The work that the Independent Alliance campaign does includes knocking on doors throughout the borough twice a week and discussing the issues that the people of the area are concerned about and one thing that is high on the agenda where ever we go is irresponsible dog owners.

People are infuriated by the piles of dog muck that festoon every footpath, back lane and grass verge. They complain bitterly about owners who allow their dogs to run free through parks, cemeteries and children’s play grounds. They ask constantly what the council is doing to prevent this.

Like most councils, South Tyneside has bye-laws but they are flouted and very few people take any notice of them because it’s evidentthat the council doesn’t enforce them effectively. The two - yes two - dog wardens have issued only handful of fixed penalty tickets since the bye-laws came into being and clearly this has had no effect on irresponsible dog owners.

The Independent Alliance decided to once again raise this issue on behalf of local residents and moved a notice of motion at February’s meeting of the Full Council.

We proposed:

“We call upon South Tyneside Council to implement the dog bye-laws by beginning a series of week long events when the Dog wardens, the Community wardens and any other suitably trained officer will patrol an area and issue fixed penalty notices to any member of the public found to be contravening the bye-laws. We further move that the first areas be as follows: South Marine Park, Readhead Park, Braemar Drive, Helmsley Road, Highfield Road, Calf Close and the approaches to Jarrow West Park.”

At the council meeting on Thursday 25th February 2010 Cllr Jane Branley carefully outlined all the bye-laws that dog owners ignored and explained the proposal in depth. What did our Labour leader of the council, Cllr Iain Malcolm, do in the face of this proposal based upon the opinions of hundreds of members of the public? He moved an amendment! This said;

Delete all after Council insert ‘Council to vigorously enforce the dog bye-laws and to plan a Borough media campaign warning residents of the fines that can be imposed on irresponsible dog owners’.

If it’s as vigorous as what is happening to date it will be a total waste of time. That is if they do anything different at all. Dog owners must be whining with fear, their dogs certainly won’t be!

Unfortunately this is typical of the Labour Group. The Independent Alliance are the only councillors who put forward proposals at the Council meeting. The Labour Group led by Cllr. Iain Malcolm always opposes them, more worrying is that Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Progressives and ‘Real’ Independents always support the Labour Group. They have nothing to suggest themselves but fall over backwards to make sure they do the Labour leader’s bidding.

Any idea why? Well most of them are in his pocket and are dependent upon his largess for the free trips and the social events tagged onto everything from the Catherine Cookson Parade to the Remembrance Services, and of course to all the vice chairs of committees they now hold boosting their allowances to over £11,000!

The Independent Alliance can not be bought. We were elected by you to oppose the Labour Group and that is what we do. We always base our opposition on what you are telling us when we talk to you on the doorstep. When did you last have the chance of telling your councillor what you think?

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