Leeds City Council news in brief for 10/07/2015

Free microchipping event 

Leeds City Council's dog wardens are teaming up with the Dogs Trust to offer free dog microchipping on Monday 20 July.

Between 10am and 2pm, dog wardens and Dogs Trust staff will be at Barley Hill Recreation Ground in Garforth.

Microchipping dogs - which allows lost, stray or stolen pets to be reunited with their owners as soon as possible - becomes a legal requirement in 2016.

As well as microchipping, wardens and Dogs Trust staff will be offering advice on being a responsible dog owner.

ENDS

Swimming club shines in Baku

It was another major competition to remember for the City of Leeds Swimming Club based at the John Charles Centre for Sport as they claimed in total four silver and six bronze medals at the recent European Games in Baku. Georgia Coates earned three bronze and two silver medals, Amelia Clynes, two silvers and a bronze, and Layla Black two bronze medals.

ENDS

Agents fall foul of letting board rules

Three Leeds letting agents have been found guilty of flouting rules on where and when to let signs can be displayed.

The council introduced a code of practice for landlords and letting agents so that in Headingley and Hyde Park, letting boards can only be put up with the council’s consent.

The code also requires landlords and letting agents to remove signs by 1 November each year with no new advertising signs being put up until 1 December.

Sequence (UK) Limited, trading as WH Brown, Fasil Rashid trading as Lets Move and Ghulam and Tahera Tahir, trading as 1-2-1 Let Properties were all found guilty in Leeds Magistrates Court last week having ignored warning letters to have signs removed that were still in place throughout November 2014.

Sequence (UK) Limited, trading as WH Brown, received a £700 fine and ordered to pay costs on £428.98 for one offence.

Fasil Rashid, trading as Lets Move, was fined £500 and must pay costs of £451.52 for once offence.

Ghulam and Tahera Tahir, trading as 1-2-1 Let Properties, were ordered to pay costs of £1,113 and fined £1,200 for three offences.

Councillor Richard Lewis, executive member for regeneration, transport and planning, said:

“The majority of landlords and letting agents understand that having multiple to let signs up at virtually all properties for months on end in some streets really doesn’t create a good impression.

“We introduced the code as a way to control the proliferation of letting signs and to clamp down on less scrupulous businesses who were consistently flouting advertising rules.

“The code is there for a very valid reason and we won’t tolerate those who fail to comply.”

ENDS