Agenda item

The Scrutiny Project Group Report and Recommendations on dog fouling were presented by Councillor Innes, the Project Group leader.

The review of the Council’s work on dog fouling was proposed after concerns were raised by members of the public through the Community Assemblies.

The Project Group had reviewed the current service provision and its effectiveness along with how the service communicates with local residents. The Group met with the Environmental Health Manager, the Senior Environmental Health Officer, the Dog Control Officer, the Communications and Marketing Manager, the Executive Member and the Assistant Executive Member for Environment and the Assistant Executive Member for Housing.

The Project Group also sought feedback from all Community Assembly members on their views on the issue of dog fouling in their area and the service provided by the Council.

From the review of the service and the responses from Community Assembly members, the Project Group concluded that a good service was offered and the Streetscene officers achieved a lot with limited resource. It was felt that the service could be more effective and have greater impact if the staff resource was increased.

It was recognised in the feedback from members of the public and the experience of the members that the incidents of dog fouling were decreasing however a minority group of persistent offenders still caused problems.

The Project Group looked into the possibility of the Housing Service’s Neighbourhood Wardens taking a greater part in dealing with dog fouling. It was established that Neighbourhood Wardens do have the power to issue fixed penalty notices, but have only done so on rare occasions. It was felt that the local knowledge of Neighbourhood Wardens, who are out in the community on a day-to-day basis, could be utilised in dealing with dog fouling, if extra training and support were provided.

The Project Group also looked at how the issue of dog fouling and the work of the Streetscene service was communicated to the public. The examples of posters and social media campaigns from Bassetlaw District Council were referenced as good ideas. The Project Group had felt shocking posters showing the risks caused by dog fouling were likely to be more upsetting than effective. The more light-hearted posters were proposed as they were eye-catching and memorable. It was also proposed that the Council should refer to the maximum fine amount of £1000 rather than just the fixed penalty of £80 to provide a greater deterrent. An example of one of the signs already used by the Council showing the £1000 amount was provided by the Senior Environmental Health Officer. As the amounts of the fines could change, it was proposed that the maximum fine amount be included on all temporary signs and notices.

The use of social media was also recommended as a way to publicise the good work of the service and raise awareness of the issue.

The Project Group also recommended that the mobile phones used by the enforcement officers be upgraded to be more reliable and offer access to the internet so social media could be used whilst out in the community.

The Committee agreed that prevention had a large part to play in dealing with dog fouling as enforcement officers could not patrol at all hours. Effective marketing and communication campaigns targeting the minority group of offenders in problem areas were supported. It was also suggested that social media could be used for members of the public and enforcement officers to share photographs of dogs which have fouled public areas to make an example of them publically.

The new Senior Environmental Health Officer, who had not been involved in the Project Group’s initial meetings, provided a written brief to the Committee on the work she was doing with other officers in the Derbyshire region including:

-      Meeting to discuss responsible dog ownership and share best practice in light of the new Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014.

-      Meeting with dog handlers from the Derbyshire Police to discuss responsible dog ownership.

-      Working more collaboratively with the Chesterfield Borough Council Estates and Neighbourhoods Team.

-      Considering putting in place a Derbyshire-wide educational campaign/promotional event to promote responsible dog ownership to include, dog fouling, compulsory micro chipping (due to be introduced in legislation in 2016) etc..

The Committee supported these initiatives in addition to the recommendations made by the Project Group. It was felt that the signs currently used by the Council could be used in conjunction with the new ideas proposed, as a variety of signs were more likely to stand out. The Committee agreed to attach the Senior Environmental Health Officer’s briefing to the Project Group report as additional information to be submitted to Cabinet.

The Committee expressed their thanks to the members of the Project Group for their work and to the Committee and Scrutiny Co-ordinator, the Environmental Health Manager, the Senior Environmental Health Officer, the Dog Control Officer, the Communications and Marketing Manager, the Executive Member and the Assistant Executive Member for Environment and the Assistant Executive Member for Housing for assisting the Project Group in their review.

RESOLVED –

(1)     That the following recommendations be presented to Cabinet for consideration:

          i.          That it is noted that the Environmental Services, Street Scene Team provides an excellent service to residents of the borough. However, the project group recommends that a review of staff resources for the enforcement team be carried out as the project group recognises that while the existing staff do a good job, going over and above what is expected of them, that their impact is limited by there only being a FTE of 1.5 Enforcement Officer posts dedicated to dealing with dog fouling.

        ii.          That the potential of the Neighbourhood Wardens is fully realised and that they receive extra training in carrying out enforcement action, so to feel more confident and able to issue penalty notices. The project group makes this recommendation as there are 5 FTE Neighbourhood Warden posts and 3 FTE Enforcement Officer posts (with FTE 1.5 dealing with dog fouling), and see the Neighbourhood Wardens as a potentially underutilised resource as they are out and about in, and have a good understanding of local communities in the borough. //Also that the potential for more collaborative working between the Neighbourhoods team, and Environmental Services Street Scene team, as a result of the provisions under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, is looked at.

       iii.          That new and functioning mobile phones are purchased for the Environmental Services, Street Scene Team as the current phones are old and often do not work. New phones would benefit effective communication, increase service responsiveness as well as contributing to the health and safety of staff working in non office based roles. Up to date phones would also enable staff to communicate via social media and allow the Environmental Services, Street Scene Team to work within the “digital first approach” contained in the Council’s External Communications Strategy.

      iv.          That a review of the provision of dog bins in the borough takes place. This should look at the location, usage and number of bins so that it can be determined if dog bin provision is an effective use of resources or if the resources could be spent more effectively providing standard bins which can be used to dispose of dog waste as well as general litter.

        v.          To recommend that on all temporary signs and notices that are produced to discourage dog fouling that the maximum fine of “up to £1000” be used in the wording as is done by Bassetlaw District Council. Also to recommend that Bassetlaw District Council be contacted to see if the effective and innovative imagery on their signs can be borrowed and to enable the sharing of best practice.

      vi.          That a coordinated and structured approach to communication and engagement with residents of the borough to include school engagement, community engagement, key message delivery and advertising, is adopted.

Greater coordination in the planning and use of existing resources has the potential to have a bigger impact than the current uncoordinated approach and will also be a more effective use of existing resources and provide better outcomes in these financially difficult times, i.e. increased public awareness that Chesterfield Borough Council deals effectively with dog fouling and a reduction of dog fouling in targeted areas.

Better coordination and consequent outcomes could be met by:

-      Running campaigns by area so to make a splash rather than scattering messages in an unfocused and disparate way across the borough. This approach will also be more appealing to the media than disparate scattered activity.

-      Establishing a campaign group to meet two to three times a year, comprising of members, Environmental Services, Street Scene Team officers and the Communications and Marketing Manager. The group would monitor the impact of communication, community engagement and advertising and would discuss and formulate future plans and priorities for communicating and engaging with residents.

(2)         That the briefing note from the Senior Environmental Health Officer be appended to the report to be submitted to Cabinet.