I couldn't disagree more. In my view, tenants are responsible for their own behaviour. Any action that the community can or should take against antisocial behaviour should be tenure-neutral.
In my view, the community as a whole is responsible for the behaviour of the community, and the majority should be able to set standards for everyone to follow.
We do so with rules on mandatory schooling, social security and crime: why should antisocial behaviour be any different?
It is quite right that RSLs should "escape legal duty to deal with bad neighbours" (24 October, page 11), as the Housing Corporation will not allow them to request references from their tenants-to-be.
As long as this paternalistic attitude prevails, they won't be able to deal with the antisocial element. Neither does it help to house the same "category" of tenant in what virtually becomes a ghetto. A cat could have worked that out.
Inger Collingridge
Source
Housing Today
Postscript
John Thomson, chief executive, SHAL Housing
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