High Hedges (16 Dec 2003)

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister expects the legislation relating to high hedges to come into effect towards the end of 2004. The next step will be public consultation on regulations covering certain detailed procedural arrangements and on guidance for local authorities.

Yvette Cooper: Consultation will begin shortly on guidance and on regulations governing certain detailed procedural arrangements relating to the high hedges section of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003. The regulations will be laid before Parliament in time for the legislation to come into force towards the end of 2004.

Yvette Cooper: The powers to deal with complaints about high hedges given to local authorities by the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 are expected to be fully operational towards the end of 2004. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently conducting a public consultation in England on how the legislation will work in practice.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will not be deciding the maximum fee which local authorities will be able to charge people making a complaint about a nuisance high hedge until we have analysed the responses to the current public consultation on implementing Part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003. The consultation period runs until 30 June. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister expects to report the results of the consultation and to bring the legislation into operation towards the end of 2004.

Yvette Cooper: The public consultation on implementing Part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 runs until 30 June. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister expects to report the results of the consultation and to bring the legislation into operation towards the end of 2004.

Keith Hill: Regulations bringing into force the provisions in part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act, which give local authorities powers to deal with complaints about high hedges, are expected to come into effect towards the end of 2004.

Phil Hope: Draft guidance to local authorities on dealing with complaints about high hedges under the provisions in Part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 was issued for public consultation on 29 March. The consultation closed on 30 June and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is now finalising the guidance and other operational details before bringing this Part of the Act into effect. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister expects this will be towards the end of 2004.

Phil Hope: The public consultation on implementing Part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003, which gives local authorities the powers to deal with complaints about high hedges closed on 30 June. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is now finalising Regulations and guidance and expects the system to be fully operational around the end of 2004.

Phil Hope: Draft guidance to local authorities on dealing with complaints about high hedges under the provisions in Part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 was issued on 29 March. The consultation closed on 30 June. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is now finalising the guidance and Regulations and expects the system to be fully operational around the end of 2004.

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is now finalising regulations and guidance and expects the complaints system to be fully operational early in 2005.

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is now finalising Regulations and guidance and expects the system to be fully operational in early 2005, at which point local authorities will be able to process complaints about high hedges.

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister intends to issue guidance for local authorities at the same time as Regulations to bring Part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 into force are laid before Parliament. We expect the complaints system to be fully operational early in 2005.

Phil Hope: In the light of the responses to the consultation the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently revising the guidance for local authorities and the Regulations to bring Part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 into force. We intend to issue the guidance to local authorities at the same time as we lay the Regulations before Parliament and expect the complaints system to be fully operational early in 2005.