Page 17 - Phonebox Magazine January 2007

Councillor Corner
A contribution from Councillor Steve Clark
Junk in the river
On a cold and frosty morning at the beginning of November the local Sub Aqua Club again cleaned the River Ouse from the North Bridges to the junction with the River Lovat –and then upstream to the Iron Bridge.
As well as removing the usual collection of discarded items (two cycles, fishing tackle, traffic cones, wheels, bottles, tins and plastic) they also attacked the trees growing in the water and impeding the flow. The job was a difficult one and the town owns a vote of thanks to the Sub Aqua Club members for doing this difficult, but necessary work.The result is the river flows better, and looks better – moving one step closer to the kind of river Newport Pagnell would like to see. n
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Phonebox Magazine 17
The Animal Welfare Act 2006
It may seem hard to believe in a nation well known for its love of animals that most of the legislation covering the welfare of animals dates back to 1911, when The Protection of Animals Act was made law. Fortunately this somewhat outdated Act will not reach its centenary as it is due to be replaced by The Animal Welfare Act, which received Royal Assent on Wednesday 8th November 2006 and is due to become law on 6th April 2007.
It is hoped that The Animal Welfare Act will improve the welfare of all animals by tightening the legislation that protects them. There are three main areas which the Act will tackle. Firstly, it will give welfare professionals greater powers to investigate incidents of cruelty and neglect. Secondly, it will enable action to be taken earlier to help animals kept in unsuitable conditions or without the care they need. Thirdly, it will increase the penalties faced by people who are found guilty of breaking animal welfare laws. The later is of particular interest to me. As Chairman of the UK’s largest equine charity, I am often frustrated by the ludicrously weak penalties available to magistrates when a welfare prosecution case goes to court. The financial penalties imposed on guilty parties are often significantly less than the cost of preparing a case and taking it to court. It remains to be seen how effective the new legislation will become when it passes into law!
The Animal Welfare Act passed reasonably smoothly and successfully through the complex stages of the parliamentary process, largely because of widespread support across the main political parties. Whilst there has been some debate over a few specific details within the Act, its main function, to tighten the laws which protect our animals, has not been questioned. The initial enforcement of a new law is never a straightforward process and there will no doubt be a number of test cases that come to law before we can establish exactly what can and cannot be achieved under the new Act.
The key elements of the new Act are as follows: - It will
l reduce animal suffering by enabling preventive action to be taken before suffering occurs
l place on people who are responsible for domestic and companion animals a duty requiring them to do all that is reasonable to ensure the welfare of their animals
l extend the existing power to make secondary legislation to promote the welfare of farmed animals to non-farmed animals, bringing legislation for non- farmed animals in line with that for farmed animals
l deter persistent offenders by strengthening penalties and eliminating many loopholes in the current system. For example, those causing unnecessary suffering to an animal will face up to 51 weeks in prison, a fine of up to £20,000, or both
l simplify the legislation for enforcers and animal keepers by consolidating over 20 pieces of legislation into one
l increase from 12 to 16 the minimum age at which a child may buy an animal, and prohibit the giving of pets as prizes to unaccompanied children under the age of 16
l ban mutilations of animals, with certain specified exemptions
It is likely that the new legislation will place additional requirements on local authorities, including Milton Keynes Council. However, it seems unlikely that HM Government will allocate additional resources to carry out these additional duties. No doubt it will be left largely to charitable organisations such as the RSPCA and Redwings Horse Sanctuary to pick up the tab as they do now! n
l extend to companion
animals welfare codes agreed by Parliament, a mechanism currently used to provide guidance on welfare standards for farmed animals
l strengthen and amend current
offences related to animal fighting
l increase the effectiveness of law enforcement for animal welfare offences
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CONTACT INFORMATION
Cllr Stephen Clark, 32 Dagnall Road, Olney, Bucks MK46 5BJ
Telephone, SMS text or fax: 01234 711743*
Or email: stephen.clark@milton-keynes.gov.uk *You can now contact me by SMS text message to the number above.