Lynemouth residents unhappy with rise in anti-social behaviour after Supporting Lives opens supported accommodation in village

Elaine House on Sea View was previously used as a care home then as a house in multiple occupation (HMO), before it was taken over by community benefit society Supporting Lives at the start of 2022 to house vulnerable people at risk of homelessness, such as prison leavers.

Since then, residents say they have experienced increased incidences of drug abuse, violence, and property damage in the village.

One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said even though anti-social behaviour concerns have been reported to the property’s management, it “does not care if there are complaints.”

They added: “I understand they have to live somewhere, but they have put them in a small village.

“There is no way for them to apply for jobs. It would be better if they lived in a large town or city, at least there would be opportunities for work and other things to do.”

Organisations providing supported living accommodation are not inspected by any regulator, and since Supporting Lives is not contracted to provide this service by Northumberland County Council, the local authority has no rights to inspect the service either.

Lynemouth county councillor Liz Dunn said the lack of consultation was what had initially “riled” residents the most, and called for national changes to increase scrutiny on providers.

Cllr Dunn said: “There is no doubt that this kind of accommodation is necessary for those amongst us that need this help to transition to independent living, but it cannot be at the expense of the quality of life of the people who are already living in the area.

“There needs to be consideration given to the location, the infrastructure, and the demographics of the surrounding area before these places are set up.

“Most of all, there needs to be some sort of public consultation beforehand so that the public do not feel as if they are just being done to.”

She added: “We have a primary school and a nursery school next to this, and the surrounding houses are predominantly older people.

“Lynemouth has poor transport links and very few local amenities. There is just no way on Earth that anybody would have agreed that this was a good location for this type of facility if they had been consulted about it previously.

“That is not the home’s fault, that is just the way the regulations are.”

As there is a regular turnover of residents at Elaine House, the frequency of anti-social behaviour incidents fluctuates, but the issue has been raised repeatedly by residents at parish council meetings.

Cllr Dunn said: “There has certainly been an increase in reports about people down the dene, and people are now feeling that they cannot walk down the dene because people are congregating there and there are beer cans.

“You cannot definitively say that it is always these residents that are making these problems because that is not going to be the case, but that certainly is the perception.”

She added: “There was a car damaged. That was a one off, but that stains the relationship going forward for a long time.”

Cllr Dunn called for residents to report incidents to the police so that more evidence can be collected.

A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “We are aware of ongoing issues relating to anti-social behaviour at an address on Sea View, in Lynemouth.

“Residents can be assured that officers from the neighbourhood policing team are working closely with partners to ensure any disruption is kept to a minimum, and individuals engaging in anti-social behaviour are identified and dealt with robustly.

“Officers regularly attend parish council meetings to listen to the concerns of residents and encourage reporting, while multi-agency meetings are also held to ensure the property is safe.

“Our message is clear, anti-social behaviour is never acceptable and we will do all we can to deliver effective justice against those found to be involved.

“Anyone with information should report it via our website, using the ‘Tell Us Something’ page or call 101.”

Nobody at Supporting Lives was available for comment.