Noise Statistics

Noisy Neighbours UK – Our Survey Results Revealed

CONTENTS

  • Background and Purpose
  • Initial Findings
  • Regional Data
  • Benchmarking Data
  • Inherent Variation
  • Future Developments

All our data is available for download. It includes a dashboard which makes comparisons with demographic data.

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BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Our Noisy Neighbours UK survey revealed some interesting information about the numbers of noise complaints being received by local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. We asked each local authority in the UK how many noise complaints they received, how much enforcement action they took and about officer staffing levels.  Data was provided by 340 respondents out of the 374 local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (a response rate of 91%). During the course of the research we have compared the data received to government data and national indices; and are able to outline some interesting findings (due to differing noise enforcement mechanisms in Scotland we excluded their data from the survey).

As well as locating the UK’s noisiest local authority areas our survey set out to determine whether we were able to make any meaningful comparison between local authority noise complaint and enforcement activity.

INITIAL FINDINGS

422,250 noise complaints were received by local authorities responding to the survey (predominantly environmental health departments) in the 2013-2014 financial period.

On average 1.7 abatement notices were served by each Council (for noise) for every 100 complaints received. 24 Councils were identified as having served no notices at all. There were an average of 3.85 officers working in each Borough each responsible for investigating an average of 385 complaints. Many of these officers were responsible for carrying out a number of other tasks in addition to noise investigations.

With the data we were able to rank local authority areas in terms of the number of complaints received and rate of enforcement action taken. Some regional data is available below. The results provide an initial snapshot of how local authority areas compare regionally.

REGIONAL NOISE DATA

Results shown here include local authority rankings according to the number of complaints received per 1000 population. It provides a regional snapshot of part of the data. View the regional data by clicking on the links below where you will be led to a breakdown relating to the number of complaints received by each local authority (complaints received per thousand population):

noise complaints in the UK

East Midlands
East of England
London
Northern Ireland
North East
North West
South East
Wales
West Country
West Midlands
Yorkshire and the Humber
Scotland and the Crown Dependencies

As you would expect from the Noisy Neighbours UK survey, it was found that there was a strong relationship between the number of complaints received and population density (population per hectare). It followed that, generally speaking, the more complaints that were received by a Council, the more noise abatement notices were served. It also confirmed that abatement notices (Environmental Protection Act 1990, s.80 notices to abate noise amounting to a statutory nuisance) were more likely to be served in urban, rather than rural areas. Simply producing a national or regional ranking of complaints (as we have done above) does not, therefore, allow us to paint an accurate picture of noise related activity.

BENCHMARKING NOISE DATA

In order to be able to benchmark data more accurately we needed to take account of the urban/rural divide more effectively. Fortunately, in England, local authorities are classified in accordance with the extent to which they are urbanised.

The figures were compared to ONS and census information further in order to explore relationships with other data sets, including density of population and housing. As a result, local authorities will be able to judge their performance within their own classification alongside other measures in order to identify potential disparities.

Our data is presented in an interactive dashboard where local authorities can view their own data and rankings alongside overall national, regional and classification data. This data is now available here.

INHERENT VARIATION

Whilst the data tool provides a much improved basis for comparison our study indicated that a number of obstacles remained. Consider the following points, for example:

Our survey results showed that the greater the rate of complaints received (number of complaints received per every 1000 population) the greater the number of officers are employed. However, the enforcement rate (number of notices served against complaints received) demonstrated a very weak relationship to staffing levels. The result indicates that the approach to enforcement may differ from area to area; perhaps not surprising, if one considers the nature and variables associated with nuisance (for example, ‘what might be a nuisance in Belgrave Square may not necessarily be in Bermondsey’). In addition, one might consider that where enforcement is exercised in a sector where local politics, resources and priorities differ from borough to borough, there will be difficulties comparing ‘like with like’.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENT

We have found that there are a number of difficulties inherent to the process of benchmarking local authority noise activity and it may be that some of the variable factors associated with nuisance and noise enforcement mean that the process may never produce perfect results. This is true of most comparative data associated with such a varied activity. Whilst our data provides a reasonable indication of how local authorities stand we were also able to suggest ways to improve the quality of information received.

Replies received indicated that there were differences in the way some local authorities recorded and collated noise complaint data. This may provide a degree of bias to the research data and may have an effect on the rankings presented. It also highlighted a need for greater consistency in record keeping and data management. A data management (complaint records) protocol would improve the consistency of information gathered.

