News / bristol city council
Should Bristol’s high-rise tenants be allowed to keep dogs?
Dogs are a best friend and vital companion for many Bristol residents, but whether or not they belong in tower blocks has been called into question.
Tory councillor Chris Windows reported that tenants of high-rise flats in his ward of Henbury and Brentry are having to “wade through excrement and urine” as he challenged Labour plans to grant renters a ‘default’ right to keep pets.
But mayor Marvin Rees backed his party’s national policy, rebuking accusations that it is cruel to keep animals in tower blocks.
is needed now More than ever
He said: “I would make a distinction – I think if people aren’t taking care of their dogs, it’s not dependant on whether they are in flats, it’s the nature of the people not taking care of dogs.”
Chris Windows has challenged Labour’s policy
Speaking at the full council meeting on Tuesday, March 20, Windows said the mayor might change his mind if he visited tower blocks in his ward, where the smell of dog poo is “awful” and claimed that dogs are clearly not happy with their lot.
He added: “Does the mayor agree that keeping pets in high-rise block is cruel to some pets, especially dogs, and this plan has not been thought through properly?”
Tower blocks in Barton Hill
In response, Rees said: “I wouldn’t say it was cruel. I think there’s a lot that goes into having, taking care of and loving a dog, and being outside a high-rise flat isn’t the key thing.
“It’s about taking care of it, keeping it company, taking it for reasonable exercise and clearing up after it.”
He added that addressing the issue of owners who do not pick up after their dogs is a “personal desire” of his and he has enforcement teams working to tackle this.
Currently, many landlords in Bristol specify that tenants are not allowed to keep pets, something Labour would seek to change with its national policy – announced last month as part of the party’s Animal Welfare Plan.
Other plans include a ban on Foie gras imports and an end to the export of live animals for slaughter.
Rees added he was “pleased that nationally Labour is championing the interests of renters to have pets”.
Currently tenants have a right to keep pets in council tower blocks unless residents have voted to ban them.
Jack Pitts is a local democracy reporter for Bristol.
Read more: How will the mayor pay for a Bristol metro?
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
