Blaenau Gwent keeps animal service and saves £30,000 a year (From South Wales Argus)

Blaenau Gwent keeps animal service and saves £30,000 a year

4:26pm Thursday 30th July 2009

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A VALLEYS council is to employ outside help as an alternative to its animal impounding service and save more than £30,000 a year.

Blaenau Gwent Council agreed to scrap the service in March this year that cost £56,000.

Since then a successful trial has been carried out whereby a local farmer acted as a standby 24/7 impounding service and charged the council for collecting stray animals.

The trial saw a reduction in calls and a reduction in straying animals in the area.

In a report presented to the council's environment and public protection scrutiny committee today it set out how the service works and recommended the committee agree to adopt the scheme.

The standby service provider (a local farmer/landowner) would have full use of the council pound in Brynmawr, as well as the authority's trailer and other equipment.

The council would also provide the standby service with a mobile phone and the number would be given to the police and council's contact centre so then can be called as and when they are needed.

The committee backed the report's proposal and the trial scheme will be taken onboard and run until the end of the current financial year, at a cost approximately £26,000 a year.

The person previously employed by the council's impounding service has accepted an alternative job within the environmental services department.

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