Brighton and Hove community representative raises concerns about anti-social behaviour

Coldean Independents tenants’ group representative Heather Hayes spoke out at a Brighton and Hove City Council housing panel during discussions about proposed changes to council housing allocations.

She said that the council had let two flats in a road in Coldean to people with turbulent histories. One of the troublesome tenants moved out after burning the flat down but the other was still living in the flat and terrorising their neighbour, she added.

Mrs Hayes said that the council’s housing team did not always appear to have been informed of their history. She spoke about a nightmare neighbour who moved in two years ago, saying: “He’s caused absolute mayhem. The people who live above him, both have had breakdowns.”

Mrs Hayes said that she hoped the council would change its policy because everyone from the Coldean Residents’ Association to the police and the vicar had taken up the affected couple’s case. She said: “The council has put a second one in, the same as the first one who set fire to the property.

“Here you go again on the same road where we have a lot of elderly vulnerable people – people in their eighties and nineties. The council needs evidence to do something but people are frightened to speak up therefore the council doesn’t have the evidence.”

The council’s head of tenancy services Justine Harris offered to speak with Mrs Hayes outside the meeting.

Labour councillor Tobias Sheard, who represents Coldean and Stanmer ward, said that the council was aware of the situation.

In December, the Local Democracy Reporting Service spoke with Lee Durrant, a victim of anti-social behaviour, and his girlfriend Mary about their experience.

They were threatened with violence if they went to the authorities and felt broken because, they said, Brighton and Hove City Council had not taken action.

Mr Durrant, who grew up in Coldean and has lived in his flat for 19 years, said that he was advised by housing officials more than once to consider moving home.

His new neighbour told him that he had served time in prison for a violent crime – which he had.

Since speaking about the neighbour issues Mr Durrant and his partner have suffered mental breakdowns and despite communicating with various agencies including the council and their MP, Caroline Lucas, no solution has been found.