How Mediation Can Help You Deal With Noisy Neighbours
How Mediation Can Help You Deal With Noisy Neighbours
BY COCO KHAN AND MIKE TALBOT, THE GUARDIAN
During the pandemic, complaints about noisy neighbours soared. “In 2020 there were 16,000 disputes in mediation, including neighbour quarrels. Why do so many arguments end up there?” asks Coco Khan from The Guardian, “I’d say the opposite: not enough do!” states Dr Mike Talbot.
In this interview she talks with Dr Mike Talbot the CEO of UK Mediation, about how mediation helps to resolve a row that would otherwise end up in court.
Mediation whiz Mike Talbot has tips on how to avoid a row that ends up in court. It all starts with a conversation.
During the pandemic, complaints about noisy neighbours soared. Now, with the government keen to prove that it’s tough on antisocial behaviour, there are plans to give the police more powers to sort out disputes. However, councils and courts increasingly favour a less drastic solution: mediation. I asked Dr Mike Talbot, CEO of UK Mediation, how it works.
In 2020 there were 16,000 disputes in mediation, including neighbour quarrels. Why do so many arguments end up there?
I’d say the opposite: not enough do! Too quickly people start a world war. Mediation helps people have a conversation. They have to want to participate. And it has to be about things they can control: DIY, pets, cooking smells, playing the guitar at 2am.
What are things people can’t control?
Child-rearing. Saying, “They shout at their kids” is a red rag to a bull. Or in flats, saying, “I can hear everything.” Well, the wall is as thick as it is. If it’s normal living noise, sorry, but that’s how it is.
