Council calls for information relating to trail hunting in the borough

Cheshire West and Chester Council has agreed to ‘pause’ trail hunting on Council owned or controlled land and is asking anyone with comments relating to the impact of the activity to get in touch.

At the December 2020 meeting of the Council, councillors voted for a motion for the Council’s Cabinet to develop a policy on trail hunting, which takes into account the threat posed by hunts to animals and the environment. 

A cross-party working group was established to better understand trail hunting, to review local evidence and the legal framework surrounding trail hunt activities.

The working group proposed a ‘pause’ on trail hunting on all Council-owned and controlled land until a full report, with a recommended policy, is presented to Cabinet in November.

The Council’s Cabinet accepted the working group’s proposal at its meeting earlier this month.

The Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Strategic Transport, Councillor Karen Shore said; “The purpose of this information gathering is to further our knowledge to help develop policy making in this area. 

“We’d like to hear from residents about their experiences, particularly anyone who had trail hunting take place on their land and the impact it has had, both positive and negative.  Anyone who feels they have relevant information to share is encouraged to get involved.”

There will also be a public evidence session on Monday 11 October between 4pm and 6pm via Microsoft teams.  Led by the cross-party working group this is designed to give residents, businesses and wider partners an opportunity to present evidence and views as to how the Council can address this activity.

You can get involved by emailing your comments or booking a slot at the public evidence session via:

regulatoryservices@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk.

The call for evidence will run from Monday 27 September to Monday 18 October.