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communities would be able to demand inspections of local housing providers they feel are failing to tackle antisocial behaviour, under a Home Office proposal.

The government hopes the threat of inspection would put pressure on councils and registered social landlords that don鈥檛 use the full range of tools for tackling nuisance.

Home secretary David Blunkett said: 鈥淲e need to make sure there鈥檚 a mechanism for triggering action when [housing providers] refuse to take it.

鈥淭his kind of action 鈥� snap inspections 鈥� will obviously have to be done only when there鈥檚 widespread disaffection.

鈥淲e鈥檙e looking at inspections of community safety partnerships, to see whether organisations that have the powers 鈥� local authorities, RSLs 鈥� are using them.

鈥淚f there are real problems getting them used, we need to make communities feel they鈥檝e got the power to change things, rather than just be victims.鈥�

It has not yet been decided which body would be responsible for the inspections.

The proposal was announced as part of the government鈥檚 strategy for reducing crime and creating 鈥渃onfident communities鈥� (鈥淏lunkett鈥檚 strategy鈥�,below).

The Home Office plans to have a consultation on the plan ready by the autumn.

The move appears to have been prompted by growing frustration within government that some councils and RSLs are failing to make use of stronger powers granted by legislation such as the 2003 Antisocial Behaviour Act.

Earlier this month Louise Casey, head of the Home Office鈥檚 Antisocial Behaviour Unit, said housing associations lagged behind councils in getting to grips with low-level crime.

Tim Winter, national organiser for the Social Landlords鈥� Crime and Nuisance Group, admitted performance was mixed across the social housing sector.

鈥淎ccountability is always a good idea,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f all agencies could progress at the same pace, maybe you wouldn鈥檛 need to increase the accountability of public agencies to the community.

鈥淭he fact is some do better than others, so if more accountability will increase an agency鈥檚 performance, that鈥檚 good.鈥�

However, he added that the plans would have to define what constitutes the 鈥渨ill of a community鈥� or else run the risk of giving too much power to unrepresentative minorities.

Bill Pitt, head of Manchester council鈥檚 nuisance strategy group, said: 鈥淥ver the past few years, the government has given public authorities further powers to manage nuisance.

鈥淚t is right that bodies who are not doing their job should be held to account.鈥�

The proposal complements plans to give communities greater say in how their areas are policed.

The government also announced that it would fund the recruitment of an extra 20,000 community support officers by 2008, bringing the total to 24,000.