Investigations into noisy neighbours will be cut to a ‘minimalist service’ in Kirklees.
And Kirklees Council admits it may “stop short of what people may want or expect” as cases are closed quicker and deadlines are set for investigations.
The authority’s Pollution and Noise Control team in Environmental Health deal with over 7,000 complaints each year, the majority about noise nuisance from homes.
Kirklees has a statutory duty to investigate, but the number of complaints are on the increase while resources and budgets are stretched, so the council has ‘streamlined’ how they deal with domestic nuisance complaints.
Clr Peter McBride, Cabinet member for place, said: “This is indicative of the kind of changes we are having to introduce throughout Kirklees.
“What we can see is a proposal for a curtailed, minimalist reactive service as opposed to the relatively luxurious one we have at the moment where we respond to all situations.
“It does mean that we will do that which we have to, which is statutory and advise the public. That’s the kind of provision we’re going to have to fall back on with the resources we’ve got available.”
The Cabinet agreed to a new policy for how the council’s Environmental Health team will investigate noise nuisance from domestic properties.
The new four-tiered approach is:
First stage complaint: Kirklees will send an information pack to the complainant and the case will then be closed.
Second complaint: A letter will be sent informing the complainant of legislation and what action the council’s Pollution and Noise Control team could take. A letter will also be sent to the source of the noise. If the household does not respond within four weeks, the case will be closed.
Third complaint: A council officer will investigate if the complaint is justified. Contact will be made with the complainant and the source of the alleged noise. The officer will determine if the complaint is justified, not justified or not determined. It will be justified if the legal burden of proof could be met.
Fourth stage: Justified complaints will lead to negotiation, warnings or a formal caution or potential prosecution.
The council’s night time noise team, which investigates nuisance noise from 9pm-5.30am on Friday and Saturdays, will continue unaffected.
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