The RSPCA has offered a cautious welcome to UK Government plans for a shake-up of local government in England – in a move it hopes will make animal welfare enforcement “more joined-up, efficient and effective”.
The animal welfare charity works very closely with local authorities across England, with councils responsible for a raft of services including stray dog provision, regulating dog breeders and enforcing microchipping laws.
English Devolution Bill
On Monday (16th December), as part of a new English Devolution Bill, the UK Government will detail potential changes to England’s local government landscape. This is to include the merger of councils where two tiers of authority exist in a community, and the introduction of more locally-elected Mayors.
It follows findings from the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare (APGAW), which found almost half of councils in England do not have a single animal welfare officer.
Gingell: Service provision for animals can be patchy
Lee Gingell, RSPCA Public Affairs Manager for Local Government, said,
“Local authorities do so much for animal welfare – but we know service provision for animals can be patchy; and the response for pets, wildlife and farmed animals can vary dramatically from community to community.
“That’s why we’re giving a cautious welcome to plans to shake-up local government in England.
“If we get more consistency in how our councils look and run, we may finally end the postcode lottery for animals, and see better investment in services. There’s potential for this reform to ensure services for animals are more joined-up, efficient and effective – helping create a better world for every kind, and matching the UK Government’s public service reform ambitions.”
PawPrints awards
Earlier this year, the RSPCA recognised 107 public sector organisations – including to 61 separate councils – through its prestigious PawPrints awards, whose services go the extra mile for animal welfare.
And the RSPCA now hopes streamlining councils and the merging of some authorities may allow for services and enforcement best practices to be shared across a larger geographic area – potentially helping more animals.
The benefits of councils introducing shared service models has already led to successes for animals elsewhere – with Animal Licensing Wales, which encourages collaboration between animal licensing and enforcement officers across Wales, recently being honoured by the RSPCA’s PawPrints scheme.
Call for reform
In 2022, an APGAW report called for reform – saying that the local government structure in the country can make enforcement “fragmented”; with a lack of understanding and resources a persistent problem.
At the time, it found that 47% of councils in England do not have a single animal welfare officer in place dedicated to dealing with animal welfare issues – whereas 16% have between three and five officers, and 1% have more than that.
Gingell: We could see things really improve for animals
Lee added,
“We know there has been a real picture of inconsistency in England.
“But by consolidating animal welfare responsibilities under single authorities, we could see things really improve for animals; bringing real hope, and meaning more people and animals having access to services they can consistently rely on.“We’ve already seen some excellent examples of regional collaboration in helping to deliver pet-friendly policies, and better wildlife protection – and an English Devolution Bill could encourage more innovation, and sharing expertise beyond traditional council boundaries.
“But we know there will be challenges too – and any changes to local government in England must come with adequate funding, the protection of existing jobs and, in the long term, expansion of resources for animal welfare services; to ensure minimum standards are protected and enhanced.”
More information on the RSPCA’s work with local councils can be found online.
News shared by Suzanne on behalf of RSPCA. Ed