Replies to the Noisy Neighbours UK survey relate to local authority noise nuisance data and excludes anti-social behaviour statistics and complaint data collated by other agencies, such as Police and Housing Associations. Whilst the majority of noise investigations are carried out by local authorities, the extent of investigations into noise related ASB by other agencies must be significant. In order to appreciate the true scale of the noise problem and compare enforcement activity there may be a need for greater consistency and co-operation between enforcement agencies, including Police and Housing Associations.

Please contact us if you have any questions.
Full data is available for download.

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APPENDIX – REGIONAL RESULTS

East Midlands

Hinckley & Bosworth received nearly 15 complaints per every one thousand people with Kettering receiving 8 complaints per thousand people. Most of the Councils below who received the fewest number of service requests relating to noise, received between 2 and 3 complaints per thousand people.

FEWEST COMPLAINTS

  1. Gedling
  2. Harborough
  3. Nottingham
  4. Oadby and Wigston
  5. Derbyshire Dales
  6. Broxtowe
  7. North West Leicestershire
  8. Daventry
  9. South Northamptonshire
  10. Charnwood

MOST COMPLAINTS

  1. Hinckley and Bosworth
  2. Kettering
  3. Wellingborough
  4. Northampton
  5. Leicester
  6. Corby
  7. Lincoln
  8. Chesterfield
  9. High Peak
  10. South Kesteven

East of England

Norwich received nearly 17 complaints per every one thousand people with Forest Health receiving nearly 7 complaints per thousand people. Most of the Councils below who received the fewest number of service requests relating to noise, received between 2 and 3 complaints per thousand people.

FEWEST COMPLAINTS

  1. South Norfolk
  2. South Cambridgeshire
  3. Castle Point
  4. Tendring
  5. Central Bedfordshire
  6. East Cambridgeshire
  7. Mid Suffolk
  8. Dacorum
  9. Rochford
  10. Barbergh

MOST COMPLAINTS

  1. Norwich
  2. Cambridge
  3. Epping Forest
  4. Harlow
  5. Colchester
  6. Thurrock
  7. Watford
  8. Hertsmere
  9. Ipswich
  10. Forest Heath

London

All of the top ten Councils receiving the most complaints received over 25 complaints per thousand people (some considerably higher). The majority of the Councils below who received the fewest number of service requests relating to noise, received under 10 complaints per thousand people.

FEWEST COMPLAINTS

  1. Havering
  2. Barking and Dagenham
  3. Bexley
  4. Richmond Upon Thames
  5. Barnet
  6. Harrow
  7. Sutton
  8. Kingston Upon Thames
  9. Bromley
  10. Brent

MOST COMPLAINTS

  1. City of London
  2. Westminster
  3. Kensington and Chelsea
  4. Islington
  5. Haringey
  6. Southwark
  7. Hammersmith and Fulham
  8. Tower Hamlets
  9. Hillingdon
  10. Waltham Forest

Northern Ireland

Belfast received 22 complaints per every one thousand people with Coleraine receiving under 7 complaints per thousand people. All of the Councils below who received the fewest number of service requests relating to noise, received between 2 and 3.4 complaints per thousand people.

FEWEST COMPLAINTS

  1. Magherafelt
  2. Moyle
  3. Newry and Mourne
  4. Omagh
  5. Derry
  6. Castlereagh
  7. Armagh
  8. Dungannon
  9. Fermanagh
  10. Ballymena

MOST COMPLAINTS

  1. Belfast
  2. Coleraine
  3. Strabane
  4. Craigavon
  5. Banbridge
  6. Ards
  7. Limavady
  8. Newtownabbey
  9. Down
  10. North Down

North East

Newcastle received 24 complaints per every one thousand people with Middlesbrough receiving 8.7 complaints per thousand people. The Councils in this Region who received the fewest number of service requests relating to noise were Sunderland and North Tyneside.

MOST COMPLAINTS

  1. Newcastle upon Tyne
  2. Middlesbrough
  3. South Tyneside
  4. Stockton-on-Tees
  5. Darlington
  6. Hartlepool
  7. Redcar and Cleveland
  8. Northumberland
  9. Gateshead
  10. Durham (County Durham)
  11. North Tyneside
  12. Sunderland

North West

Barrow-in-Furness received 9.5 complaints per every one thousand people with Halton receiving 5 complaints per thousand people. All of the Councils below who received the fewest number of service requests relating to noise, received under 4 complaints per thousand people.

