Keeping our communities safe is one of our core responsibilities as a council.
We know that feeling safe and secure in your home and neighbourhood is what matters most to our tenants and residents, and whilst Chesterfield remains a safe place to live, work and socialise, we know that anti-social behaviour (ASB) can arise – as it does in all towns and cities across the country.
But we are fully committed to tackling ASB when it does arise, and we believe that residents have the right to be kept up to date about what we are doing to help keep our communities safe.
To strengthen our response and improve the support available, we established an ASB group in 2025 made up of staff from our housing service, Chesterfield Borough Council tenants, and representatives from the Community Safety Partnership.
By working together we can make sure that the voice of our residents is heard, and that they have the chance to help us shape our priorities.
This article provides an overview of the steps the group has taken to improve how we tackle ASB across the borough.
Listening to tenants and understanding their experiences work of The ASB group has been working hard to understand the concerns of local people, carrying out things like telephone consultations and face-to-face workshops with tenants. These conversations gave tenants the opportunity to share what they felt we did well and where improvements were needed in our approach.
From the telephone consultations, several clear themes emerged:
- Communication
- Our obligation as a social landlord’
- The process and duration of an ASB complaint
- Support and reassurance for tenants during and after a case
This feedback shaped three in person workshops:
- Tenant priorities
- The role and responsibilities of housing management
- Partnership working
These sessions provided an overview of what different services can offer and created space for open discussion, questions and shared learning about how we tackle ASB as a partnership.
The insight from tenants has been invaluable in shaping the improvements now being delivered.
What we’ve done: turning feedback into action
Following conversation with tenants and the workshops that have taken place, a final action plan has been developed and is now being implemented across the services responsible for addressing and tackling ASB in our communities.
Key outcomes from the project include:
A new ASB service commitment
We have developed a clear service commitment that sets out what tenants and residents can expect when they report ASB. This includes:
- Being treated with respect and having concerns taken seriously
- Confidential conversations to understand how behaviour is affecting them
- Clear timescales for contact
- Being told who their case officer is and what actions may be taken
- Ongoing support throughout the case, including links to police, voluntary organisations and safeguarding services
View the service commitment.
More public information on ASB action
We will be sharing more updates on our website, on social media and through our digital newsletter to highlight the work being done across the borough to address ASB and reassure communities that issues are being taken seriously, and that action is being taken.
New online guidance and videos
A series of short videos are being created to help residents understand what steps to take if they experience ASB.
These will be available on the council website and will support people to report incidents promptly and confidently.
Establishing an ASB partnership group
We are committed to creating a new ASB partnership group that will include representation from tenants and residents. The group will:
- Coordinate actions relating to ASB
- Share information between partners
- Develop solutions to improve community safety for all
As a landlord, we know that listening to tenants - and providing opportunity for them to influence how services are delivered - is essential. This project would not have been possible without the commitment, expertise and insight of the tenants who took part. Their contributions will help shape a more responsive, supportive and transparent approach to tackling ASB across Chesterfield.
We look forward to continuing this work together.
For more information about anti social behaviour, how to report it, and the support available, please visit our anti-social behaviour page.
