Petition Dog Fouling outside Johnstone Credit Union Office
Renfrewshire Council · 2 June 2025
Back to Petitions Board — 2 June 2025 and its agenda
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To: Petitions Board On: 2 June 2025 Report by: Director of Finance and Resources Heading: Petition - Dog Fouling outside Johnstone Credit Union Office 1. Summary 1.1 The Council has agreed procedures in relation to the submission of petitions including parameters for determining valid petitions and those areas where petitions would not be valid. 1.2 All petitions are to be submitted to the Board for consideration. Where the Head of Corporate Governance does not consider a petition to be valid in terms of the Council’s Petitions Procedure a summary will be provided to the Board outlineing the reasons why. However, it is for the Board to determine the validity of such petitions. 1.3 A petition containing 191 signatures has been received from Ms M Bryce in the following terms: - “Urgent Request for Action on Persistent Dog Fouling Outside Johnstone Credit Union Office We, the undersigned members of Johnstone Credit Union, are writing to formally express our concern regarding the ongoing issue of dog fouling outside our office at 26 Church Street, Johnstone PA5 SOU. This problem has been persistent for some time, creating an unpleasant, unhygienic, and unsightly environment for our members, staff, and visitors. Despite efforts by our team, the lack of enforcement and adequate facilities to encourage responsible pet ownership has led to a continued accumulation of dog waste on the grass/pavements. This poses a health risk, particularly for children and elderly members who visit our office, and negatively affects the appearance of our local area. We kindly urge the council to take action to address and manage this issue. Potential solutions could include:
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• Increased enforcement of fines for irresponsible pet owners. • Clearer signage reminding dog owners of their responsibilities. • More waste bins and bag dispensers in the affected area. • Warden Patrols • Regular street cleaning to maintain hygiene We hope the council will take swift and effective action to resolve this matter and restore pride in our shared community spaces. We would appreciate an update on any planned measures and look forward to working together to ensure a cleaner, safer environment for all. Thank you for your attention to this issue. We look forward to your response.” 1.4 The Head of Corporate Governance has reviewed this petition and considers it valid in terms of the procedures. 1.5 The Council’s Environmental Health & Community Safety Manager has provided a response to the concerns raised in the petition and where appropriate suggested actions to resolve them. This response is set out in full at Appendix 1 to this report. 1.6 The role of the Board is to consider the petition and take the appropriate action in respect of the petition which will be one of the following: (a) that no action is taken, in which case the reasons will be specified and intimated to the petitioner; (b) that the petition be referred to the relevant director/and or policy board for further investigation, with or without any specific recommendation; or (c) refer the petition to another organisation if the petition relates to that organisation. 1.7 The principal petitioner, together with one supporter has been invited to attend the meeting. 2 Recommendation 2.1 That the Board considers the petition. 3. Implications of the Report 1. Financial – none 2. HR & Organisational Development – none 3. Community/Council Planning - none
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4. Legal – none 5. Property/Assets – none 6. Information Technology - none. 7. Equality & Human Rights - none The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety - none 9. Procurement - none 10. Risk - none. 11. Privacy Impact - none 12. Cosla Policy Position – not applicable. 13. Climate Risk – not applicable List of Background Papers (a) Background Paper - Petition Author: Euan Gray, Senior Committee Services Officer Tel: 0141 487 1099 Email: euan.gray@renfrewshire.gov.uk
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Petitions Board Response to Urgent Request for Action on Persistent Dog Fouling Outside Johnstone Credit Union Office. Dog fouling remains a significant issue within Renfrewshire, and more widely across the UK. It is unsightly, offensive, anti-social and can cause disease in humans. The Council is committed to addressing this issue through a combination of education, awareness raising and enforcement of the Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003. Previous campaigns to tackle dog fouling, most recently the Council’s Take The Lead campaign, aimed at responsible dog ownership and working together to reduce fouling and anti-social behaviour has resulted in significant improvements to many areas with reductions in dog fouling complaints being noted. However, it is recognised that this is not reflected across all areas and some of these see persistent fouling on footpaths and grass areas, including within parks. Dog fouling has been recognised by the Council, with £30,000 being allocated to an awareness campaign during 2025/26 and Officers are currently working on developing this to maximise awareness