wightdogs.com ISLE of WIGHT DOGS and OWNERS

This thread is referring to 2008/2009 figures. The 2009/2010 figures where the dog wardens issued zero Fixed Penalty Notices can be found here

We are getting some interesting results to Freedom of Information Act requests made to the council  through the whatdotheyknow website. Click here for the request & reply

During the last twelve months (08/09) the 5 dog wardens on the Island have only issued a total of 11 Fixed Penalty Notices for dog fouling.

Of which only one was for fouling on the street - and that one ended up being contested in court and the individual was found not guilty. Bringing the failed prosecution cost us £347.

Here is a list of the locations where fines were issued:

1 Outside of Appley Park, Ryde

2 Outside of toilets in Appley, Ryde

3 By the side of Ryde Harbour wall

4 Simeon Street, Ryde recreation ground

5 La Falaise car park, Ventnor

6 Big Meade, Shanklin

7 Seaview end of Duver, on beach

8 Lower part of Ventnor park

9 Cycle path from Cowes to Newport

10 Northwood Park, Cowes

11 Simeon Street, Ryde

Therefore there were zero FPNs issued for dogs fouling in the streets for a whole year!

Based on this evidence we fail to see how the council can justify that a dog fouling problem even exists on the Island.

ten fines in a year?!?

so that is only two fines handed out by each of the five dog wardens in a year?!?

one fine every six months, no wonder we never see them is it? try requesting how much they are costing us for this dazzling performance next

The one that went to court and was found innocent was in Simeon Street in Ryde.

We would like to find out who the person involved was in order to get some details of this false allegation.

Anybody with any details please contact us mail@wightdogs.com

How many of the alleged dog fouling fines have only been paid for fear have being found guilty in court and ending up with a criminal record which could effect future employment prospects.

So how much does it cost us  to employ 5 dog wardens who between them only manage to issue 10 dog fouling fines in a year?

Watch this space

http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/dog_wardensdog_bins_costs

UPDATE

Answer:

£93,585 per annum to employ the dog wardens (£9,358 per fine)

http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/dog_wardensdog_bins_costs#incoming-46999

We have now established that the cost incurred by the council of bringing the failed prosecution for dog fouling was  £347.07 however they have stated that the defendant had to pay £50 towards that total sum in respect of the offence of failing to give details to anauthorised officer, to which he pleaded guilty.

He ended up being taken to court for an offence of which he wasn't guilty, therefore I am hardly surprised he wouldn't give his details to a dog warden who was accusing him.

Under the circumstances I am of the opinion the council should reimburse him. (we assume the individual is male due to the council using the term "he")

http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/cost_of_the_only_prosecutionunsu#incoming-44431

And dont forget the cost of buying and running vehicles for the dog wardens. Given the current economic climate it is enevitable that their are going to have to be cuts made in areas that are not show to be providing value for money.  And employing five peolple who only hand out 10 fines in a year. If each fine brings in £50, so that is £500 less the £300+ that the failed prosecution cost us, I can hardly see how this is either viable or sustainable.

We have now requested the number of Fixed Penalty Notices, issued by the Isle of Wight

council, for dog fouling, during the 12 months periods:

• 1st. October 2006 until 30th September 2007 
• 1st. October 2007 until 30th September 2008

In order to add these to the statistics already obtain to build up a picture of the ongoing perfomance of the Island dog warden service.

http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/fixed_penalty_notices_for_dog_fo#outgoing-35210

This information and all of our Freedom Of Information requests and responses

can be found here

Only 1 fine was given out for having a dog on the beach in a whole year?

This is the evidence the council put forward to justify the blanket ban on Ryde beach at last nights meeting of the ryde town council.

1???

Yes and that single fine was issued to no other than me.

The IW council stated at the meeting on 1st Feruary that the reason for thiswas that they were unable to issue fines because the current ban was unenforceable.

So how is it that the ban was unenforceable for everone else yet it was enforceable for me alone? The person who has been critising and embarrassing the IW council and the Dog Wardens permormance on this website.

Dont worry there will be plenty more about this coming out on wightdogs....Watch this space.

The council having now abandoned the proposed beach ban at Saint Helens are to decide at a meeting of the Cabinet tomorrow (13th April) whether to implement the ban, to mean low Water mark, on Ryde Sands.

This decision was supposed to be a delegated decision taken by the Cabinet Member for Fire and Community safety, however after wightdogs.com corresponded at length with him regarding this draconian ban, it emerged that he shared the view of us the residents, the Ryde Town Council and the IW council members whose wards include Rydes beaches that the proposed ban was unnecessary.

This was the decision that he, the decision maker, came to. Yet we now appear to find ourselves in the position of the council having decided that wasn't acceptable and the decision will now be taken by the full Cabinet, assumably so they can come to the decision that the decision maker was supposed to.

 Ironically in a document which has been produced by the council setting out their version of the case for the ban, they have stated under the heading:  Background

"The 2006/07 Residents Survey and ongoing feedback from other forums indicated   

that dog fouling is a problem on the Island"

Things must be getting rather desperate at County Hall if the only evidence they can produce is a survey which is four years out of date, yet was this survey stating that the fouling problem (which existed 4 years ago) was confined to Ryde Sands? Or was it indicating, as is a lot more probable, that a fouling problem existed on the streets?

Either way this thread is highlighting the FACT that the councils own Dog service only succeeded in handing out 10 fines for fouling over the entire island in a twelve month period. How could this be so if the council were aware 4 years ago that this fouling problem existed. Why was nothing done? And why are the Dog Services pathetic failings in the intervening period  being produced, 4 years later, as a reason to exclude us from Ryde beach? And could it have anything to do with Blue Flag Awards?

Is this worthy evidence for officers of this council, that we the council tax payers are funding, to produce for the scrutiny of the Cabinet as justification for excluding us residents from a vast area of beach where dogs have always been permitted?

wightdogs.com recent correspondence regarding the decision to be taken on Ryde Sands by the Cabinet on 13th April can be read in this thread in the forums

You will recall that following a FOI request we reported  that during the twelve months (08/09) the 5 dog wardens on the Island had only successfully issued a total of 10 Fixed Penalty Notices for dog fouling. And of those 10 FPNs 5 were issued in Ryde.

We have now established that this was incorrect as following another FOI request by a relative of mine it appears that these 5 FPNs were not actually issued by the dog wardens at all but assumably by other enforcing officers of the council.

In fact it appears to have come to light that only one single Fixed Penalty Notice, for any offence under the Dog Control Orders, was issued in Ryde by the dog wardens during this twelve month period, and that was the FPN issued to me the author of this website.