Agenda item

To receive an update on the Public Spaces Protection Order (Dog Control).

·       To accept the report, noting the observations made during the discussion.

·       To recommend that the Highways, Engineering and YGC Department contact Councillors to offer a supply of the dog waste bag kits to use in their communities.

The report was presented by the Cabinet Member for Highways, Engineering and YGC, the Head of Highways, Engineering and YGC Department and the Street Services Manager.

It was explained that a dog control order had been in force since 2013 and that it had now been extended until August 2027. They elaborated that the order related to a failure to clear or pick up dog waste, allowing a dog to enter land where dogs are prohibited, and not controlling and keeping a dog on a lead when a person is asked to do so by an authorised officer.

It was confirmed that the Department was aware that these issues were important to the residents of Gwynedd, stating that a public consultation had been carried out recently, in accordance with the statutory requirement to renew the order every three years. It was emphasised that 1,100 responses had been received to this consultation, compared with 75 responses to the Department's consultation on a flooding strategy recently.

It was explained that enforcement within this service had been challenging in recent years, following the sudden death of a key member of staff. The committee sympathised with the workers on their loss. It was explained that staffing issues had now improved and that the number of penalties was increasing, and the team's presence was more visible as they dealt with several enforcement aspects such as graffiti and dog fouling.

The members were reminded that the Department had combined three services to establish a Streetscene Service. These included the enforcement, street cleaning and Ardal Ni tidying up teams. It was noted that the teams worked closely and effectively together to educate residents, install dog mess bins, signs and to tidy the streets. They elaborated that educating and running campaigns was a consistent feature of dog control work and referred to several projects such as the red signs seen in communities in recent years. It was reported that the focus of the services changed every season – they had worked with the maritime services over the summer to ensure that visitors were aware of the dog regulations, and were preparing to shift the emphasis to streets and parking over the winter.

It was reported that the Department would look at the dog control situation more widely in the future to determine how they could work together across departments, regionally and nationally to tackle the matter. Reference was made to new plans currently being developed by the Welsh Government which would provide guidance to the Local Authorities soon.

During the discussion, the following observations were noted:-

In response to a query, the Street Services Manager confirmed that the service was working with vets. It was noted that the service provides information packs and posters for them and that it was an important element of sharing information with dog owners about the regulations that were in force. The vets were thanked for their willingness to work alongside the service.

The Street Services Manager explained that small packs of dog waste bags were available to Elected Members and encouraged them to get in touch with the service if they wished to receive them for use within their communities. Examples were shared by a Member who received these kits from the Department and they were being used regularly by dog owners in their ward. The members noted that the breach of dog regulations was not always deliberate and that giving these bags to owners helped them comply if they had forgotten to bring the bags with them. It was pointed out that ensuring the dog waste bins were emptied on a regular basis was an important part of this cooperation.

A member requested more information about how the service adapted the locations it targeted over the winter and what campaigns would be in place. The Street Services Manager confirmed there would be several campaigns over the winter including posters, collaboration with the press and providing information on social media up to twice a week over the next few months. He added that they were placing emphasis on the penalties that could be incurred through non-compliance with regulations. He reported that the service was constantly looking for new solutions such as working with schools, and red signs to attract attention. Anyone who had ideas on how they could further raise awareness was encouraged to get in touch with the service.

RESOLVED

·       To accept the report, noting the observations made during the discussion.

·       To recommend that the Highways, Engineering and YGC Department contact Councillors to offer a supply of the dog waste bags kits to be used in their communities.