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West Devon October Report 2023

WDBC October 2023 Report

WDBC have a live consultation regarding the Dog Control Orders that we currently have within the West Devon Borough Council area.

Public Space Protection Orders (PSPO) Consultation

Dog Control

We are consulting on reviewing our Dog Control Public Space Protection Orders.  PSPO’s is a tool available to Councils under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 and are intended to be used to deal with a particular nuisance or problem in a specific area that is having a detrimental effect to the local community’s quality of life, by imposing conditions on the use of that area which will apply to everyone.  Officers can issue fixed penalty notices up to £100.00 for those who don’t follow the Orders.  The current PSPO’s are due to expire March 2024 and so we need to consult to see if the current ones should be extended or any additional areas to be included.

Existing offences which we are looking to extend:-

  1. Failure to pick up after a Dog – Dog Fouling
  2. Requiring Dogs to be on leads / Failure to put a dog on a lead after being instructed to do so by an authorised officer – Dogs on Leads
  3. Dog Exclusions Areas – Dog Exclusion Areas

Our Localities teams will be speaking with the local communities and will be putting posters up in the Borough.  Please feel free if you wish to put the attached poster up on your notice boards.

Consultation: How to have your say

The consultation involves all stakeholders who may be affected including the general public, Devon and Cornwall Police, Local Parish and Town Councils.  Anyone can give their views during the consultation period which runs from 10th October 2023 – 14th November 2023.

Lets Talk Dog Consultation

West Devon Wildlife Warden Scheme

Proposal: WDBC and individual councillors help to establish a West Devon Wildlife Warden scheme to improve biodiversity by helping local wildlife survive the ecological and climate emergency. The scheme would also encourage sharing across the district of conservation data and resources and promote citizen science. This scheme works well in other Devon districts.

Aims

1) Increase in biodiversity and local wildlife. This would assist WDBC in reaching its goal of 10% Biodiversity Net Gain in the habitat value of its green and wooded public open space by 2025.
2) Encourage sharing of resources and knowledge across the district with regard to best practices and repeatable and worthwhile projects to support biodiversity.
3) Increase pro-environmental behaviour across the borough through enabling individuals to feel more closely connected to nature.
4) Increase individual understanding of science through practical involvement with citizen science projects.

Structure:

• Small committee or working group at WDBC including interested/appointed councillors, climate officer or other officers with capacity to provide assistance with the initial startup of the scheme for a limited period (6 months?).
• Appointment of at least one coordinator to work with approximately 100 volunteers
• Communication and support from WDBC comms team for the scheme, amplifying the coordinator’s work.
• Ongoing support and oversight from the natural environment hub advisory group.

Cllr Lynn Daniel