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For most noise problems, your first port of call will be your local council*. There are two categories of people at the council. There are councillors and council officers. Councillors Councillors are the local politicians who we elect at the local elections. They have the ultimate power because they set the policies of the council and the final say rests with them. Each councillor will represent an area, usually known as a Ward. Sometimes, there is more than one councillor representing a Ward. Council Officers Council officers are not elected. They are the paid people who work for the council. Their job is to make sure the decisions of the councillors are carried out efficiently. But, in reality, some officers have a lot of power and influence because they are full-time and most councillors tend to be part-time. Also councillors tend to come and go (because of the elections) whereas officers can be at a council for many years. Council Departments Councils are divided up into departments. There are departments dealing with planning, finance, transport, the environment, education etc. The main department that deals with noise problems is the Environmental Health Department. The first port of call if you have a noise problem is the Environmental Health Department. Ring them up and ask to speak to an Environmental Health Officer (EHO). If it is a neighbour or neighbourhood noise problem, they are likely to deal with it themselves – see neighbour noise briefing (link). If it is a traffic or planning problem, the EHO may put you on to another department. You’ll find the EHO doesn’t deal with aircraft noise – see aircraft noise briefing (click). If you are a social housing tenant, you may also need to contact your housing association or the council’s housing department. But first contact an Environmental Health Officer. And watch that the various people in the different departments don’t keep pushing you from pillar to post. Arm yourself with as much information as you can on your rights so that you are ready to challenge anything you feel is unfair.or may be wrong. For example, some officers may say you need more than one neighbour to back up your noise complaint. You don’t. You have individual rights. Although it is helpful if another neighbour is able to corroborate your story, but it isn’t a legal requirement. It is the same with noise measurements. The nuisance law doesn’t require a local authority to take noise measurements, but they may want to take them to help determine how noisy something is. It’s not a legal requirement when using the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Contacting Councillors and MPs If you don’t get satisfaction from the Environmental Health Department, contact your local councillors. If they are not interested, see if there are other councillors who might take up your case. But remember—councillors are elected by local people to represent them. Councillors are generally more accessible than MPs because they live locally, whereas an MP may not necessarily live in the area they represent. And, if you are just not getting anywhere, contact your MP. You can write to your MP at her local constituency office or at the House of Commons, Westminster, London SW1 0AA. Or, probably better, you can go and see her when she holds a ‘surgery’ in your area. You will be able to get details of your MP’s surgeries from your local Town Hall. * Just to make life a bit difficult for us, there are a number of different types of councils. And it is different depending in what part of the country you live! In rural areas, there are usually parish councils, district councils and county councils. In London, you’d contact your borough council. In other cities and towns, usually best to go for your town council. If you are unsure, ring your nearest town hall and they will be able to tell you the best person to contact. |
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UK Noise Association, PO BOX 551 Chatham, Kent ME4 9AJ Tel: 01634 863 852 www.ukna.org.uk info@ukna.org.uk |
Briefing Sheets: Who Does What in the Council?
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