Ruff Justice As Dogs Next To Be Targeted By A Wrexham Council PSPO

‘Controversial’ plans to introduce a requirement for dog owners to place their dogs on a lead on a public road and pavement will go before councillors this week for discussion.

The plans, which form part of a number of proposed changes to dog control orders across the county borough will be debated by members of the Homes and Environment Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday.

The report before Councillors at the scrutiny meeting notes at present Wrexham Council has three Dog Control Orders which cover the entire County Borough or specific areas:-

• The Fouling of Land by Dogs (WCBC) Order 2009
• A Dogs Exclusion (WCBC) Order 2009
• A Dogs on Lead by Direction (WCBC) Order 2009

It is proposed that the current Orders are replaced with a single PSPO (Public Space Protection Order) across the entire County Borough.

A PSPO is designed to ‘stop individuals or groups committing anti-social behaviour in a public space’, with dog fouling being anti social.

There are already two PSPOs in force in Wrexham – one which covers Rhosddu Park and Cemetery and another across much of the town centre.

The report notes: “The proposal would be to continue with exclusion zones for dogs on bowling greens, marked sports pitches and play areas (apart from owners with assisted dogs).

“A Dogs on Lead by Direction Order to all applicable land, allowing an Authorised Officer to instruct owners to place and keep a dog on a lead when necessary, would continue as well as the requirement for owners to clean up after their dog has fouled on public spaces.”

The new proposals which would cover dog control in the parks and dogs on leads along a public road and pavement are also included within the report.

The details self identify as being ‘controversial’, stating: “The more controversial section of the PSPO, if it went ahead, would cover dog control in the parks and dogs on leads along a public road and pavement.

“There are logistical and financial implications associated with bringing in the measure to ensure dogs are kept on leads on public roads and pavements. Signage would be expensive and would need to broadly cover the County Borough.

“Legal advice on the placement and frequency of signage is that it would need to be “sufficient” to draw the attention and effect of the Order to the public. The legislation states that signs should be erected on or adjacent to the public place to which the Order relates.”

However it is also noted that it would be ‘prohibitively expensive to sign all roads and pavements and it would also be intrusive’.

The report adds: “If the proposal to create dogs on lead zones around the visitor centres and car parks in the parks were brought in (such as Ty Mawr Country Park and Alyn Waters Country Park) this would require signage, but would be less expensive and easier to manage.

“Comprehensive publicity would be required to ensure the public understood about dogs on leads on public roads and pavements” which could include the usual route used by public bodies such as placing expensive small sized text at the back of newspapers to ensure full awareness to members of the public.

The proposals come off the back of a council consultation held earlier this year – which saw 871 responses. The survey results are summarised in percentages, with the open form question was only replied to by 43% of respondents.

Around 69% of those who completed the survey were dog owners with many living in Wrexham.

The report notes that the ‘greatest support’ was given to enforcing control of dog fouling followed by excluding dogs from sports pitches, children’s play areas and bowling greens.

It adds that the third highest support was given to enforcing dogs on leads on public roads and pavements.

86% of those who took part agreed with continuing with the areas covered by the present Dog Control Orders covering dog fouling, exclusion areas and dogs on leads when requested by an Authorised Officer.

89% showed support for the option of dogs being required to be kept on a lead along a public road and pavement.

However 68% of respondents felt that dogs should not be required to be kept on leads in open spaces and parks all the time. This was one question with the lower number of respondents (728), with 57% being the figure if overall survey results were taken into account (27% felt they should be required, and presumably 16% did not care).

Support was shown by 76% for keeping dogs on a lead around defined areas of parks, such a visitor centres and car parks.

Councillors are being asked to agree the set of recommendations including one reading “The statutory public consultation exercise is undertaken on the proposals for dog control and dog fouling in the County Borough, as part of a Public Spaces Protection Order, prior to approval by the Executive Board” which would further the idea of a PSPO being created.

Councillors also have two options, both being to create a PSPO.

The recommendations will be debated by members of the Homes and Environment Scrutiny Committee Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday at 10am. The report will go before the Executive Board at a later date.

Related:

During last night’s fluffy magazine show ‘The One Show’ Wrexham’s PSPO’s were featured. We posted some screen grabs from the nationally broadcast show that pictured some local people enjoying the sunshine in town.

Town got a BBC One Show micro-feature over PSPO’s – don’t think anything filmed comes under it though?! pic.twitter.com/IOsJMLUfeW

— Wrexham.com (@wrexham) September 19, 2016

Others queried if it was true people could be arrested for having a cup of tea, for it has stimulants in such as caffeine:

Just caught Alex on the one show talking about sending people to jail in @wrexham over a cup of tea?!

— Nick Holland (@nickholland75) September 19, 2016

@wrexham oh got a couple of mentions too. Can you get carted off to prison for having a cup of tea?

— Alex Jones (@alexmartinjones) September 19, 2016

If drinking tea in public gets you banged up our coffee habit means we will be running site from HMP Berwyn soon… don’t think its true mind!

— Wrexham.com (@wrexham) September 19, 2016

Thankfully PCSO Perrin was able to confirm it was BBCballs:

Caught up on @BBCTheOneShow ‘s feature on PSPOs.Can confirm @MissAlexjones that nobody gets locked up for just having a brew in Wrexham!☕👮😄

— PCSO C Perrin (@NWPCPerrin) September 19, 2016