FEWEST COMPLAINTS

  1. Allerdale
  2. Copeland
  3. Wyre
  4. Eden
  5. Bolton
  6. Wirral
  7. Sefton
  8. Wigan
  9. Ribble Valley
  10. Blackburn with Darwen

MOST COMPLAINTS

  1. Barrow-in-Furness
  2. Preston
  3. Liverpool
  4. Manchester
  5. Hyndburn
  6. West Lancashire
  7. St. Helens
  8. Pendle
  9. Fylde
  10. Halton

South East

Hastings received 12 complaints per every one thousand people with Rushmoor receiving 7 complaints per thousand people. Most of the Councils below who received the fewest number of service requests relating to noise, received between 2 and 3.5 complaints per thousand people.

FEWEST COMPLAINTS

  1. Reigate and Banstead
  2. New Forest
  3. Tonbridge and Malling
  4. South Bucks
  5. Aylesbury Vale
  6. Tandridge
  7. Rother
  8. Chiltern
  9. Fareham
  10. South Oxfordshire

MOST COMPLAINTS

  1. Hastings
  2. Portsmouth
  3. Southampton
  4. Brighton and Hove
  5. Milton Keynes
  6. Oxford
  7. Swale
  8. Shepway
  9. Crawley
  10. Rushmoor

Wales

Swansea received 15.6 complaints per every one thousand people with Conwy receiving 4.4 complaints per thousand people. Most of the Councils below who received the fewest number of service requests relating to noise, received between 1 and 4 complaints per thousand people.

FEWEST COMPLAINTS

  1. Isle of Anglesey
  2. Flintshire
  3. Newport
  4. Gwynedd
  5. Rhondda Cynon Taf
  6. Powys
  7. Torfaen
  8. Denbighshire
  9. Neath Port Talbot
  10. Pembrokeshire

MOST COMPLAINTS

  1. Swansea
  2. Cardiff
  3. Caerphilly
  4. Bridgend
  5. Merthyr Tydfil
  6. The Vale of Glamorgan
  7. Wrexham
  8. Monmouthshire
  9. Carmarthenshire
  10. Conwy

West Country

North Somerset received 10 complaints per every one thousand people with Cornwall receiving 6 complaints per thousand people. All of the Councils below who received the fewest number of service requests relating to noise, received below 4 complaints per thousand people.

FEWEST COMPLAINTS

  1. West Somerset
  2. Forest of Dean
  3. Mid Devon
  4. South Somerset
  5. Tewkesbury
  6. Taunton Deane
  7. North Dorset
  8. South Gloucestershire
  9. Mendip
  10. North Devon

MOST COMPLAINTS

  1. North Somerset
  2. Bristol City of
  3. Bournemouth
  4. Exeter
  5. Gloucester
  6. Poole
  7. Weymouth and Portland
  8. Purbeck
  9. Swindon
  10. Cornwall

West Midlands

Coventry received nearly 22 complaints per every one thousand people with Birmingham receiving 4.2 complaints per thousand people. Most of the Councils below who received the fewest number of service requests relating to noise, received between 2 and 4 complaints per thousand people.

FEWEST COMPLAINTS

  1. Wychavon
  2. Bromsgrove
  3. Wyre Forest
  4. Malvern Hills
  5. Worcester
  6. East Staffordshire
  7. Sandwell
  8. Redditch
  9. Stratford-on-Avon
  10. Birmingham

MOST COMPLAINTS

  1. Coventry
  2. Wolverhampton
  3. Walsall
  4. North Warwickshire
  5. Stoke-on-Trent
  6. Newcastle-under-Lyme
  7. Nuneaton and Bedworth
  8. Warwick
  9. Rugby
  10. Cannock Chase

Yorkshire and the Humber

North East Lincolnshire received nearly 19 complaints per every one thousand people with Scarborough receiving nearly 6 complaints per thousand people. Most of the Councils below who received the fewest number of service requests relating to noise, received between 2 and 6 complaints per thousand people.

FEWEST COMPLAINTS

  1. Selby
  2. Hambleton
  3. Richmondshire
  4. Ryedale
  5. Craven
  6. Harrogate
  7. Bradford
  8. East Riding of Yorkshire
  9. North Lincolnshire
  10. Leeds

MOST COMPLAINTS

  1. North East Lincolnshire
  2. Kingston upon Hull City of
  3. Rotherham
  4. Kirklees
  5. Sheffield
  6. York
  7. Doncaster
  8. Calderdale
  9. Barnsley
  10. Scarborough

Scotland and The Crown Dependencies

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