Council wins award for tackling noisy neighbours

Published by Hannah Wooderson for 24dash.com in Local Government

Bradford Council has won an award for a ground-breaking scheme to tackle noisy neighbours.

The Environmental Health service has teamed up with Community Accord, the UK's largest neighbourhood mediation service, to take a wider approach to dealing with noise complaints in the district.

Under the scheme, which has been operating for over 12 months, Community Accord follow up noise complaints three weeks later to check that the problem has been resolved and to offer mediation if the problems persist.

This allows Environmental Health to monitor its effectiveness in dealing with noise complaints, and also gives residents access to the mediation service to resolve issues between neighbours.

Previously the Environmental Health service would close cases when there was nothing more they could do for residents - but this scheme allows them to check that things have got better after their intervention.

The scheme has won an award in the John Connell Awards 2008, organised by the Noise Abatement Society, in the Local Authority Enterprise category.

The judges were very impressed by Bradford Council's dedication to improving its noise service and its work with other organisations to protect members of the public.

Councillor Anne Hawkesworth, the Executive Member for Environment and Culture, said: "Noisy neighbours can create hell for people who have to live next door to them, and it is important that they feel they can contact the Council and get things resolved.

"By working in partnership with Community Accord, we can go that extra mile and check that the problem has been sorted out and the service has been effective.

"This award recognises the hard work that has been put in to solve noise issues in the district, and I am sure other local authorities will want to follow our lead."

Olau Thomassen, Community Accord's Managing Director, said: "We have been incredibly happy to partner with Environmental Health in providing a great service to residents in the Bradford district.

"How people relate to their neighbour really affects their quality of life, and mediation offers people a chance to resolve issues without damaging their relationship with their neighbour."