St Ives dog beach ban vote tonight

“#middleclassproblems #thingswhitepeoplefightabout #haveaword #thisisntnews”

“I'm relieved to hear it, CM Scott. I loathe corruption, so if there are some decent councillors voting tonight, there is at least a chance that justice will prevail. You can't have a public consultation and then ignore the results just because it suits you to do so. That ain't legal, or democratic, and it goes against everything this country supposedly stands for.”

“In fairness to St Ives Town Council, who do a huge amount of good for the town, it is right to point out that they haven't, as an authority, done anything yet. At this stage, their environment committee has recommended a ban, and that only by five votes to three. It is for the full council to vote on tonight. Until then only five councillors out of a total of 16 have actually expressed a preference. There are plenty of councillors who don't support the new ban.”

“Bless you, Roger Angrove. Thank-you.”

“Try this for the petition:

http://tinyurl.com/az4menz”

“This website seems to be having problems publishing the No 10 website details. So, if you wish to sign the petition, please Google No 10 Petitions and then search for 'Stop the persecution of dog owners'. Be very much aware that the minority of dog-haters in this supposedly animal-loving country will fight to make their strident voices heard above ours, which is exactly what the council is claiming has happened in their corrupt consultation. I know that I put in a very strong argument for NOT introducing the ban, and the comments I have read in support of it were nothing like as empassioned as those I have read that are opposed to it. Clearly, the council is twisting the results of the consultation to suit its own ends.”

“The petition against the persecution of dog owners is available on the No10 website at http://tinyurl.com/b7lw8zc I hope UK dog owners will sign it and bring an end to this vile attack on us and on our rights. St Ives council has shown a blatant disregard for the public consultation process and for the democracy on which this country is built. I agree with immywellies and hope very much that those responsible are voted out of office at the next local election. I also hope that dog owners will write to Defra, the Kennel Club and Dogs' Trust, as well as contacting the Local Government Ombudsman, to complain about this gross misuse of power on the part of the council and the infringement of our rights. The persecution of UK dog owners has got to stop!”

“They have certainly been absolutely CORRUPT to the core in their handling of this matter and it needs investigating. They CAN'T ban dogs on all the beaches, because that puts them in breach of Defra guidelines. They have also shown a flagrant disregard for public consultation and the rights of the general public to vote in a democratic society. I think it's utterly appalling and have already brought this matter to the attention of Defra, the Kennel Club and Dogs' Trust. Defra suggested the best people to fully investigate this is the Local Government Ombudsman, so I'm suggesting that people write to him, too. We are going to start a national campaign against this persecution of dog owners, which seems to be spreading across the whole of the UK and which has worrying long-term implications. Particularly when consultations are conducted with such contempt for Defra guidelines and for UK law. There is also a petition on the No 10 website, which I hope dog owners will sign, available at: http://tinyurl.com/b7lw8zc Please fight for your rights, because if you don't, dog owners are going to have nowhere left to go with their dogs, in the end.”

“"Some councillors, however, are determined to push the ban through because they say it is the strength of the complaints, not the number, that matters."
Have these Councillors not heard of democracy. perhaps the dog lovers of St Ives can demonstrate what democracy is at the next elections and vote them out.
Let's hope common sense prevails and the status quo is preserved.”