Seagull incidents and costs
Hello,
I am writing to request information relating to seagulls /gulls in your local area, please can you supply:
1. How many complaints involving seagulls/gulls did the council receive in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022*
2. How many incidents involved a seagull/gull attacking an individual or pet in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022*
3. How much was spent on seagull/gull management in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022**?
4. Please give a brief description of the measures taken relevant to question 3.
5. Does your local authority have a specific fine regime related to gulls?. If so, please give a breakdown of fines given for feeding gulls in the years 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022?
*For 2022, give the latest data at the point of reply
**If easier, please feel free to supply with financial years if easier.
Under section 16, you must supply advice if the advice and assistance if the request - please get in touch if you need to do so.
Yours faithfully,
Benjamin Butcher
Dear Sir/madam
I acknowledge receipt of your request which is receiving attention.
I shall contact you again when I am in a position to respond more fully to your request.
Yours sincerely
Angelene Kirkpatrick
For Freedom of Information Co-ordinator
North Lanarkshire Council
Civic Centre
Windmillhill Street
Motherwell
ML1 1AB
Working from home
Please contact via email
Dear Mr Butcher
Request for Information
I refer to your e-mail dated 6 June 2022 seeking information in relation
to seagulls.
Having investigated, my response to your five questions is as follows:-
(1) & (2) I regret to advise you that the information requested is
not held in a format that renders it readily available.
By way of explanation, the complaint category
code used records complaints relating to both pigeons and seagulls and, to
separate the complaints into the two separate categories would require the
manual interrogation of every job recorded under that category code.
That, as you will appreciate, would be highly labour intensive and I have
to advise that the cost of so doing would exceed the amount prescribed for
the purposes of Section 12 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act
2002.
(3) (4) (5) I can advise that the information requested is not held
and in terms of Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act
2002, I must advise you of this. By way of some explanation, no money is
spent specifically on seagull management and there is no specific fine
regime related to gulls.
I can advise that North Lanarkshire Council, having regard to the
provisions of Section 21 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act
2002, has established a procedure whereby any person who has requested
information and is in any way dissatisfied with the decision on that
request, can within forty working days require a review of that decision
by writing to the Head of Legal and Democratic Solutions, Civic Centre,
Windmillhill Street, Motherwell ML1 1AB. Accordingly, if you are
dissatisfied with this decision and seek such review please write to the
Head of Legal and Democratic Solutions.
I would advise, also, that in terms of Section 47 of the Act a person who
is dissatisfied with a notice given by the local authority under Section
21 of the Act - ie. a notice following a review of a decision by a local
authority, or by the failure of a local authority to give such a notice -
may make application to the Scottish Information Commissioner for a
decision as to whether, in any respect specified in that application, the
request for information to which the requirement relates has been dealt
with in accordance with the Act. Such an application must be made within
six months of the review decision and be in writing or in another form
which, by reason of it having some permanency is capable of being used for
subsequent reference. The application must state the name of the
applicant, and provide an address for correspondence. The application must
also specify the request for information to which the requirement for
review relates, the matter which gave rise to the applicant’s
dissatisfaction with the original decision of the local authority and the
matter which gives rise to the applicant’s dissatisfaction with the
decision on review by the local authority or the failure of the local
authority to issue such a decision. The Scottish Information Commissioner
can be contacted as follows:-
Scottish Information Commissioner
Kinburn Castle
Doubledykes Road
St. Andrews
KY16 9DS
email: [1][email address]
Appeals to the Scottish Information Commissioner can also be made online
via the following link: -
[2]www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal
I hope this information is sufficient for your purpose. If, however, you
require further information – or I can assist in any other way – please
let me know.
Yours sincerely
Jacqueline Keachie
For Freedom of Information Co-ordinator
North Lanarkshire Council
Contact by email
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