What support can I expect?
When you first make contact we will give you details of appropriate advice agencies who may be able to offer reassurance and support.
Your Neighbourhood Manager will agree with you how we will keep in touch. If the problems subside but are likely to reoccur, we will ask you to contact us with any fresh information. If, however, we are exploring legal action, we will ask you to maintain diary sheets and provide witness statements and provide a named officer for you to contact. We will keep in touch every two weeks to keep you informed of progress.
If there is sufficient evidence to seek an injunction to stop the behaviour this can happen within a few weeks. Witness statements are generally required and our legal services will advise if witnesses need to attend court. In extreme cases, action to evict a tenant or leaseholder may be possible. There is a longer legal process for this and usually takes 4-6 months to get to Court. In most cases of possession action, we will require witnesses to come to court to give evidence so that we can prove our case. A separate witness advice sheet is available to help prepare you so that you will know what to expect.
Where the person responsible for the nuisance is considered to be vulnerable, we will aim to engage appropriate support from other agencies such as the Health Authority, Education or Social Services and work together to resolve the problem wherever possible.