Dog control in Knowsley: Have your say

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Dog control in Knowsley: Have your say

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Knowsley Council is seeking resident's views on strengthening dog control in the borough.

The Council is seeking to enhance the current Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), with a view to making our communities safer when it comes to dog control.

Originally introduced in 2014, the current Order has been in place for 10 years and enables officers to deal with dog control offences in a timely manner to the benefit of local communities across Knowsley.​

The current Order in place requires people in charge of dogs to:

• At all times carry a bag or other means of cleaning up after their dog

• Keep their dog on a lead at all times in Council-owned cemeteries, allotments and golf courses​

• Not take their dog into certain enclosed children's play areas, games areas, or areas used for sport and leisure​

• Remove their dog's mess if it fouls; and,​

• Put their dog on a lead if instructed to do so by an authorised officer.​

If an offence is witnessed the person in control of the dog will be offered a £100 Fixed Penalty Notice or face prosecution.

The updated PSPO would:

• Continue the borough wide exclusion of dogs from certain enclosed children's play areas, games areas, or areas used for sport and leisure and extend the Order to exclude dogs from any children's playground whether it is enclosed or not
• Continue the requirement for dogs to be placed on a lead if requested by an authorised officer
• Continue the requirement for dogs to always be on a lead in council owned cemeteries, golf courses and allotments and for the Order to be extended to include a requirement for dogs to be on a lead in all wooded areas
• Extend the order so a person responsible for a dog must keep their dog on a lead at all times on a carriageway, including adjoining footpaths, cycle tracks and verges
• Continue the requirement for any person in control of a dog in a public place to carry with them an appropriate means of collecting dog foul. Evidence of the means to collect would need to be provided to an authorised officer on request
• Continue with the requirement that a person responsible for a dog should remove its dog foul immediately
• Extend the order to restrict the number of dogs that can be walked by one person at any one time, whether on behalf of a business or themselves

How to share your views

The consultation period closes on Sunday 18 August 2024. There are a range of ways to express your views:

• Complete the survey online here

• Email: [email protected]

• Telephone: 0151 443 4712

• Write to: The Environmental Health Service, Huyton Municipal, Second Floor, Archway Road, Huyton, Knowsley, L36 9YU.

You can find out more about the consultation here.

Feedback from the consultation will be considered and used to inform decisions on renewing the measures to control dogs.

Cllr Shelley Powell, Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods, said: "The Council already works closely with Merseyside Police and other key partners, including Dogs Trust, to promote responsible dog ownership and to take action against illegal dog breeders or owners whose activities are having a detrimental impact on the local community. The proposed strengthening of the current PSPO would firmly place the emphasis on responsible dog ownership in Knowsley and will help make the borough a safer place to live and work."

You can find more information about the current PSPO here.

You can find some useful information about responsible dog ownership here.

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