Agenda item

The Committee was advised of two Motions that had been referred by the Council from the meeting held on 20^th March 2019 to the Overview and Scrutiny Board for further consideration.

1.            Tackling Dog Fouling and Nuisance

The Council Motion –

            “This Council notes that:

·            Though most dog owners are law-abiding, a small number of irresponsible owners still fail to clean up after their dogs or control them in public places

·            The law requires owners to clean up after their dogs in public places, to keep control of their pets, and to ensure their animal is micro-chipped and displays a dog collar with name and address of the owner

·            Under powers granted to the Council under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, this Council introduced a borough-wide Public Space Protection Order to replace five existing Dog Control Orders.

            In October 2014, following the adoption of a motion by Council, the Overview and Scrutiny Board looked at additional measures to combat dog fouling and nuisance, however, none were adopted.

            Council recognises that, with the passage of time, new innovative practices and the greater use of technology have in other local authorities had a proven impact in addressing these issues.”

The Council resolution –

Council resolved that the Overview and Scrutiny Board be asked to:

a.    Re-examine current examples of best practice, and the powers granted to it in recent legislation, to determine which could, and should, be adopted in this borough;

b.    Confer with The Dog Trust to establish the ways in which the Council might work in partnership with them to address dog fouling, promote micro-chipping, or otherwise improve animal welfare;

and then bring a report back on this matter to Council at the earliest opportunity.

RESOLVED that initial investigations be made into examples of best practice and the potential contribution of the Dog Trust, and the matter be considered further at the next meeting of the Board in conjunction with the Work Programme item.

2.            Tackling Speeding

The Council Motion –

“Council notes that speeding continues to be a factor in road collisions and that a pedestrian is four times more likely to die if they are hit by a vehicle travelling at forty miles per hour than they are at 30 mph.

It is therefore imperative the Council working with the Police and residents seek to reduce excessive vehicular speeds in this borough, especially outside schools, on minor residential roads and in rural areas.

Council believes that we should work with our residents’ groups to deter and catch offenders and that we should employ mobile technology in order to do so.”

The Council resolution –

Council resolved that the Overview and Scrutiny Board be asked to:

·            Identify, with the assistance of District Executives, local police and the Council’s highways officers, locations not currently equipped with a speed camera which might benefit from one for consideration by the Drive Safe Greater Manchester Casualty Reduction Partnership.

·            Explore the availability of funding to purchase and deploy mobile speed cameras to catch offenders, change driver behaviour and improve road safety.

·            Investigate how the Council and the police can work with community and residents’ groups to establish Community Speed Watch schemes and Community Concern speed enforcement sites in the Borough

·            Explore the merits of establishing ‘bus gates’ at sites outside schools and look at establishing a pilot project.  (‘Bus gates’ limit vehicular through traffic outside schools to cycles and local buses at the start and end of the school day, with a fixed penalty for transgressors.)

RESOLVED that further information and evidence be sought on the issues raised in the Motion, including the potential for further work with the police and the community, and the matter be considered further at the next meeting of the Board in conjunction with the Work Programme item.