Playing a lead role in pet care

OLDHAM Council has proved it’s the cat’s whiskers when it comes to animal welfare.

The authority won two gold and a silver RSPCA Footprint Awards — the only council in England and Wales to pick up such outstanding accolades.

Oldham also claimed runner-up position in the Innovator category, thanks to its pioneering work to highlight the rules about selling pets to youngsters.

The council also applied for and won a gold award for dog warden services, which covers policies that ensure strays are properly looked after during the collection and kennelling process, proactive work to educate owners and preventative measures to reduce dogs straying.

This is the second year in a row the council has won these awards.

The RSPCA launched the awards scheme in 2008 as a seal of approval for local authorities and housing providers pioneering new methods of tackling animal welfare issues.