67 Dog Warden Service Review
To consider and receive the report of the Director (Early Intervention and Support).
Additional documents:
Decision:
To approve the recommendations within the report.
Minutes:
Chris Sinnott, Director (Early Intervention and Support) presented the confidential report which outlines the review the Council’s policy on the return of stray dogs, the transfer of ownership and rehoming policy, and the delivery of the out of hours stray dog collection service.
Decision:
To approve the recommendations within the report.
Reasons for Recommendation(s)
The recommendations support the most effective enforcement mechanisms and sanctions being used to promote responsible dog ownership and reduce the burden on the Council for the kennelling of stray and transferred dogs.
The proposals seek to achieve the most cost effective and proportionate service for collecting stray dogs out of hours, while ensuring that the service is providing value for money for each individual case.
The proposals continue to deliver the in-hours stray dog service with support and resilience to the role identified by the proposed restructure for the Regulatory Services Team.
The updated contract quotation document updates the provision in relation to the Council’s ‘none destruction’ policy, which was not previously defined and the transfer of ownership provisions to ensure the best outcome for those animals and also ensure that there is a fair agreement with the kennels in relation to transferred dogs, which are not included in the current contract.
The tender exercise will seek quotes for kennels to operate an out of hours collection service and these will be assessed following the receipt of the quotations.
Alternative options considered and rejected
To cease the delivery of an out of hours service for collection. This was rejected on the basis of testing the market before making a final decision on the provision of an out of hours service.