The RSPCA today warned that animals could suffer as
councils are being expected to deliver more welfare work with no
extra money.
Cash-strapped councils are legally obliged to run stray dog
services, care for pets belonging to owners in hospital, ensure
pets shops and kennels are properly licensed, and protect animals
from environmental health and noise issues. More recently they
were also tasked to tackle problems with fly-grazed horses and
will soon be expected to enforce even stricter conditions on an
even bigger range of animal establishments but with no extra
funding.
Rachel Williams, senior parliamentary advisor are the RSPCA
said: “Councils are under increasing pressure from budget cuts,
and, sadly, animal services are often the first to be
affected.”
There is no sign that demand for these services is reducing
and if anything councils are being asked to do more crucial
animal welfare work - with no extra funding.
“We are already seeing the impact of this in the number of
services being cut or outsourced, the number of previously
specialist animal welfare staff being given ever wider remits
and, in the most extreme cases, some local authorities abandoning
aspects of animal welfare provision altogether.
“We’re concerned that councils need more funds or animals
could suffer. Everyone involved, at all levels of government,
must start to recognise and value the work of the hardworking
staff involved in protecting animal welfare.”
An RSPCA
report - Ten Ideas in 10 Years - is released
today as the charity recognises local authorities for pioneering
initiatives to improve animal welfare through its PawPrints
Awards.
The RSPCA’s report features the 10 best examples of ideas
that have won the charity’s prestigious Innovator in Animal
Welfare Award in the last ten years since the RSPCA PawPrints
awards were created – innovation that makes a real and
lasting improvement to animal welfare without placing a huge
financial burden on the cash-strapped organisations who are
delivering them.
The 10 ideas:
1 Multi-agency working
2 Protecting equine welfare and tackling fly-grazing
3 Promoting responsible dog ownership
4 Ensuring the welfare of dogs in kennels
5 Tackling the illegal pet trade
6 Ensuring animals are not forgotten in contingency
planning
7 Protecting the welfare of pets in housing
8 Protecting vulnerable people – and their animals
9 Enforcement, education and prevention
10 Protecting farm animal welfare
Rachel Williams added: “The work that local authorities,
housing providers, contingency planners, the police and other
public sector organisations do to protect and improve animal
welfare is absolutely vital and should be recognised and
celebrated.
“However we feel there needs to be political will from
elected representatives to stop animal welfare services from
being sacrificed when budgets are tight or tightened further, and
crucially, there needs to be more money, more guidance and more
support from national governments to help protect animal welfare
services and dedicated animal welfare staff.”
The report released by the RSPCA marks the 10th anniversary
of the charity’s PawPrints Awards, and highlights the ten most
outstanding initiatives it has seen over the last decade that has
helped improve animal welfare.
This RSPCA celebrated the 10th anniversary of its PawPrints
Awards this evening at a special ceremony in London. As well as
celebrating the 97 Footprint Awards which were announced back in
September, two special anniversary awards were given. The
Innovator of the Decade was awarded to both the London Borough of
Wandsworth and the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities
Civil Contingencies and Resilience Unit, and the Innovator Award
was given to Forest of Dean District Council’s Street Warden
team.
