Agenda item

Report of the Executive Director of People

Further to Minute 23/14, the Cabinet Member considered a report of the Executive Director of People which detailed the outcome of a consultation undertaken with the general public and other interested organisations on extending the remit of current dog control in the City.

At the Cabinet Member meeting held on 4 September 2014, officers were authorised to undertake a consultation the results of which would assist officers in dealing with a minority of dog owners who do not adequately supervise their dogs. A five week consultation was conducted in September and early October 2014 to consider the following proposals:

·  Keep dogs on a lead, in specified areas

·  Put dogs on a lead if instructed to do so by an Authorised officer from the Council

·  Restrict dogs from going into certain places for example children’s play areas

·  To limit the number of dogs a person has with them at any one time (which would include professional dog walkers)

·  Fouling of Land by Dogs

The report provided further information on the proposals outlined above together with information on exemptions, penalties and implementation.

The responses from the consultation demonstrated significant support for these additional controls and the report sought permission to create a Public Space Protection Order, under the new Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which would incorporate the existing Dog Control Order (Fouling of Land) and the proposed additional controls upon which the City Council consulted. The findings of the consultation were included in Appendix 1 of the report and details of some of the specific consultation questions were detailed in Appendix 2 of the report.

Appendix 5 of the report was amended at the meeting as per the following:

Schedule B: Dogs on leads

Land Designated by Description

3. all churchyards and graveyards, including green burial areas;

5. all sports grounds, fields, parks and pitches, which are maintained by the local authority and are not subject to ‘Dog Exclusion’.

General Point

For the purposes of parts A, B. C and D of this Public Space Protection Order:

c. each of the following is a “prescribed charity”

  iv) Hearing dogs for deaf people (registered charity number 293358)

  v) Any charity created subsequent to this Order, which covers the issues detailed in point 1.b. above.

Representatives of Friends of the Park’s Groups and Residents Associations and a couple of dog owners attended the meeting and spoke in respect of the item. Majority were in favour of greater control in dealing with the few irresponsible dog owners, however everyone expressed concern over the delineation within parks. The dog owners considered the decision to include all marked sports pitches too heavy handed and restrictive on the dogs ability to exercise properly. And the Park’s Groups and Residents’ Association stated that careful consideration needed to be given to which areas of parks are to be covered by the Order and that they should be consulted over which specific areas of which specific parks were to be included.

The Cabinet Member carefully considered all the representations made at the meeting and acknowledged that most of the problems were caused by a minority of dog owners and dog walkers. He also accepted that certain dogs needed to be exercised off lead and needed the space to run around. However, he was acutely aware of issues around dog fouling in children’s play areas and the associated health risks that poses. Furthermore, the Cabinet Member acknowledged that most parks had inherent problems that seem to exist irrespective of the amount of resources invested.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for Policing and Equalities:

(1)  Approves the creation of a City-wide Public Space Protection Order (Coventry Dog Control) incorporating the following controls: Fouling of land by dogs; dogs on leads; dogs on leads by direction; and dogs exclusion and Dogs (specified maximum).

(2) Approves the consultation and consideration of the views from 

  the ‘park friends groups’ (paragraph 2.3) concerning the areas

  within parks to be covered by the Public Space Protection

  Order prior to its implementation.

(3)  Approves setting the level of the Fixed Penalty Notice

  payable for breaches of the Public Space Protection Order 

  at £100, but reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days.

    (4)  Approves the launching of an education campaign prior to the launch of the Public Space Protection Order and operate an ‘advisory notice’ system of fixed penalty notice for the new offences under the Public Space Protection Order for a three month period. However, it is proposed that dog fouling offences will continue to receive a Fixed Penalty Notice from the Public Space Protection order implementation date at the new proposed rate.

    (5)  Prior to this report with recommendations being presented

  to Cabinet on 6 January 2015, officers are directed to  prepare a briefing note to include:

(a) Additional specific issues raised in representations made at the Cabinet Member for Policing and Equalities meeting held on 18 December 2014 and;

(b)  Further specific recommendations that they believe appropriate for consideration by Cabinet and/or referral back to Cabinet Member.

    (6)  That subject to the decision of Cabinet on 6 January

  2015, there be a review of these arrangements at the

  relevant Cabinet Member meeting on or before 31

  December 2015.

(7)  The Cabinet Member recommends that Cabinet 

  approves recommendations 1 to 4 and 6 above.