FOI request (FOIR-855032755)

  If information is not held for both years, please provide the most recent year for which it is held.  

Please provide the following information:

  For each financial year, please provide: a. The number of full-time equivalent staff whose role included animal welfare enforcement, animal activity licensing, dog control, stray dog enforcement, or related animal welfare responsibilities. b. Whether the council had a dedicated animal welfare officer, animal licensing officer, dog warden, stray dog officer, or equivalent role.

a. the total number of recorded complaints, reports or service requests received by the council relating to animal welfare, animal activity licensing, stray dogs, dog control, or suspected unlicensed animal activity.  

If these are recorded under separate categories, please provide the figures using the council’s existing recorded categories.  

3.           INSPECTIONS AND VISITS  

a. the total number of recorded inspections or visits carried out by the council relating to animal activity licensing, animal welfare, dog control, or suspected unlicensed animal activity.  

c. The number of animal activity licence applications refused.

d. The number of licences suspended or revoked.  

If possible, please provide these figures by activity type, for example dog breeding, pet selling, dog boarding, cat boarding, home boarding, dog day care, hiring out horses, and keeping/training animals for exhibition. If this breakdown is not held, please provide the total figures held.  

a. the total number of recorded formal enforcement actions taken by the council relating to animal welfare, animal activity licensing, dog control, or suspected unlicensed animal activity.  

This may include written warnings, improvement notices, compliance notices, suspension notices, revocations, simple cautions, prosecutions, or other formal enforcement action.

a. the number of prosecutions brought by the council relating to animal welfare, animal activity licensing, dog control, or suspected unlicensed animal activity.  

b. The council’s recorded income from animal activity licensing fees.  

If these figures are not held separately, please state “not separately recorded”.  

  Please answer Yes/No for each partner type where held. Please do not provide personal contact details.   If any of the information requested is not held, not centrally recorded, or not separately identifiable within the appropriate cost limit, please mark the relevant field as “not held” or “not separately recorded”.        

Please accept my apologies for the delay in responding. 

Please provide the following information:

1. STAFFING AND CAPACITY For each financial year, please provide:

a. The number of full-time equivalent staff whose role included animal welfare enforcement, animal activity licensing, dog control, stray dog enforcement, or related animal welfare responsibilities.

b. Whether the council had a dedicated animal welfare officer, animal licensing officer, dog warden, stray dog officer, or equivalent role. Please answer Yes/No and provide the job title where held.

Answer: 1 x Licensing Officer – for animal activity licensing only.

2. COMPLAINTS, REPORTS AND SERVICE DEMAND For each financial year, please provide:

a. the total number of recorded complaints, reports or service requests received by the council relating to animal welfare, animal activity licensing, stray dogs, dog control, or suspected unlicensed animal activity. If these are recorded under separate categories, please provide the figures using the council's existing recorded categories.

Answer:

2024/2025 – 1 x animal activity licensing complaint

2025/2026 – 1 x animal activity licensing complaint

3. INSPECTIONS AND VISITS For each financial year, please provide:

a. the total number of recorded inspections or visits carried out by the council relating to animal activity licensing, animal welfare, dog control, or suspected unlicensed animal activity.

Answer:

2024/2025 – 6 x inspections animal activity licensing

2025/2026 – 5 x inspections animal activity licensing

4. ANIMAL ACTIVITY LICENSING For each financial year, please provide:

a. The number of animal activity licences in force at the end of the financial year.

Answer: 

2024/2025 – 12

2025/2026 – 12

b. The number of animal activity licence applications received.

Answer:

2024/2025 – 6

2025/2026 – 6 (these include renewal applications)

c. The number of animal activity licence applications refused.

Answer:

2024/2025 – 0

2025/2026 – 0

d. The number of licences suspended or revoked.

Answer:

2024/2025 – 0

2025/2026 – 0

If possible, please provide these figures by activity type, for example dog breeding, pet selling, dog boarding, cat boarding, home boarding, dog day care, hiring out horses, and keeping/training animals for exhibition. If this breakdown is not held, please provide the total figures held - N/A

5. ENFORCEMENT ACTION For each financial year, please provide:

a. the total number of recorded formal enforcement actions taken by the council relating to animal welfare, animal activity licensing, dog control, or suspected unlicensed animal activity. None This may include written warnings, improvement notices, compliance notices, suspension notices, revocations, simple cautions, prosecutions, or other formal enforcement action. If possible, please provide a breakdown by type of enforcement action. If this breakdown is not held, please provide the total figure held.

Answer: Hastings Borough Council contract out the Stray Dog Service but this is not Stray Dog Enforcement only the collection of stray dogs.

6. PROSECUTIONS For each financial year, please provide:

a. the number of prosecutions brought by the council relating to animal welfare, animal activity licensing, dog control, or suspected unlicensed animal activity.

Answer: None

7. BUDGET AND RESOURCES For each financial year, please provide:

1. The council's recorded budget for animal welfare enforcement, animal activity licensing, dog control, stray dogs, or related animal welfare functions. b. The council's recorded income from animal activity licensing fees. If these figures are not held separately, please state “not separately recorded”.

 

Answer: 

 

2024 budget: £38,060

 

2025 budget: £38,220

 

No income received for both years

8. PARTNERSHIP WORKING Please confirm whether the council has any recorded partnership arrangement, protocol, memorandum of understanding, service level agreement, or regular operational working arrangement relating to animal welfare enforcement, animal activity licensing, stray dogs or dog control with any of the following:

• Police - No

• RSPCA - No

• Other animal welfare charities or rescue organisations - No

• Veterinary practices or veterinary inspectors – YES – animal activity licensing

• Other local authorities - No