Noise problems continue to keep local authority services busy - and most noise problems are avoidable. It has long been recognised that better education on noise and its impacts is important, alongside regulation to manage noise.
As far back as the 1963 report of the Committee on the Problem of Noise , it was recognised that ‘as living standards rise, people are less inclined to tolerate noise’. Surveys over the past 20 years have reinforced this, demonstrating that local authority officers and communities believe that better education on noise – expectation, noise impacts, regulation and remedies – is essential. Surveys by NSCA (renamed EPUK in 2007) between 1999-2002 found that over 70% of local authority officers believe that high expectation of quiet and selfish attitudes are major contributing factors in noise problems. Noise Action Week has a role to play in enabling services that deal with noise to raise awareness of simple solutions to noise problems.
The continued high number of complaints about noise recieved by local authorities is demonstrated in recent news stories:
For example, in Derby a new night time noise service has met a large demand:

http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/Noise-nuisances-tackled-late-night-team/story-15599469-detail/story.html

And Brighton has seen a huge rise in the number of notices served on noisy parties:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-17488256

We hope Noise Action Week 2012 will be used widely to spread the word that most noise disturbance is unnecessary and easy to avoid.