Wise Councils – RSPCA rewards local efforts for animal welfare

Thursday, 27 October 2011 5:18 PM

A Baroness, two secretaries of state, ministers and MPs have all helped congratulate local authorities which do their best for animals.

The RSPCA Community Animal Welfare Footprints (CAWF) 2011 – held at the House of Lords - promote good animal welfare practice in local government and housing through ‘Footprint’ awards.

The ceremony was hosted by Baroness Fookes of Plymouth, and attended by over 150 representatives from the 99 organisations from across the country whom had put in place strong animal welfare procedures and practices in their day-to-day work, from stray dog collection to housing provision.

Five Innovator in Animal Welfare Awards, which are CAWF’s highest accolade and recognise those that have demonstrated an innovative approach to animal welfare, were chosen from a panel of independent judges. The winners were:

English County Council Innovator – Lincolnshire County Council
English District Council Innovator – Eastleigh Borough Council
English Unitary Council Innovator – Middlesbrough Council
· Wales Unitary Councils Innovator – Newport Council
· Housing & Multi-agencies Innovator – Affinity Sutton Housing

The event attracted a number of government representatives including the Secretary of State for Local Government and Communities Eric Pickles, and Defra Secretary of State Caroline Spelman both of whom welcomed the recognition of this important work.

RSPCA chief executive Mark Watts, who announced this year’s winners, said: “Despite the tough financial climate, there are still many examples of good practice being produced in the public sector. We feel it’s more important than ever before to recognise the effort and commitment of those who improve animal welfare in their area of work.

“The grand setting for the House of Lords was a fitting place to celebrate the hard work and contribution of local authorities and housing providers in tackling the issue of animal welfare in the community.

“I am delighted that so many elected representatives were there, from councillors to government ministers, and I hope it reminds them of just how important all these people’s work is to their local communities.”

The RSPCA would like to thank the Trading Standards Institute (TSI) and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) for their continued support of CAWF.

More information about this year’s winning entries is available online at www.rspca.org.uk/cawf

Notes

Photos of the event are available from the RSPCA Press office on 0300 123 0244, or email press@rspca.org.uk



RSPCA, Wilberforce Way, Southwater, Horsham, West Sussex RH13 9RS
Press office direct lines: 0300 123 0244/0288 Fax: 0303 123 0099
Duty press officer (evenings and weekends) Tel 08448 222888 and ask for pager number 828825
Email: press@rspca.org.uk Website: www.rspca.org.uk
 

Tags:
• animal welfare