Report of the Head of Compliance Enforcement and Community Safety

This report provides the Committee with the outcomes of the recent consultation exercise in respect of the Public Spaces Protection Orders relating to the control of dogs, which was undertaken between 19 May and 16 June 2022.

The Committee received a report of the Head of Compliance, Enforcement and Community Safety which provided the Committee with the outcomes of the

recent consultation exercise in respect of the PSPOs relating to the control of dogs, which was undertaken between 19 May and 16 June 2022.

The main points and themes within the report included:

• Risks associated with poor dog control;
• Legal issues;
• Review of the on-lead/exclusion PSPOs;
• Supporting evidence;
• Consultation;
• Changes to the proposed PSPOs arising from the consultation;
• Equality Impact Assessment and the European Convention on Human Rights;
• Final proposed PSPOs; and
• Next steps.

Some of the key points that arose from the Committee’s discussions were:

• The enforcement of the restrictions by officers and whether the public could report breaches;
• Public education, the importance of clearly displaying this information in parks and concerns that this was not always the case at all entrances; and
• Was there evidence that the PSPOs had led to a reduction in dog fouling.

The Head of Compliance, Enforcement and Community Safety advised that officers undertook patrols and, if there were known issues in a particular area, then targeted enforcement activity would take place.  She confirmed that members of the public could report breaches and that reports from the public and Ward Councillors would be taken into account when deciding where targeted enforcement activity was needed.  She advised that signage was already in place as the PSPOs relating to dog control had been introduced in 2019.  The Compliance and Enforcement Specialist (Environmental Crimes) explained that there was signage at each park entrance and in areas where particular restrictions were in place, such as play areas; however, he took on board Members’ concerns that signage needed to be improved and advised that this would be reviewed if the PSPOs were extended.  In response to further comments about how dog owners could be made aware of the PSPOs, the Head of Compliance, Enforcement and Community Safety advised that all the information was on the Council’s website and that dog organisations had been consulted on the PSPOs.

In response to a Member’s question, the Compliance and Enforcement Specialist (Environmental Crimes) reported that, if a new area needed to be added to the exclusion order during the term of the PSPO, this could be done as a variation of the order, although there was a process which needed to be followed for this, which included a consultation.

In response to the Member’s question about the impact of the existing PSPOs, the Head of Compliance, Enforcement and Community Safety reported that she would circulate figures from before the PSPOs had been introduced for comparison.  She advised that it could be challenging to catch people failing to pick up after their dogs but that areas which had a particular problem would be targeted and she highlighted that the offence of not being able to demonstrate possession of appropriate means to pick up faeces when in a public place was included in the PSPOs.

In response to questions from the Chair, the Parks Operations Manager advised that she would look into the specific details of the PSPOs in relation to Orford Road Playing Fields, Brookdale Park and Victoria Mill Park outside of the meeting.  In response to a further question, the Compliance and Enforcement Specialist (Environmental Crimes) reported that the term “when in use” relating to playing pitches referred to organised practice sessions or matches.

The Chair thanked officers for their work on this and welcomed its implementation.

Decision

To note the report.