Just over half of local authorities regard anti-social behaviour as a serious problem for them while almost 90% believe it right that they have powers to tackle it as well as the police.

The survey into councils in England and Wales by the Municipal Year Book found that while 33% believe ASB is not a serious problem for them, 56% think it is. An overwhelming number, 92%, have a community safety officer or team to deal with ASB while only 4% do not believe it right that councils should have powers to tackle ASB, along with police. Just over half never used ASBOs last year, a quarter used them rarely (once or twice) while just 3% used them frequently (12 – 15 times). However many councils also supported police-led ASBOs. Just under half say ASBOs were only ‘fairly' successful in controlling ASB in their area although 35% believe they were extremely successful. Informal feedback from councils polled by MYB show extra resources and enforcement powers would help reduce ASB. One chief environmental regulation officer commented: ‘Additional funding would enable LAs to help improve street scene to reduce ASB.' A community safety co-ordinator called for ‘the ability to name and shame individuals engaged in ASB.'