Crime and Policing Act 2014, and brought the proceedings supported by Kent Police. The court heard that all three properties had attracted complaints to police and the council by neighbours worried about drug taking and dealing, together with anti-social behaviour and noise at unsociable hours. Council officers have been working closely with


Kent Police and neighbours in a bid to tackle persistent problems associated with these


properties, leading to the court hearing in Folkestone. Referring to a number of previous court cases


when the council successfully applied for closure orders at properties blighted by drug abuse, Councillor Bill Barrett, portfolio holder for housing at Ashford, said: "This underlines that we have a zero tolerance approach towards this sort of behaviour. "These three properties have been the root of


persistent problems and nuisance to residents with people visiting at all hours, drug dealing, littering and causing noise and intimidation. These issues make people's lives a misery and we hope the work undertaken to gather a case for these orders will reassure our communities that we do not tolerate it and we will respond with appropriate action.” Inspector Jason Atkinson of Kent Police said: "We hope this improves life for the residents who have


I hope these closure orders empower the public to let the local authority and police know what is going on in their neighbourhoods Inspector Jason Atkinson of Kent Police


felt the negative effects of this anti-social behaviour. Kent Police and Ashford Borough Council work hard to ensure the safety of local communities and protect those who are vulnerable. I hope these closure orders empower the public to let the local authority and police know what is going on in their neighbourhoods."


shford Borough Council has successfully applied for court orders at three separate properties which have all been associated


Regulator acts against Kent councils over safety failings


The Regulator of Social Housing has found that four councils in Kent had breached the Home Standard over a number of health and safety issues found throughout their homes. The RSH issued Regulatory Judgements against


Thanet, Dover, Canterbury and Folkestone & Hythe councils in September, who all manage their housing through the East Kent Housing Arms- Length Management Organisation. It said the four councils, who self-referred


themselves to the regulator after an internal audit


raised concerns, had left tenants at risk of serious detriment as a result of failing to meet statutory health and safety requirements across a range of areas namely gas safety, fire safety, electrical safety, water safety and lift safety. Following an investigation, the RSH deemed the


four Kent councils to have breached the Home Standard on health and safety grounds, "taking into account the seriousness of the issues, and the duration for which tenants were potentially exposed to risk, and the number of tenants potentially


16 | HMM October/November 2019 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk


affected". The regulator acknowledged that through East


Kent Housing, the four councils have put programmes in place to rectify the failings. EKH was established in 2011 and is the only ALMO that manages homes on behalf of multiple councils. The regulator wrote to all stock owning councils


in May reminding them of their health and safety obligations towards their tenants after Arun and Gateshead councils were found to have breached the Home Standard.


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