Dear Supporters.

Andy and I are obviously very disappointed with the decision of Edinburgh Council's Culture & Communities committee yesterday, to make no changes to the 2022 Cemetery Management Rules around dogs in cemeteries.

You can watch the relevant parts of the committee meetings deliberations on the webcast here, using the following two time stamps: https://t.ly/2Wc4v

1 Hour: 02 Minutes
1 Hour:22 Minutes

We felt we had a strong case. The Convener of the committee felt the same. We would like to publicly thank Cllr Val Walker for her time and support.

The committee’s decision seems to have been based on two things:

1: The usual misunderstandings around enforcement, i.e. "it is impossible to enforce, we would need more officers, which we can’t afford" - incorrect, as we proved in our written deputation.

In a 2022 committee meeting, it was stated by a Senior Manager in Edinburgh Council that there would not be a requirement for any extra officers. The only cost involved was approximately £1000 for new signage – we offered to pay the £1000.

Seven other Scottish Councils manage to enforce a ban. They tell us they did not employ any extra officers or increase patrols in cemeteries. Many of these Councils have less staff, more cemeteries and cover a larger geographical area than Edinburgh Council.

2: A deeply flawed report on "Observation Figures" containing meaningless figures.

This report did not contain the following details:

1. What time(s) of the day the “203 hours” of observations were made? This makes a significant difference. Peak times are 7am to 9am, 5pm onwards, and weekends.
2. How many Council Officers were involved in gathering the “203 hours” of data?
3. What was the weather like at the time of “Observations”? If it is wet, you get less dog walkers.
4. The breakdown of time spent in each cemetery, from the “203 hours”?
5. Were Council Officers easily identifiable? Dog walkers will not go in a cemetery if they see Council Officers. If dog walkers are already in the cemetery, and spot council Officers, they will immediately put their dog back on its lead. They also let each know of the presence of Council Officers, via social media such as dedicated WhatsApp groups.  

Even Cllr Doggart, a self-confessed dog owner who admitted to walking his dog in an Edinburgh cemetery at yesterday’s meeting, the very Councillor who proposed making no changes to the 2022 Cemetery Management Rules yesterday, commented that:

"Without details of the hours spent in each cemetery, it is difficult to draw any conclusions from the analysis, so this is incomplete - that is quite disappointing"

A Council employee Andrew Mitchell admitted at yesterday’s meeting that all "observations" were done during standard officer hours (which rules out peak periods and weekends) "whilst they were carrying out their normal duties".

Jane Matheson, Bereavement Services Operational Manager at Edinburgh Council was in attendance (via Teams) during this discussion at yesterday’s committee meeting.

She did not say one word.

We feel this decision will backfire on Edinburgh Council.

It will give a green light to all irresponsible dog owners to do what they want in Edinburgh's cemeteries - this will result in a few red faces in the future.

To the eight Councillors who voted against any changes. We hope you will be watching this situation closely over the coming months.…we certainly will be.

The Edinburgh public have long memories. When the next Council elections come round in 2027, if any of the following are your local Councillor, remember to ask them which way they voted yesterday, when they come knocking at your door, looking for your support (we know which way some on the committee voted):

Cllr Lezley Marion Cameron
Cllr Fiona Glasgow
Cllr Dan Heep
Cllr Finlay McFarlane
Cllr Amy McNeese Mechan
Cllr Marie-Clair Munro
Cllr Hal Osler

That is the end of our campaign.

It is too stressful and upsetting for me to go through this again.

We will archive all of our research, Freedom of Information requests and responses, petition updates, emails from Councillors, MSP's and MP's, screenshots, photos etc.
If anyone starts a new campaign in the future, we will gladly hand over this archive to use.

We will keep this Facebook group and the Petition open for the time being, in case anyone wants to contact us. We understand if you wish to leave the Facebook group.

Thank you to every single one of you - for your support, for your messages, for promoting the Change petition. It has meant the world to me.

This is my final word on the matter.

Paul