Responsible Dog Owners Unite
Please join us at 17.45 hrs. next Wednesday, 1st of October, at the Bandstand on the Leas. At 18.00 hrs., we will walk our dogs to the Folkestone & Hythe District Council offices, where councillors will be holding a meeting due to start at 1900 hrs. This isn't a protest or demonstration, it is a dignified dog walk to let the council know we are not happy as dog owners with their blanket ban on dogs off leads across much of the district. Several councillors agree with us that this is a discriminatory policy against all responsible dog owners.
A freedom of information request has shown that from January 1st 2023, to the present, 48 Fixed Penalty Notices and £100 fines have been issued on the Leas Promenade alone. We have no idea how many have been issued across the whole district in that time. In the same period, on the Leas Promenade, not one Fixed Penalty Notice or fine has been issued to people drinking alcohol or anti-social behaviour issues or riding a cycle, e-scooter, or rollerskates, or any breach of Bylaw or the 2025 Public Space Protection Order offences, other than a few for erecting tents and 1 for urinating.
There are over 50,000 households in this District, and this blanket ban of dogs not being allowed off leads affects thousands of dog owners. Why, when FHDC was consulting with the public, did they not write to every household? Is it any wonder that the council had only 244 responses, with 226 from their online survey and 17 via email, and 1 paper submission, when hardly anyone knew about it. Not everyone is on social media or on the internet, or buys local newspapers. This was a sham of a public consultation exercise.