FOI003667 FOI Environmental Health

I am writing to request recorded information concerning the recent decision or proposal to permanently rehome the animals currently kept at Pets Corner, Ray Mill Island, Maidenhead.

To keep this request focused on the recent decision-making process, please restrict searches to records created between 1 May 2023 and the date of this request, unless an earlier document was specifically relied upon in reaching the current proposal or decision.

 

Please provide the following:

 

1. Decision and authorisation

a) The date on which this proposal or decision to permanently rehome the animals from Pets Corner was first formally recorded.

b) A copy of the decision record, delegated decision, authorisation, briefing, report, recommendation or other recorded document through which the rehoming was proposed or authorised.

c) The job title(s) of elected councillor(s) responsible for proposing, recommending and authorising the rehoming.

d) Confirmation of the Council's stated legal/delegated authority under which the decision was taken, including the relevant section of the Council's scheme of delegation if applicable.

e) Evidence of any consultation carried out before the decision to close / rehome was taken.

 

2. Animal welfare and condition of Pets Corner

Please provide copies of all reports, assessments, inspections, professional advice or other recorded evidence considered by the Council since 1 May 2023 concerning:

• the welfare of animals at Pets Corner;
• the condition or suitability of their enclosures;
• compliance with relevant animal welfare requirements or standards;
• any recommended improvements to the facility; and
• any identified risks associated with continuing to operate Pets Corner.

Where external veterinary, animal-welfare or other professional advice was obtained, please provide the advice or report and identify the organisation or professional body which supplied it.

 

3. Costs and financial case

Please provide:

a) The actual annual direct operating cost of Pets Corner for each financial year from 2023/24 onwards, broken down into the principal categories held by the Council where readily available.

b) Any estimate of the financial saving expected to result from permanently rehoming the animals.

c) Any estimated costs associated with the rehoming itself.

d) Any estimates, quotations, surveys or costings obtained since May 2023 for repairing, refurbishing, redesigning or improving Pets Corner or its animal enclosures.

 

4. Alternatives considered

Please provide copies of any recorded assessment, report, briefing, correspondence or option appraisal since May 2023 considering alternatives to permanently rehoming the animals, including where held:

• refurbishment or improvement of the existing facility;
• redesign or replacement of animal enclosures;
• alternative species or a reduced animal provision;
• sponsorship or commercial/community funding;
• grant funding;
• involvement of community or voluntary organisations; or
• an alternative management or operating model.

If no formal options appraisal or assessment of alternatives was undertaken before the proposal to permanently rehome the animals, please confirm that no such recorded information is held.

 

5. Communications and chronology

Please provide copies of substantive correspondence, meeting notes, briefings or reports concerning the proposed permanent rehoming of the Pets Corner animals between:

• relevant elected councillors;
• the responsible Cabinet Member(s); and
• the Leader or Deputy Leader of the Council.

For proportionality, I am not requesting routine administrative correspondence, duplicate emails, diary arrangements, or correspondence unrelated to the decision itself.

I am particularly seeking records which show when elected members were first informed of the proposal, what information they were provided with, and any recorded response or instruction concerning the proposal.

 

6. Current status and implementation

Please provide any recorded timetable, implementation plan or instruction relating to:

• when the animals are intended to be rehomed;
• organisations or facilities approached about receiving them;
• whether any arrangements have already been agreed;
• whether those arrangements are reversible or cancellable;
• what is proposed for the Pets Corner site following removal of the animals; and,
• What steps, if any, taken to contact voluntary organisations to assist in either the costs or running of Pet Corner.