The City of Wolverhampton Council is seeking to renew and expand existing restrictions on dog behaviour in public spaces through a public space protection order (PSPO) that aims to address the costs and challenges posed by stray dogs. The council plans to extend the city-wide PSPO for another three years, maintaining rules requiring dogs to be on leads in designated areas, with breaches subject to a £100 fine.
In addition to the current restrictions, the council is considering a new requirement for all dogs to wear collars displaying the owner’s name and address. This initiative is designed to reduce the number of stray dogs that the council must care for, often at significant expense.
Council representatives highlighted that dog wardens can only return stray dogs to their owners if the animal has up-to-date microchip details or identification tags. Without such information, the council is legally obligated to kennel stray dogs, incurring substantial costs.
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Since the PSPO’s initial approval in 2023, it has been due to expire at the end of September. The council’s cabinet is scheduled to meet on 2 September to consider its renewal for a further three years.
Statistics from the council indicate they manage between 280 and 350 stray dogs annually, with fewer than five per cent wearing identification tags. Rising kennel and warden expenses contributed to a £120,000 budget allocation last year.
Current PSPO stipulations include keeping dogs on leads near major roads-such as the city centre ring road and ten other A roads within Wolverhampton-within 100 metres of schools, and at specific locations like Bushbury’s Northycote Farm. Dogs are also prohibited from entering water features, including fountains, ponds, and splash pads, within parks, open spaces, town centres, nature reserves, and country parks controlled by the council.
Earlier this year, Wolverhampton Council enacted a separate three-year ban on street drinking, begging, and dangerous riding of e-scooters and e-bikes in the city centre, aiming to improve the area’s reputation. This order granted police additional powers to ban individuals from the city centre for 24 hours if they cause or are likely to cause nuisance, disorder, harassment, alarm or distress.
The council cited residents and businesses reporting persistent antisocial behaviour including drug use, street drinking, loitering, aggressive begging, and unsafe e-scooter and e-bike riding.
Furthermore, a three-year PSPO was introduced for Bentley Bridge Retail Park, empowering police to disperse groups of three or more if they are causing or likely to cause a nuisance. This measure addresses increased incidents of youth-related antisocial behaviour, violence, and shoplifting within the retail park.