Comment: How to resolve tricky local disputes - and how to complain about your council

According to legend, the two things that drive us Brits to distraction are bin collections and *ahem* dog mess. Without getting all ‘Victor Meldrew’ about it, we all have at least one thing that goes on in the neighbourhood that makes us seethe with rage.

Despite the bin and dog haters, it’s parking tickets and council tax disputes that generally drive most local authority complaints. Yet surprisingly, no matter where you are the UK the top ten environmental health complaints are all remarkably similar.

The term ‘environmental health isn’t (just) about recycling and the local environment. It’s a catch-all term for everything from noise pollution to pest control and from messy neighbours to dodgy drains. Some of these complaints are relatively easy to deal with. Some, however, can become issues that drag on for years.At Resolver, I see a huge variety of complaints about all sorts of things that might make your write or call your local council. Here are few of the main ones – and what you can do about them.

Top tips

Litter and fly tipping are an increasing concern to people these days. But this isn’t just the ‘Blue Planet 2’ effect. How your local town looks can affect how you perceive your community, from councillors to neighbours. So if there’s a local site where tipping takes place, or a bin on the high street that’s always overflowing, then it makes sense to tackle it early before it becomes an issue.