Minutes:
It was moved by Councillor Josh Thorne and seconded by Councillor Jonny Cope that
““this Council
(i) is concerned about the number of cases reported to the RSPCA each year, regarding pets given as prizes via fairgrounds, social media, and other channels;
(ii) is concerned for the welfare of those animals that are being given as prizes;
(iii) recognises that many cases of pets being as prizes may go unreported each year;
(iv) supports a move to ban the giving of live animals as prizes, in any form, on Surrey Borough Council owned land.
(v) agrees to:
a) ban outright the giving of live animals as prizes, in any form, on Surrey Heath Borough Council land; and
b) Write to the UK Government, urging an outright ban on the giving of live animals as prizes on both public and private land.”
The motion was debated and it was noted that, although the Council did not have an established policy on this matter, it had been established practice to prevent the giving of live animals as prizes as part of the hiring terms and conditions.
It was moved by Councillor Morgan Rise and seconded by Councillor Alan Ashbery that the motion be amended by:
a) Amending (iv) by replacing “a move to” with “the formalisation of the requirement to”;
b) Add ‘formalise the outright” before ban in a) of (v) and inserting “owned” before “land”; and
c) Inserting an additional paragraph under (v) stating “expand the ban to include the exhibition or performance of wild animals as defined by the Wild Animals in Circuses Act 2019 on Surrey Heath Borough Council owned land”.
Councillor Josh Thorne, as the mover of the original motion, indicated his consent to amend the motion as proposed and it therefore became the substantive motion.
RESOLVED that
(i) the Council
a) is concerned about the number of cases reported to the RSPCA each year, regarding pets given as prizes via fairgrounds, social media, and other channels;
b) is concerned for the welfare of those animals that are being given as prizes;
c) recognises that many cases of pets being as prizes may go unreported each year;
d) supports the formalisation of the requirement to ban the giving of live animals as prizes, in any form, on Surrey Borough Council owned land;
(ii) the outright ban on the giving of live animals as prizes, in any form, on Surrey Heath Borough Council owned land be formalised;
(iii) the ban be expanded to include the exhibition or performance of wild animals as defined by the Wild Animals in Circuses Act 2019 on Surrey Heath Borough Council owned land;
(iv) the Council writes to the UK Government, urging an outright ban on the giving of live animals as prizes on both public and private land.