Blunkett and Blair tell sector: get tough on nuisance, or else

Tony Blair and David Blunkett have laid down the law to housing officers across the country – stop nuisance or find a new career.

At the launch of its much-vaunted antisocial behaviour strategy in London on Tuesday, the government outlined powers that it said will help turn the tide against the "loutish behaviour that blights people's lives".

Prime minister Tony Blair said: "To the police, housing officers, local authorities: we've listened, we've given you the powers, and it's time to use them." Home secretary David Blunkett added: "If they don't do the job then chief officers should get rid of them."

The tone of the rebuke from Whitehall has ruffled some feathers, although front-line housing officers have expressed their pleasure the government has taken the issue so seriously. Christian Woodhead, antisocial behaviour coordinator at Welwyn Hatfield council, said: "Yesterday's conference was a pretty positive experience. The home secretary's tone was strong: the tools are available, let's get on with it."

The funding for the package of measures will total £75m by 2005. £22m will be spent on strengthening crime and disorder reduction partnerships, with the remainder to be spread over nine "trailblazer initiatives" tackling nuisance neighbours and aggressive begging.

There have also been a variety of calls from across the sector as to where the strategy could be improved. These include affording housing associations the power to terminate as well as create tenancies, and for the government to halve the time taken by the courts to process antisocial behaviour orders.

The new strategy will exploit the measures currently passing through Parliament in the antisocial behaviour bill, such as making begging a "recordable offence" on a person's criminal record.

However, no mention was made of Birkenhead MP Frank Field's inflammatory proposal to dock housing benefit from tenants responsible for nuisance behaviour.