PRESS RELEASE
Issued by:
Councillor Gill Gardiner
Cabinet Member for Environment
Date of Issue: January 25th 2008
Contact numbers:
625 2738
07803 065578

Council to give pat on the back to dog owners ‘Caught Doing Right'

Wirral Council last night gave the go-ahead for a novel scheme to reward dog owners who clean up after their pets in an attempt to reduce dog fouling on Wirral's streets.

Councillor Gill Gardiner, Wirral Council's Liberal Democrat Cabinet Member for Environment, who called for the scheme says,

“I'm delighted the Council has agreed to support these proposals.

“ Caught Doing Right campaigns are a fun and proactive way to encourage people to do the right thing for their community.

“Dog owners seen cleaning up after their dogs are rewarded with praise postcards, which can be posted to give the owners a chance to win a year's supply of dog food or one of the other top prizes.”

“We rightly complain about the minority of dog owners who don't clean up after their pets, but we don't give credit to the majority who do. Most people are never noticed for their attempts to better their environment.

“We will continue to pursue those who allow their dogs to foul our streets but, through a ‘Caught Doing Right' campaign, we would also like to recognise those who act responsibly.

Nine councils are already participating in the campaign, whose organisers cite dog mess as being in the top five areas of public concern. Despite enforcement with the issuing of Fixed Penalty Notices, the public often believe that no one actually seems to do anything.

The objectives of the campaign are two fold: firstly, to run a positive campaign to show the council does listen and is being proactive; secondly, to create awareness amongst owners that they are really being watched and hopefully encourage them to clean up.

Councillor Gardiner's proposals were agreed at last night's Full Council Meeting. ENDS

Editor's note:

‘Caught Doing Right' campaign website

Speech to Full Council Meeting February 18 2008

Councillor Gill Gardiner, Liberal Democrat Cabinet Member for Environment

‘Caught Doing Right'

Caught Doing Right campaigns are a proactive way to encourage people to do the right thing for their community. A national scheme which local authorities can sign up to, it promotes positive behaviour while creating awareness that people who are not doing right… will get caught too! So far 9 other councils including Bury, Liverpool, Dover , Trafford have signed up to help tackle dog fouling in their areas.

As I'm sure we are all aware dog fouling is one of the biggest sources of complaints by the public to local councils. In a recent residents' survey that I carried out, complaints about dog fouling easily topped the poll. It is important that we continue to do everything in our power to come down hard on the small, selfish minority of people who spoil the district's environment for the rest of us, by allowing their dogs to foul our streets, play areas and beaches.

Whilst we do have these irresponsible owners, it is also important to recognise that there are a great many more who respect their neighbourhood and clean up after their dog.

Unfortunately it is the minority of dog owners who don't clean up after their pets, that can give all dog owners a bad name and can lead to dogs being banned from community areas. This scheme gives credit to the majority of dog owners who do act responsibly, i.e. those people who are never noticed or thanked for respecting their environment.

Despite all the enforcement and issuing of Fixed Penalty Notices that is done, the public often believe that no one actually seems to do anything about the problem; enforcement officers can't be everywhere. The objectives of this campaign are two fold: firstly, to run a positive campaign to show the council does listen and is being proactive; secondly, to create awareness amongst all owners that they really are being watched and hopefully encourage them all to clean up.

Dog wardens and enforcement officers hand out Freepost post cards to any dog owner seen cleaning up after their dog. The card is then posted to the 'Caught Doing Right' scheme who enter them into a prize draw and also keep a record of the number of cards received from our area.

Under the scheme, each year national prizes are awarded; this year the top national prize is a year's supply of dog food.

In addition to this, Wirral can have its own local “Caught Doing Right” award. Local partners or businesses can be invited to sponsor an award. Obviously the bigger the prize fund, the higher the profile of the scheme, the greater the interest from the media and the more successful we will be at increasing good behaviour.

This new initiative is a positive reward scheme to encourage all dog owners to pick up their dog's mess. By approaching people who do get 'caught doing right' we not only get a chance to praise responsible dog owners but also to increase awareness among all dog owners of our presence, which should act as a deterrent for the minority who choose not to clean up.

I hope Council will support this motion.

What is it?
Caught Doing Right, is a positive reward scheme, run locally with national connections. Prizes are used to encourage people to join in, and promote the schemes.

Who runs it?
Local Authorities and Government Agencies. Enforcement officers hand out postcards to anyone they catch doing the right thing, keeping a record of how many they have issued. This figure is then utilised in your reporting system alongside other statistics, such as how many fixed penalty notices you have issued. Employers and schools can also benefit from our campaigns.

How does it work?
Once you register you will be sent a reference number that you write in the corner of each card you give out. The lucky person receiving the card then sends it (freepost) to our office. We will advise you how may entries we have for your scheme and enter them into the February 2008 draw.

How much does it cost?
For a initial small costs you can register and receive a starter pack, then you can spend as little or as much as you like building your individual scheme. St arter Pack contains g uidelines for the scheme, twelve posters and two hundred and fifty freepost cards.

What other resources are there?
There are many resources, for instance you can buy further post cards, pin badges, pens, pendants etc.. You might like to invest in a high profile launch or additional prizes.

Liberal Democrat Group

Notice of Motion - Full Council February 18 2008 more/

‘Caught Doing Right' campaign

This council notes that there remains an unacceptable level of dog fouling on the borough's streets that is not cleaned up by a minority of irresponsible dog owners.

Council also notes that the majority of dog owners do respect their environment and clean up after their dogs.

Council believes that whilst it is important to pursue those who offend, it is also important to recognise the behaviour of those dog owners who act responsibly.

This Council therefore requests officers to investigate Wirral's joining the growing number of local authorities such as Liverpool, Bury and Trafford who are participating in the national ‘Caught Doing Right' campaign for councils to encourage and reward people who are doing the right thing, and to report back to the relevant Scrutiny Committee by March 2008.

Moved by: Councillor Gill Gardiner

Seconded by: Councillor Ann Bridson