Agenda item

To consider a report of the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development presenting a monthly update on the enforcement of dog fouling across the city and a draft statement setting out the Board’s recommendations on this matter.

The Head of Scrutiny and Member Development submitted a report presenting a monthly update on the enforcement of dog fouling across the city and a draft statement setting out the Board’s recommendations on this matter.

Appended to the report were copies of the following documents for the information/comment of the meeting:-

Appendix 1 - Dog Enforcement Report – November 2008

Appendix 2 - Draft Statement of Scrutiny Board (Environment and Neighbourhoods) - Enforcement of Dog Fouling Recommendations

The following representatives were in attendance and responded to Members’ queries and comments:-

Councillor S Smith, Executive Member for Environmental Services

Graham Wilson, Head of Environmental Action and Parking

Stacey Campbell, Service Manager

In summary, specific reference was made to the following issues as clarification to questions raised:-

·  the Scrutiny Board commented that following the change in legislation in April 2008 which gave the responsibility for stray dogs to local authorities from the Police, £50,000 was transferred into the Dog Warden budget to cover costs. They sought clarification on how this money was being spent

(The Head of Environmental Action and Parking responded and explained that the funding was there to cover the costs involved in kennelling stray dogs, including the out of hours service costs, boarding fees and vets bills. The Board noted that, based on the figures outlined at the meeting, there would be a projected underspend on this year’s budget and that the balance would be used to assist associated service delivery within the service)

·  the need to revise paragraph 3.6 within the Board’s draft Statement to make it clearer that the Board had not suggested a suitable figure for Leeds in relation to the maximum number of dogs that any one person can walk at any one time and that this should be determined by the Director of Environment and Neighbourhoods, as per recommendation 2

(The Board agreed to this proposal)

·  the need to revise the wording in Recommendation 9 of the Board’s Draft Statement requesting the Director of Environment and Neighbourhoods to produce a Dog Control Strategy for Leeds by September 2009

(The Board agreed to this proposal)

·  a request to provide a report with a general explanation of the Dog Warden Service with the next dog performance report

(The Head of Environmental Action and Parking responded and agreed to provide a report for the Board’s February meeting)

Following discussions of the draft statement setting out the Board’s recommendations in relation to the Enforcement of Dog Fouling, the Board decided to defer the agreement of its Statement until the next meeting.  The Board requested the Principal Scrutiny Adviser to revise the document as discussed above, and include a new recommendation around ensuring that the full budget provision for the Dog Warden Service each year was spent on improving that service.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the contents of the report and appendices be noted.

(b)  That the November 2008 data relating to the numbers of dog fouling, Fixed Penalty Notices issued, prosecutions made, stray dogs impounded and dog service requests be noted.

(c)  That the Principal Scrutiny Adviser be requested to revise the Board’s Statement on the Enforcement of Dog Fouling for consideration at the next meeting in February 2009.