Article by Candice Boyes, National Assembly for Wales Research Service
A record number of 11 Local Authorities in Wales have been awarded certificates under the Community Animal Welfare Footprint scheme for 2015. The Community Animal Welfare Footprint (CAWF) scheme was established in 2008, aimed at Local Authorities, contingency planners and housing providers across both England and Wales. The scheme gives recognition to organisations that show commitment to delivering animal welfare standards across four areas:
- Stray Dog Provision;
- Contingency Planning;
- Housing Provision, and
- Animal Welfare Principles.
There are three different awards, Gold, Silver and Bronze, based on the level of service achieved against RSPCA criteria. Four of the winning organisations in Wales achieved the Gold standard: Cardiff Dogs Home, Denbighshire County Council, Newport City Council and Monmouthshire County Council. Claire Lawson, Assistant Director External Relations - Wales, said:
We are delighted to see 11 organisations achieve recognition and four of them collecting a gold award. Despite the difficult economic climate, this once again demonstrates the importance so many frontline agencies across Wales attach to animals and their welfare.
The scheme has amassed many supporters in Wales since its launch 7 years ago, including the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and the Trading Standards Institute. It has also received support from the Welsh Government and Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA), as well as the backing of the Minister for Public Services, Leighton Andrews AM, who said of the scheme:
I am pleased to support the RSPCA Cymru’s Community Animal Welfare Footprints Awards. Celebrating success in the public service sector actively promotes higher service delivery standards and provides models of good practice. Public services partnerships who participate in this scheme gain recognition of their work and commitment to animal welfare, which is a priority for the Welsh Government. The RSPCA awards compliment this commitment by recognising innovative service providers who attain excellent results.
Councillor Neil Moore, WLGA Spokesperson for Regulatory and Frontline Services said:
Local Authorities do so much important work to help ensure the welfare of Wales’ animals. RSPCA Cymru’s Community Animal Welfare Footprints offer much-deserved acknowledgement to many councils determined to go the extra mile. The WLGA encourages Local Authorities to engage with RSPCA Cymru’s scheme to ensure their service provision – whether in stray dogs, housing, contingency planning or elsewhere – gets the recognition it deserves.
The complete list of 2015 winners and categories are: Stray Dogs Award
- Cardiff Dogs Home (Gold)
- Denbighshire County Council (Gold)
- Newport City Council (Gold)
- Pembrokeshire County Council (Silver)
- Bridgend County Borough Council (Bronze)
- Isle of Anglesey County Council (Bronze)
- Wrexham County Borough Council (Bronze)
Contingency Planning Award
- Monmouthshire County Council (Gold)
- City of Cardiff Council (Bronze)
Housing Award
- Merthyr Tydfil Housing Association (Bronze)
- Merthyr Valley Homes (Bronze)
RSPCA Innovator for Wales Award As well as the categories mentioned above, the scheme also awards organizations for making innovative steps towards improving animal welfare. The winners of this prestigious award were announced today, with Conwy County Borough awarded the Welsh Innovator title for 2015, and Wrexham Borough County Council coming Highly Commended in the category. Representatives from the winning organisations were presented with their certificates today by Lesley Griffiths AM, Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty at an awards reception.
