Decision details

Petition regarding Dog Restrictions on Thanet Beaches

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: No

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Purpose:

An e-petition containing 27 valid signatures was received by the Council requesting that Thanet District Council immediately reverses its decision to continue to restrict dog walking on Thanet Beaches for one month.

 

The Council’s Constitution sets out the rules on petitions as follows:

“Ordinary petitions - those petitions signed by 25 or more petitioners but fewer than 650 will be presented to Council and referred to the Cabinet or another appropriate committee without debate, for report to the Council within three ordinary meetings.”

Decision:

Cabinet agreed recommendation 3.2 of the Cabinet report which was, not to change the current Dog Control Public Space Protection Order.

Reasons for the decision:

The Dog Control Public Space Protection Order was adopted under the provisions of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 including public consultation and agreement at Council, changes would then be in place for the duration of the order.  In order to amend these the consultation and adoption process would need to be completed.

 

As movement restrictions began to ease and people were allowed to travel to partake in exercise Thanet saw an increase in visitors to the beach areas.

 

Crucially, having such restrictions for dogs in place is a condition of the Blue Flag and Seaside Awards that a number of Thanet beaches have been awarded.

Alternative options considered:

Changing the Dog Control Public Space Protection Order through the legal route to take effect in 2021 was considered and rejected. This was not deemed appropriate as the time period the petition was referring to has since passed and movement restrictions have been lifted.

Publication date: 24/09/2020

Date of decision: 17/09/2020

Decided at meeting: 17/09/2020 - Cabinet

Effective from: 02/10/2020

Accompanying Documents: