NEW council house tenants are to be put on 12 months probation to see if they are good neighbours.

The introductory tenancies are part of an overall strategy to deal with nuisance neighbours who affect the quality of life of the majority of good tenants on the council's estates.

Council leader Kath Reade said the idea of introductory tenancies was to be welcomed although they should be called probationary tenancies to give out a clear signal that Burnley Council intended to take action against those who did not allow the right of others to live in peace and quiet. "It is long overdue and I very much welcome it,'' she told members of the housing and community services committee.

The head of housing management, Margaret Duthrie, said that within the 12-month initial period the council had a better chance of regaining possession of the property if the tenant did or did not do something which gave them a valid reason for wanting possession.

At court the council under the 1996 Housing Act would only have to prove it had valid reasons for wanting possession, that it had correctly served the Notice Possession proceedings and that any review had been correctly handled.

The Judge must then give a possession order.

The committee agreed to introduce a probationary tenancy scheme and to ask officers to report detailed operational procedures to a future meeting.

Coun Peter Kenyon said it would help to address a problem of great public concern.

Liberal Democrat leader Coun Gordon Birtwistle added: "It will give some hope to the vast majority of excellent tenants with a view to improving their future.

"We have a lot of problems up there (Stoops and Hargher Clough) caused by problem families.''

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