Why should I have to pay the Council to consider my complaint?
The Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 states that complainants (a person making a complaint) must pay a fee to the Council when they submit their hedge complaint.
Central government state that there are several reasons why they think this is fair and reasonable:
“Most people who responded to questions about fees in the 1999 consultation 'High hedges - possible solutions' thought it was fair that the complainant should pay something for the local authority to intervene in their hedge dispute.
Payment of a fee will encourage people to try to settle these disputes amicably, making sure that involvement of the local authority really is a last resort.
A fee will also help to deter frivolous or vexatious complaints.
It is common practice for local authorities to charge a fee for a service which is likely to benefit an individual (in this case, the complainant) rather than the community in general.”
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) issued advice about high hedges. The ODPM is now called the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). You can still find information about high hedges disputes on the DCLG website.
