£100 dog-control fines to remain in RCT for three more years
Dog-control rules across Rhondda Cynon Taf will remain in force for another three years after the council's cabinet approved an extension. A breach can lead to a £100 fixed penalty notice.
Dog-control orders
- Extension
- 3 years
- Consultation support
- 89%
- Fixed penalty
- £100
- Latest published fouling measure
- 10.9% in 2022/23
The public spaces protection orders require people to clean up dog mess immediately, carry suitable bags and put a dog on a lead when directed by an authorised officer. Dogs are excluded from schools, children's play areas and marked council sports pitches, while leads are required in council cemeteries.
What the consultation found
The council says 89% of people who responded supported renewing the orders and each individual rule received more than 88% support. It did not publish the number of responses in its decision announcement, so the percentage cannot be converted into a respondent total.
An 89% support figure leaves 11% across all other responses. That does not show how many people opposed renewal, abstained or chose another answer because the full response breakdown was not included.
What earlier monitoring showed
When the consultation opened in June, the council said dog fouling had been recorded at 18% of monitored locations in 2017, 8.9% in 2021/22 and 10.9% in 2022/23. The change from 18% to 10.9% is a fall of 7.1 percentage points, or about 39%.
The 2022/23 figure was two percentage points higher than the previous year, and the council has not supplied a newer measurement in the extension announcement. The figures therefore show the earlier direction of travel rather than current conditions.
Aberdare Park order also extended
Cabinet also extended a separate order requiring dogs to be kept on leads in Aberdare Park for three years. The wider dog-control orders were first introduced in October 2017.