CONTROVERSIAL calls to ‘cull the gulls’ were among a host of measures to be debated at a meeting of the city council’s Environment Committee last night (Tuesday).
Councillors were set to examine all of the available options to tackle the problem caused by some of the city’s nosiest residents with the possible legal case for a cull among those to be considered.
The meeting comes a week after Coun Alan Amos tabled a motion calling for the gulls to be removed from the city on health and safety grounds.
The gulls have been a feature of the city for a number of years despite high profile campaigns which has seen the introduction of gull proof litter bins and a scheme to replace gull eggs with dummy ones.
But speaking at the meeting last Tuesday (October 22) the outspoken Bedwardine councillor branded the council’s policies an ‘abject failure’, despite now having a gull officer, a budget of £30,000 per year and a newly-formed Gull Forum.
“I think some of the leaflets we have posted asking people not to feed the gulls are well designed with a spot-on message but, unfortunately, they’ve had no noticeable impact and will not make any difference to those gullible idiots who carry on feeding the gulls thereby exacerbating and prolonging the misery of so many of our residents,” he said.
“On another point, even if we decide on enforcement action against those irresponsible people who actually feed and so encourage the gulls, there will be no effective enforcement of it because the council does not have a reputation for vigorously enforcing anything on our streets.”
His calls were echoed by Coun Andy Stafford but met with frustration by Coun Joy Squires who chairs the city council’s Environment Committee and stressed a decision on the next step in the fight against the gulls should be made by the committee
She said: “I don’t think at all it is something I can support but on the other hand I feel it is absolutely imperative that all actions are explored.”
An amended motion calling on the environment committee rather than council bosses to explore the possibility of a cull was eventually passed.
