To review and approve revised charges for animal licensing in accordance with the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018.

25.1          The report of the Interim Environmental Health Manager, circulated at Pages No. 11-14, sought to review and approve revised charges for animal licensing in accordance with the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. The proposed fees and charges were attached to the report at Appendix 1.

25.2          The Committee was advised that the Regulations had come into force in 2019 and whilst the team had registered applications over the last two years the fees had not been looked at in detail. The fees charged should be a reflection of the amount of work undertaken covering both administration and enforcement. A detailed review had been undertaken which had led to the proposed revised fees. In addition to this, it was a legal requirement for local authorities to carry out inspections on animal licensing premises; previously this had been undertaken by the Environmental Health team under grandfather rights – those rights had now expired so there was a need to ensure the Council had a sufficient number of trained staff within the service area (either Licensing or Environmental Health) in order to carry out the function.

25.3          A Member questioned how many dog breeding establishments there were in the Borough. In response, the Interim Environmental Health Manager indicated that there were five or six registered establishments but it was an unfortunate consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic that theft of dogs and disreputable breeding of dogs was increasing and there were a number of complaints that Officers were currently dealing with in that regard. In terms of shortages of Officers to cover the Licensing team and enforcement, the Interim Environmental Health Manager explained that there was not currently a post in the establishment for licensing enforcement and this was being considered as part of the licensing service review. In the short term, she was arranging for three members of the Environmental Health team to undertake the training on animal licensing so they could carry out the inspections. The service review needed to consider all essential parts of the licensing service – it should be impacted by the introduction of online applications which would change the workload of the service significantly so there were some areas that would be left until later in the review to ensure the impacts could be properly taken into account - however, enforcement was something that would need to be considered early in the review. The government had flagged up regulatory responsibilities and priorities for the next 12 months and licensing featured in that so it was essential the Council had sufficient enforcement staff to look at all aspects, particularly as things reopened after the pandemic. In terms of animal licensing enforcement, the Regulations specified the enforcement levels – normally the Council would give a warning and then take action. To date, Tewkesbury Borough Council had not taken any action but it worked closely with the RSPCA and Police to investigate allegations of poor welfare of animals and it was then the RSPCA that normally took any action required. In terms of dog breeding, this was defined in the Act as either having up to three litters within a 12-month period or someone operating breeding as a business for profit.

25.4          A Member questioned whether kennels and catteries that had been inspected would have something on their website to say they were licensed by Tewkesbury Borough Council. In response, the Interim Environmental Health Manager advised that this would not necessarily be the case. The Council did not currently display a register on the website – although people could ask to see it – but once all privacy notices were up to date the register of animal licences would be made available on the Council’s website. In terms of the fee increases, the Committee was advised that consultation would be undertaken but, as the Council was required to have fees based on how long it took to carry out the functions, there would not be much that could be said about the level of fees.

25.5          Upon being proposed and seconded, it was

                 RESOLVED           That the revised fees and charges for animal licensing under                                 the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals)                                     (England) Regulations 2018, as set out in Appendix 1 to the                                  report, be APPROVED.