Dog Warden and Kennelling Service consultation by Cheshire West and Chester Council

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Closing date: 11 August 2019

Background

Councils are required by law to provide a stray dog collection service and are permitted to recover most of the costs. There are no legal minimum standards for the level of service, but we believe that we provide a good service relative to other councils, both in terms of the hours of service and especially animal welfare.  The Council is proud that the service has achieved the RSPCA’s Gold Paw Print Award for the seventh consecutive year.

As our current contract is coming to an end, we have carried out a review and are considering making some changes. The purpose of the proposed changes is to improve the service by ensuring that it better fits the demands placed on it, and at the same time, to try to ensure that the costs to the Council do not increase. The net cost to the Council of the dog warden service is currently about £58,000 per year.

What we are consulting on

Following the review, the Council is proposing to make the following changes to the Dog Warden and Stray Dog Kennelling Service:

  • change the days and times that the dog warden is on duty, including extending the service to include Saturdays and Sundays, and change the times so that they better reflect demand.
  • Introduce free training courses on responsible dog ownership, legal requirements, dog welfare and basic dog training
  • In order to ensure a fairer and more consistent approach to charging, and to keep other charges (e.g. kennel charges) as low as possible, it is proposed to introduce a charge to the owner of £40, if the dog warden is called out to deal with a stray dog, even if it is possible to reunite the dog with its owner without taking the dog to kennels.  In these circumstances, it is also proposed to offer a part-refund (for example, of 50%) if the owner attends one of the training courses offered.

How to share your views

The six week consultation period closes on 11 August 2019. You can tell us what you think about the proposals by taking part in our online survey.

Other ways to take part

Comments can also be emailed and paper copies of the survey can be requested via the following methods:

Other ways of accessing information

Council information is also available in audio, braille, large print or other formats. If you would like a copy in a different format, in another language or require a British sign language (BSL) interpreter:

Please note:

We welcome views from all sections of the community and would encourage everyone to take part in this consultation. Note that the Council has a responsibility to make sure that its services are available to all, regardless of race, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, religion or belief or sexual identity. Comments that are offensive to particular groups or considered inappropriate under the Equality Act 2010 will not be considered or published as part of this consultation