Ombudsman chief executive slams Enfield Council for “failing to use its powers to tackle antisocial behaviour”

A local resident was left feeling “unsafe in his own home” after Enfield Council repeatedly failed to act on his reports of antisocial behaviour (ASB) from a neighbour.

This is the conclusion made by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, following its investigation into the issue.

The man, who has not been named, had contacted the council the day after moving into his flat in 2024. He reported persistent screaming, shouting, threats, and bad smells coming from a neighbouring property — often through the night.

Despite submitting video evidence and making multiple reports over many months, the council took no substantive action, according to the ombudsman.

When the man asked for his case to be formally reviewed – something he was legally entitled to do after making three reports – the council still did not act.

The resident asked the ombudsman to investigate, which subsequently found the council’s lack of action “caused the man significant distress and frustration”.

The ombudsman’s investigation also said the council failed to check whether the man was vulnerable or at risk, which it recommends councils should do in such situations.

Julie Odams, chief executive at the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said: “Everyone deserves to feel safe in their own home. When someone repeatedly reports feeling threatened by a neighbour’s behaviour, they should be confident their council will take their concerns seriously and use its powers to help.

“Councils have a range of powers available to them and should consider which is most appropriate when residents report problems. When someone says they feel unsafe, assessing their vulnerability should be a starting point — not an afterthought.

“This is not the first time we have found this council failing to use its powers to tackle antisocial behaviour. We are concerned this points to a wider problem with how it runs this service and the effectiveness of local oversight.

“I welcome that the council has accepted our recommendations and will now take steps to learn from what has happened and put things right for this resident.”

The council has agreed to apologise to the resident and pay him £500 in compensation. It has also told the ombudsman it will “properly investigate” his reports, assess whether he is at risk, and carry out a case review.

Asked to comment for this story, the council did not provide any statement in response.

Update (20th January):

An Enfield Council spokesperson said: “We accept the findings of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman in this case and apologise to the resident for the handling of their complaints. We acknowledge that the communication with the resident could have been better and could have been avoided.

“Since this case, we have made significant changes to how we deal with antisocial behaviour. From last year, all ASB complaints relating to council housing has been brought within the housing service, creating clearer accountability, faster responses and improved coordination. This new approach is already delivering better outcomes for residents.

“We will comply with the ombudsman’s recommendations and are using this case to drive further service improvements. Keeping residents safe and responding promptly to concerns remains a priority for the council.”

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