BOROUGH chiefs might have to shell out £25,000 to expand their dog warden service.
New Government legislation means the council will probably have to fund extra kennels and out-of-hours work in collecting stray dogs.
Ellesmere Port dog warden Frank Woodland has been a one-man service since he took on the role in 1981.
Now support staff might have to be hired, according to a council report.
The report explains: “The Clean Neighbourhoods & Environment Act (CNEA) 2005 transfers sole responsibility for stray dogs to local authorities.
“Currently, that role is shared with the police, with out-of-hours stray dogs being accepted at the police station.
“We are still awaiting exact guidance on how the stray dog and financial arrangements of the CNEA will be made.
“At worst, we will need to provide for the collection for strays 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This could take effect from April 2008.
“Additional costs will be associated with extending the service currently available, and the kennelling of additional strays collected by us.”
Environment unit staff says the current kennelling cost is £8,500 a year, but would increase by £3,000 a year under the new rules.
And £22,000 a year would be needed for support staff for Mr Woodland, including an out-of-hours service specified by the CNEA. This will be renewed next year once the full implications of the Act is known.
The report adds: “The dog warden service has always been one-man, and has consistently been the source of tension between the community and the council.
“Dog control issues are highly emotive and range from dangerous dogs, strays, noisy dogs to dog fouling.
“The new legislation recognises these issues and puts greater emphasis on the work undertaken by local councils.”
