Agenda and minutes

No declarations of interest were received.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Dean Collins, Flood, Hitchin and Rayner.

The Environmental Health Manager submitted a report to request approval of new pet shop licence conditions and new animal boarding conditions in domestic premises.

Officers had drafted new pet shop licence conditions, based on the Council’s existing pet shop conditions and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) model conditions for pet vending licensing. Copies of the new draft conditions, the existing conditions and the CIEH model conditions were attached to the report. The new conditions included guidance for pet shop owners, which would be sent to all current pet shop owners once the new conditions were approved.

Under the Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963, the Council currently licenced ten establishments (catteries and kennels) and ten premises for home boarding of dogs (since the introduction of home boarding in January 2014). Licensing of premises for home boarding was solely to ensure that the premises satisfied basic standards relating to the health, welfare, and safety of the animals boarded.

Officers had drafted new animal boarding conditions in domestic premises to include all businesses day boarding a dog in a domestic premise as if it was in its own home setting, as well as home boarding a dog at night. It was proposed that these conditions would replace the existing home boarding conditions, with an annual licence fee of £155 (compared with the annual fee for animal boarding establishments (Kennels & Catteries) of £310).

Copies of the new draft conditions and the existing conditions were attached to the report.

Those businesses that did not fall into the domestic premises category would fall under the Council’s existing animal boarding establishments conditions, a copy of which was attached to the report.

In response to questions from Members it was confirmed that the conditions for animal boarding in domestic premises only applied where there was a commercial undertaking and that the maximum number of dogs to be kept at a domestic premise would be shown on each licence. It was explained that the lower fee for a home boarding licence was felt to be fairer as these tended to be smaller undertakings than animal boarding establishments.

RESOLVED –

(1)     That the new improved pet shop licensing conditions, formed from the merging of CIEH’s pet vending model conditions with the Council’s existing pet shop conditions, be approved.

(2)     That the new animal boarding conditions in domestic premises be approved to replace the existing home boarding conditions.