Newport council is seeking your comments on dogs in parks

An overview and scrutiny forum is currently looking at the byelaws that manage the control of dogs and how they can best be applied in the city’s cemeteries and parks.

The forum for environment and community safety recognises that the majority of dog owners are responsible, keeping their dogs under control when in public and cleaning up after them.

However, due to a minority of irresponsible dog owners, dog fouling remains a problem in our parks and cemeteries, with the council receiving complaints about incidents involving dogs in local parks.

We are already consulting on a proposal to introduce Dog Control Orders in the three Newport cemeteries to control dog fouling and for dogs to be kept on leads, but the forum also wants to look at how we can support responsible dog exercise and ensure people are sticking to the rules.

Following the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005, the old dog byelaw system has been replaced with new powers to make Dog Control Orders in relation to five dog control matters: dog fouling, dog ban areas, dogs on leads, putting and keeping a dog on a lead under supervision and multiple dog walking restrictions.

A number of ideas have been already been to the forum including increasing patrols by the dog wardens and introducing special dog exercising areas within the city’s main parks where dogs would be allowed off the lead.

Before making any recommendations, the forum would like to invite members of the public to share their views on this topic, in particular:

a) Should the council establish designated dog exercising areas within its main parks? (dogs would be required to stay on the lead outside of these areas)

b) How the council can encourage dog owners to clean up after their dogs?

Please send any comments in writing to the Overview and Scrutiny Officer, Law and Standards Department, Newport City Council, Civic Centre, Newport NP20 4UR or email eleanor.mulligan@newport.gov.uk before October 5, 2009.

More information about this review and the work of the forum can be found at www.newport.gov.uk/scrutiny