of the negative impacts which dog fouling has on communities. To inform the awareness campaign, it is the intention to offer a survey to Community Councils and this will be extended to other interested groups, such as the Johnstone Credit Union. It is recognised that better reporting procedures for dog fouling is required and work is also under way to develop this, making the Council website clearer with easier routes for incidents of dog fouling to be reported. This will include submission of private CCTV footage in attempts to identify irresponsible dog owners who do not pick up after their dog. There is potential for Fixed Penalty Notices to be issued through the submission of such video evidence. It is also the intention that a revised/relaunch of the wider responsible dog ownership strategy will take place this year with the new strategy being presented to the Council’s Communities and Housing Policy Board for approval. As part of our overall strategy to tackle dog fouling and to raise awareness of this, signage is erected in streets upon request; these generally being attached to street furniture, principally lampposts. As part of the awareness campaign being developed, we are considering more effective and high profile signage which will have greater impact within communities. Neighbourhood Services has recently reviewed the provision of street litter bins in Renfrewshire to explore ways of enhancing service delivery and focusing more effectively on litter management. As part of this initiative, a pilot of innovative Solar Compactor Bins will be launched in Paisley Town Centre. These bins significantly Appendix 1
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increase waste capacity and integrate digital technology to optimise operational efficiency and to take account of seasonality fluctuations the pilot will run for around 12 months from June 2025. It should be noted that dog fouling, when bagged, can be deposited within any litter bin and the Council is moving away from dedicated bins for dog fouling. The requirement for bins within any area is balanced with frequency of servicing these and it is recognised that the Council cannot place unlimited numbers of bins across Renfrewshire. It is noted however, that the absence of a bin however, does not excuse individuals leaving dog fouling and part of responsible dog ownership includes waste disposal within a suitable receptacle (either a litter bin, or taking this home). The Council operates a street cleaning programme on a cyclical basis to maintain streets to meet cleanliness standards and Johnstone Town Centre is litter picked every day. There are mechanical sweepers which are used to clean footpaths on a regular basis across our towns and villages. Ultimately, it is an offence for any person to fail to immediately remove faeces from any public place under the terms of the Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003 (with some exceptions). Where Enforcement Officers (either Police Scotland or Local Authority Authorised Officers) have reasonable grounds for suspecting a person of having committed this offence, they can issue those persons with a Fixed Penalty Notice, currently £80, increasing to £100 where the original FPN is not paid within 28 days. Analysis of dog fouling complaints and resultant patrols has been undertaken and since 1 January 2024 to 22 May 2025 it is noted there has only been two complaints (one on 23 July 2024 and the other on 20 September 2024) about dog fouling received by the Service, both from the same person at the Johnstone Credit Union. During this period Community Support Officers have undertaken a total of 580 patrols across both Johnstone ward areas during this same period. Due to the nature of these patrols, which cover a large area, it is not possible to map each specific patrol route individually. It is therefore not possible to determine what number of patrols will have specifically visited the area of Church Street to monitor the Dog Fouling, however it is common practice to prioritise identified areas of concern intensively for 3-4 weeks after initial complaints, followed by ongoing but less frequent monitoring over a longer period thereafter. No Fixed Penalty Notices were issued during this period. It is recognised that there are difficulties for Officers to attend the time offences occur to witness them; this is readily illustrated through the above numbers. From experience, where Officers are in attendance, the majority of people do pick up the dog fouling, rather than risk a fine. Low fine rates are noted across the country and highlights the practical difficulties in enforcement.
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As advised earlier and to assist with effective enforcement, the Council is considering means to make reporting easier. Officers are also considering the use of complainant sourced video evidence (such as doorbell camera footage) of someone failing to pick up after their dog, or witness statements and will consider the robustness of any evidence/statement provided. Depending on this, a fixed penalty notice may be issued using submitted evidence. Ultimately, enforcement cannot resolve this matter and to do so will require a combination of awareness raising and education to promote behavioural change, with this being supported through effective enforcement.