Community Trigger
Case reference FOI2022/01654
Published 23 January 2023
Request
IR1: How many community trigger applications have you received from April 2018 - April 2022?
IR2: Out of the community trigger applications that you have received during the proposed time frame:
A. How many applications did not meet the community trigger threshold?
B. How many met the community trigger threshold?
B1. Did all those that met the threshold result in a panel hearing/review meeting? If not, are you able to expand on the reasons why a review hearing did not occur?
IR3: Do you have the information on the community trigger on your website? (Such as, what the community trigger is and how to apply for the community trigger)?
IR4: Do you have a specified point of contact for those submitting a community trigger?
IR5: What is your threshold criteria for a community trigger application to be met? (Please include any caveats, for example the case must be closed, one of the incidents needs to have occurred in the month prior to the application being made, etc.)
IR6: Please select how the community trigger can be applied for at your organisation:
IR7: Do you share all of the community trigger applications you receives with all the relevant bodies?
IR8(1): Do you provide an independent chair to hold your community trigger panel hearings?
IR8(2): How do you define independent?
IR9: Are the victims given the opportunity to:
Attend the initial part of the Community Trigger Panel hearing/case review?
Have a representative attend on their behalf?
Provide a statement to be read aloud at the Community Trigger Panel hearing/case review?
IR10(1): On what grounds are applicants able to appeal?
IR10(2): Who chairs your appeal meetings?
IR11: How many appeals have you received in relation to the community trigger application not meeting the threshold? And how many of these appeals were upheld?
IR12: How many appeals have been made following the outcome of a community trigger panel hearing/case review?
Response
IR1: How many community trigger applications have you received from April 2018 - April 2022?
| Year (April to March) | Number of applications received | Number of times threshold not met | Number of case reviews carried out |
| 2018/19 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2019/20 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2020/21 | 9 | 5 | 5 |
| 2021/22 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| April 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 17 | 12 | 11 |
IR2: Out of the community trigger applications that you have received during the proposed time frame:
A. How many applications did not meet the community trigger threshold?
12
B. How many met the community trigger threshold?
5
B1. Did all those that met the threshold result in a panel hearing/review meeting? If not, are you able to expand on the reasons why a review hearing did not occur?
Herefordshire Council discusses Community Triggers at a multi-agency tackling anti-social behaviour meeting called MATAC (Multi-Agency Tasking and Co-ordination) which acts as the Trigger Panel. Cases that hit the threshold are discussed and the majority of cases that do not meet the threshold are also discussed as the main agencies involved in cases are often at the meetings. (eg housing associations, local authority environmental health and enforcement team, and police)
IR3: Do you have the information on the community trigger on your website? (Such as, what the community trigger is and how to apply for the community trigger)?
Yes and currently being reviewed Community Trigger - Herefordshire Council
IR4: Do you have a specified point of contact for those submitting a community trigger?
Yes
IR5: What is your threshold criteria for a community trigger application to be met? (Please include any caveats, for example the case must be closed, one of the incidents needs to have occurred in the month prior to the application being made, etc.)
"If you are having continuing problems with anti-social behaviour, whether you are a resident, business or a community group, and are unhappy with the response from the agency/agencies dealing with your case, you can use what is called the 'Community Trigger' to have the case reviewed. You can even do so on behalf of someone else who has been a victim, although you must have their consent first.
The Community Trigger is designed to deal with persistent anti-social behaviour.
Before you can use it:
- You must have reported anti-social behaviour at least three times in the past six months, or
- You and four others must have complained separately about similar incidents
An incident should also have been reported to Herefordshire Council, the police or your housing association in the past six months and within a month of it happening.
If you meet the above criteria and would like to use the Community Trigger, complete the Community Trigger application form, email complaints@herefordshire.gov.uk, or write to the Complaints Team, Herefordshire Council, Plough Lane, PO Box 4, Hereford HR4 0XH. The Community Trigger does not replace an individual organisation's own complaints procedure, which should be used where there is dissatisfaction with the conduct of an individual agency."
IR6: Please select how the community trigger can be applied for at your organisation:
Online form, email, letter in writing
IR7: Do you share all of the community trigger applications you receives with all the relevant bodies?
Individual community trigger applications are initially shared with agencies that may be involved with the trigger application.
IR8(1): Do you provide an independent chair to hold your community trigger panel hearings?
No - the Chair belongs to a CSP responsible authority, which may be cited in a complaint, but the chair would not have been involved in the trigger case.
IR8(2): How do you define independent?
The chair is from within your organisation but is not involved with or has had any previous involvement with the case.
IR9: Are the victims given the opportunity to:
Attend the initial part of the Community Trigger Panel hearing/case review?
No
Have a representative attend on their behalf?
No
Provide a statement to be read aloud at the Community Trigger Panel hearing/case review?
IR10(1): On what grounds are applicants able to appeal?
The applicant can appeal against the outcome of the review by contacting the Chair of Herefordshire Community Safety Partnership, who is a Herefordshire Councillor and the Cabinet Member for Community Safety, via the access to information email address provided. An appeal can be submitted within 10 working days of receipt of the trigger notification of outcome letter.
IR10(2): Who chairs your appeal meetings?
Procedure states the Chair of Herefordshire Community Safety Partnership.
IR11: How many appeals have you received in relation to the community trigger application not meeting the threshold? And how many of these appeals were upheld?
Zero appeals received as the application did not meet the threshold
IR12: How many appeals have been made following the outcome of a community trigger panel hearing/case review?
One
Documents
This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
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