As many of you are aware, Hampstead Heath implemented a Dog Walking Licence scheme in 2022 to regulate the number of dog walkers and dogs within the park. This initiative has had a significant financial impact on professional dog walkers, particularly due to the restrictions on the number of dogs permitted per walker. Over the past three years, the availability of licences has markedly altered: 70 licences available in the first year, 40 in the second year with only 15 purchased in year 2. For 2024, although the number of licences is now unlimited, the annual fee has increased to £331.

While we support the concept of the licence scheme, Hampstead Heath and the City of London have not upheld their commitment to patrol and enforce the regulations. Over the past three years, there has been no consistent monitoring of compliance. Consequently, many walkers exceed the limit of 4 dogs per person. Furthermore, there are considerations to close the park's restrooms due to vandalism, underscoring the lack of effective patrolling. Additionally, the park management’s practice of leaving cut grass unattended poses a serious health risk to dogs, as it becomes toxic when ingested, leading to numerous emergency veterinary cases.

This petition is now in circulation to review the current licence scheme and demand a comprehensive plan for its proper implementation. Your support in signing this petition would be greatly appreciated by myself and the entire community of professional dog walkers.

Below are the detailed changes to dog walking license scheme for year 3;

In April 2022 The City of London Corporation introduced the Hampstead Heath Professional Dog Walkers Licence scheme. The new restrictions took affect when the corporation offered up to 70 licenses for commercial dog walkers operating on the heath.

Since then, as predicted by those who challenged the initiation of the scheme in a previous change. org petition, many dog walkers were forced to either move to a different location or stop dog walking all together.  
The scheme has proved to be divisive & ever changing.

With the year 3 licence applications now open it has been revealed that several changes have been made which contradict previous years rules and adds to the confusion and uncertainty suffered by professional dog walkers on Hampstead Heath. 

• It has been confirmed by the corporation that the zoning system has been removed, a system by which walkers are separated into specific areas of Hampstead Heath in order to not overcrowd certain areas of the heath. In 2022 this caused numerous walkers to abandon their business operations on the heath due to only being offered areas too far outside their collection areas. 

 

• Another change has been the abandonment of auto renewal, as set out in section 5 of the DWL Terms and Conditions this stipulates that all current license holders would be offered the chance to renew yearly. It has now been revealed that all current license holders will have to apply from scratch every year, putting many businesses in jeopardy annually with uncertainty of being approved for a new license.

 

• In a very bizarre move it has also been made clear from the corporation that upon receiving a license, applicants must NOT display their City of London license on any website/vehicles/fliers or any other promotional material or legal action will be issued against them in the form of a cease and desist. 

 

• After submitting a freedom of information request in 2023 the corporation revealed that only 15 licenses had been purchased in 2023 meaning there were dozens of unlicensed walkers operating on Hampstead Heath.

 

• A further change has been the amount of licenses available. In year one 70 licenses were made available.  In year two only 40 were made available and in year three this has now changed to an unlimited amount available, meaning an unlimited amount of dog walkers could receive a license with no upper limit on amount of businesses able to operate on the heath.

In addition to the changes in recent months multiple cases of dog poisonings have occurred due to the corporation dumping mounds of grass cuttings around the heath, leaving them to ferment, creating an entirely unfit for purpose place to pay to walk dogs, endangering the lives of animals on a daily basis.

With this ever shifting rules, poison on Hampstead Heath, enforcers of the license; The Hampstead Constabulary currently in a stage 3 investigation after a complaint was made, the price of the licenses steadily rising each year, (currently at £330 per license limiting each walker to just 4 dogs) and with the corporation proudly exclaiming they support small businesses on the Hampstead Heath website the walkers of Hampstead Heath deserve a consultation with the corporation to challenge & discuss a fairer approach to the year 3 license restriction and implementation.

With no set plan on enforcement and no fines issued in the past 3 years it is time for the corporation to readdress how it plans to professionally implement a license scheme that is clearly very unpopular and unworkable and unenforceable. With a successful template in existence with The Royal Parks Dog Walking License scheme which gives walkers armbands to display their license and the ability to park there vehicles where trade vehicles are normally banned and an allowance to show their licenses publicly on their vehicles and website we simply must oppose the current way the corporation have set up this scheme. Please sign and share your support to hold The City of London Corporation to account for its contempt for dog walkers that has ultimately led to so many of our livelihoods being damaged by an ill thought through scheme that clearly doesn't work.