Agenda item

An information and discussion item led by Yvonne Bennett, Wiltshire Council Consumer Protection and Councillor Jacqui Lay, to hear what action Wiltshire Council and local communities are taking against dog fouling, and to consider further potential action.

Councillor Jacqui Lay and Yvonne Bennett, Consumer Protection Manager, gave a joint presentation on the issue of dog fouling in the community, and the actions being taken to alleviate the issue.

The following summarises the information that was presented:

Why is it important?

·         Health – the Toxicara worm found in dog foul presented health risks.

·         Unsightly – dog fouling was unpleasant to see and spoiled the look of the area.

·         Civic Pride – the community area should be an enjoyable place for residents and visitors.

Legislation

·         Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996 – the original legislation concerning dog fouling. Fixed Penalty Notices under this legislation were fixed at £50.

·         Clean Neighbourhoods & Environment Act 2005 – this superseded the Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996 and allowed for wider environmental issues to be dealt with. Fixed Penalty Notices under this legislation were more flexible and could be set between £50 and £80. Wiltshire Council had set the charge at £75.

·         Dog Control Orders – Wiltshire Council had set Dog Control Orders last year after consulting with parish and town councils for suggestions of any areas where it was felt dogs should be excluded on, or areas where dogs should be kept on a lead. During the consultation phase there had been a mass objection from the public. The Dog Control Orders would be going to Cabinet for approval shortly.

Solutions

·         What can Parish Councils do? – Parish councils could set their own Dog Control Orders if they did not feel that the local authority’s policy was sufficient. Parish councils could also nominate people from the local community to be trained to issue Fixed Penalty Notices and to uphold Dog Control Orders by asking dog owners to put their dogs on a lead in designated areas.

·         What can the general public do? – The general public could play a greater role in helping to identify those responsible for allowing their dogs to foul. The more evidence that was collected, the greater the chance of prosecution.

·         What should dog owners do? – Dog owners were requested to clean up after their dogs, always carry bags and dispose of dog waste correctly. Dog waste should always be put into a waste bin and should never be flushed down the toilet.

How can Wiltshire Council help?

·         Support for Training – Wiltshire Council offered training for members of the local community to ask as nominated people, so that they could issue Fixed Penalty Notices. The cost of the training was approximately £2,000 for 10 to 15 people to be trained.

·         Prosecutions – Wiltshire Council could offer enforcement, and there were two Dog Wardens covering the county; one worked in the north and west, and the other worked in the east and south. The Dog Wardens were responsible for collecting stray dogs and dealing with dangerous dogs which took up a lot of their time, and so unfortunately did not leave as much time for educating against and dealing with dog fouling as they would have liked to. A review of the Dog Warden Service was currently underway.

·         Cleaning – Wiltshire Council’s Dog Wardens and Street Cleaning Teams could clean up dog mess wherever possible.

·         Education – Wiltshire Council could provide/facilitate training for parish and town councils and members of the community to enforce Dog Control Orders. A series of surgeries had also been held locally with the Dog warden, but they had not been well attended.

What is happening in our Community Area?

Purton’s Campaign – Dog fouling was a big issue in Purton and the Parish Council had decided to hold a poster campaign to try to educate people and create awareness of the problem.

The poster campaign also included a proposal from Purton Parish Council that, if the problem of dog fouling did not improve, the Parish Council could consider employing its own dog warden at the expense of the local tax payers, which would equate to approximately £10 per household per year.

Summary

Having received the information provided and the comments from various members of the public and town and parish council representatives, the Area Board considered the potential action that could be taken in order to address the issue of dog fouling in the community.

Decision

The Area Board:

1. Requests the responsible Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member to recognise the serious problems and concern about dog fouling and to investigate and report what can be done to increase enforcement resources.
2. Establishes a Task Group to fully investigate the issue of dog fouling locally, including education, training and enforcement and to develop a detailed proposal as to how this can most effectively be addressed locally.
3. Councillor Jacqui Lay was nominated as the Area Board’s nominated representative to sit on and lead this group.

Action: each parish and town council to nominate a representative to sit on this group and notify Penny Bell, Democratic Services Officer.