The Leader of the Opposition and of the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has described as ‘poo’ the disappointing response eventually received from Oldham Council to his suggestion that the successful PooWatch scheme be introduced to Oldham Borough.
Councillor Sykes wrote to senior Council officers in January 2016 about the PooWatch scheme just then introduced in Worcester. He explained: “PooWatch is a free web app for smartphones, tablets and personal computers. Through the Poowatch app, residents can record any dog litter they spot in the city. The information they provide helps identify dog litter hotspots so action can be targeted in areas of greatest need.”
After ten months, a report was finally brought to the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Board in November 2016. Promisingly, the Board was informed that:
“Here in Oldham the use of a GIS system and a GPS locating mechanism for a device as a reporting facility is currently being explored. When this has been finalised it is proposed to examine the potential to link in a reporting mechanism for dog fouling that could mirror the Worcester example.”
“Once timescales and resources are highlighted officers will be able to make more meaningful contact with equivalents in Worcester to expand our knowledge as to how they have supported the technology with resources and if there are any lessons learnt that will allow Oldham to improve its reporting mechanisms for residents.”
Councillor Sykes was therefore disappointed to hear early this month that moves towards the introduction of a PooWatch scheme in Oldham have been stifled.
After asking for a progress report Councillor Sykes received an email from Ray Ward, Executive Director, Corporate and Commercial, he was informed that the Council is championing an Environmental Health project “developing online reporting for a number of transactions including fly tipping and noise nuisance. This is due to go online in the next three to six months. This does not currently include dog poo as other high volume transactions have been prioritised by the service.”
Councillor Sykes described the decision not to tackle dog fouling as a priority as “Poo”.
He added: “Local Councillors get more complaints from the public about dog fouling than most other issues. PooWatch empowers the public to take action by using a smart phone to report real incidents of dog fouling in real time to enable prompt action to be taken against irresponsible dog owners and to contribute to both a more co-operative and a cleaner Borough. It has proven to be a value for money, effective solution in Worcester so why can’t we have it here?”