§ 23. Mr. ConnartyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to consult local authorities on crime prevention matters. [5532]
§ Mr. MichaelAs we recognise that local government is crucial to the effective prevention of crime, we shall be giving local authorities and the police service a new joint duty to develop statutory local crime prevention partnerships. I have already had some preliminary discussions with local authority and police representatives about the proposals, which are generally welcomed, and I shall continue to consult closely with them as the proposals develop.
§ Mr. ConnartyI thank my hon. Friend for his reply. I take the point made earlier that many disruptive neighbours are not council tenants. However, the chief executive of my local authority sees the origin of disruptive and implacable tenants in terms of the Tenants Rights Etc. (Scotland) Amendment Act 1980. Will my hon. Friend take issue with him about the contents of that Act and try to give back to local authorities the powers that people want them to have over disruptive tenants, including the power to remove their tenancies should they continue to terrorise their neighbours?
§ Mr. MichaelI recognise the nature of the problem that my hon. Friend describes, but it is for other Ministers to address tenancy issues. As part of the crime and disorder Bill later this year, we shall be introducing the community protection order which, irrespective of whether housing is rented or owned and who is the landlord, will provide a means by which the police and local authorities can tackle violent and disruptive neighbours who, as my hon. Friend rightly says, have made people's lives a misery in communities up and down the country.