Almost 10,000 people sign petition against Wirral's controversial dog bans

Wirral council’s Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) would see dogs banned from beaches and tourist hotspots, and since the consultation was announced earlier this month, there has been a public backlash.

At the time of writing, almost 10,000 people had signed a petition posted on Change.org, and the team behind it are hoping to hit 20,000 names by next week.

Responding to the petition, the council said any elements of the proposals that are opposed by “most people” will not be moved forward.

Sarah Ashworth

Sarah Ashworth started the campaign against the plans and called it Wirral Good Dogs.

Sarah, 30, who is from Heswall, said she “instantly heard alarm bells” when she heard about the proposals.

According to Sarah, the rules are unjust not least because there are so many “beautiful, unspoilt” open spaces in Wirral.

She said: “We believe the new rules are draconian and unjustified and will shut off these shares spaced to dog owners – something that will have a detrimental impact on our sense of community.”

The tough new measures include dogs being banned from certain areas altogether, as well as others where owners will now have to keep them on leads at all times.

The council said there will still be “over 20 miles of unrestricted beach” for letting dogs off the lead all year round, and outside of the summer season, dogs would be able to go anywhere on the bathing beaches.

She is now one of five dog owners behind the campaign, including a corporate lawyer and mental health expert, who raised health concerns about the proposals.

Sarah has three dogs herself and runs her own day care centre for the animals, and added: “Walking my dogs has become a big part of my social life, and it’s the same for many others in this community.

“Being able to walk our dogs in the great open spaces of the Wirral is hugely important.

"Some people don’t own a car or are elderly and struggle to travel so need places near to their homes where they are able to go.

“For a lot of people it’s a huge part of their lives. I have had messages from disabled people who cannot drive.

"They told me if the parks are taken away they will no longer have a reason for leaving the house.”

She said the “vast majority” of dog owners are responsible, and by implementing the PSPO, “the council will be criminalising behaviour that is not really criminal”.

The group are not asking to get the PSPO completely scrapped, but said: “We are a bunch of intelligent people asking for the council to apply some reasonable logic – look at each area and see if there is a problem.

"Where there is one, see if there is an alternative site where people can walk their dogs before any decisions are made.

“We believe that Wirral Council do not have valid grounds to introduce this measure.

"There has been no data provided, no survey results provided or assessment made for each individual area and there has been no attempt to work with the vast majority of responsible dog walkers to combat any issue.”

The new rules would also see dog owners fined for not carrying dog poo bags and that the number of dogs walked by a single person is six.

Sarah said: “The act that introduced this PSPO says that it’s to be proportionate to the problem.

"Our council has given us no evidence of any of the sites actually being problems, let alone whether these measures are proportionate.”

Responding to the petition, Cllr Matthew Patrick, cabinet member for environment, said it was “fantastic” so many people were engaging with the issue, and that “all comments and representations we receive will be looked at”.

He continued: “I cannot stress strongly enough that this is a genuine consultation.

"We will not make a decision on how we might move forward before we have heard what people think of the proposals – what they think might work, what they think definitely won’t.

"If there are elements of the proposals that most people disagree with, we won’t move forward with them, it’s as simple as that.

“I hope in the three weeks left of the consultation, many more people will complete the questionnaire and we end up with as many responses as possible.”

The consultation runs until next month.

The exact sites from which dogs could soon be banned are listed here: http://www.wirral.gov.uk/sites/default/files/all/environmental%20problems/Dog%20control/Proposed%20Sites%20for%20Dog%20Control%20Orders%20-%20June%202018.pdf

The Wirral Good Dogs petition can be found at https://www.change.org/p/wirral-council-stop-the-proposed-pspo-being-enforced-across-the-wirral

Wirral Good Dogs will be hosting a peaceful walk for anyone to show support for the petition at Birkenhead Park on Saturday, June 30 at 5pm.