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Feedback
from a Councillor in January 2007
"I
am interested in your feedback that a Home Office pilot
scheme concluded that 'it is the responsibility of the
local authority and property owner to agree a method
for removing the graffiti and target time scales for
the work to be completed. Does this apply to walls around
private homes?
I
have an ongoing problem with offensive graffiti along
the wall of an alleyway which is concerning the people
who live next to it. I am told by my council that there
is nothing that can be done about it. I have not contacted
the owners of the wall but I understand that they are
elderly people. I am wondering if there is a way forward."
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Response
from GraffitiHotline
The
Home Office guidelines do apply to all graffiti within
a Local Authority that is on property that does not
belong to the Council, which includes this wall around
private homes.
Usually
it is up to the Enforcement Department or Community
Liaison Officer of the Council to contact the owner(s)
of the wall and secure an agreement about who is going
to clear the graffiti, who will pay and the time from
when any graffiti is reported to when it is cleared.
This agreement should not just be for this one incident
but if new graffiti appears in the future. It is much
better and quicker to co-operate with the property owners,
who are ultimately responsible for the upkeep of their
property, to get a working agreement. The law does allow
councils to serve notice that graffiti should be removed
on a property owner, but this is a very last resort.
The threat of this is usually enough to get an agreement
in place.
It
is possible to clear graffiti from any surface that
is in good condition without damaging the underlying
surface. If the surface is in poor condition, for example
it needs re-pointing, the render is damaged, the paint
is flaking, etc then removing graffiti is likely to
degrade the surface further. I hope that this helps,
if you have any questions then please do not hesitate
to contact me.
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Feedback
from Essex Council in August 2006
"My
efforts to get graffiti removed from a privately
owned block of garages have been frustrated by the
problems encountered by the relevant local council,
Chelmsford BC, in removing the graffiti without the
owners permission.
"They
tell me permission is not forthcoming, possibly because
the pebble dashed surface would be damaged by
the removal process.
"Please
advise if there are any alternatives as it is an
eyesore being very close to a school as well as the
adjacent houses."
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Response
from GraffitiHotline
It
is possible to clear graffiti from any surface that
is in good condition without damaging the underlying
surface - this includes pebble dash. If the surface
is in poor condition, for example it needs re-pointing,
the render is damaged, the paint is flaking, the pebbles
are coming out of the pebble dash, etc then removing
graffiti is likely to degrade the surface further.
The
Home Office have undertaken a pilot scheme with a number
of local authorities, which concluded that it is the
responsibility of the local authority and property owner
to agreeing a method for removing the graffiti and target
time scales for the work to be completed.
With
the pebble dash on the garage, it may be easier to paint
the wall, which would allow any further graffiti to
be painted over rather than removed.
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