How will the council enforce any new Dog Control Orders?
Authorised officers will have the power to require the name and address of any person who has breached a Dog Control Order for the purpose of issuing a fixed-penalty notice. It will be an offence for a person either to fail to give that information, or to give false or inaccurate information. Failure to do so could result in a fine of £1000.
So now we can now be fined £1000 for refusing top give our names :rolleyes:
http://www.northampton.gov.uk/site/scri ... geNumber=7
Our local lot are in the consultation phase now, 28 day statutory minimum period started 15th Dec so everyone and their dog is busy doing christmas stuff and won't bother writing in to complain. "Authorised officials" will be doing DEFRA training courses at tax payer expense. An army of new dog control police at what cost? How much all the signs, policing and subsequent legal costs will rob the tax payer of is anyone guess. Reading the legislation the gov said it would be "self funding" meaning the £75 or £80 FPN will pay for it all, targeting innocent people exercising their dogs to pay for this dastardly revenue gathering scheme.
How do they do that?
By introducing the "dogs on leads *insert your council* order 2008" and declaring your local dog exercise spot as a must be on lead area! They're making a whole new ahem "heritage" country park a must be on lead area, this place is criss crossed by public footpaths, public rights of way where dog walkers have been exercising their dogs for years. Not for much longer I fear.
I've written a bunch to the council about loads of specific areas, and done a load of hand outs I intend to give other dog walkers when I'm out anyway.
Any ideas how else to tackle this during the consultation period? only 3 weeks left.
Bub