If you've followed this blog you may remember an appeal I wrote about to help get a Newfoundland dog called Bilbo reinstated to his work as a lifeguard on a Cornwall beach. You can read the full blog post here. The good news is that the Government have responded to the petition that was raised to support poor Bilbo.
This is the Government's response which can be seen in full here:
"Local authorities act independently of Government and Ministers have no powers to intervene in their day to day affairs, except where specific provision has been made in statute. Local authorities are accountable for their actions to their electorate and must act within their statutory powers.
"We are pleased to hear of the announcement made by Penwith District Council on 10 March that the situation regarding Bilbo's absence from the beach has been resolved amicably, to the satisfaction of all sides concerned, and that Bilbo will be making regular visits to Sennen Beach to promote beach safety and responsible dog ownership. Matters surrounding the classification of Bilbo as working dog for life saving duties are a matter for his owner to discuss with his employer."
The bad news is that though they want to appear caring, they didn't care enough to actually do anything. What was that whizzing past? - oh yes it was the buck being well and truly passed! Thankfully in the meantime - no thanks to them - as they mention Bilbo has gone back to work saving lives. So congratulations to the Government for waiting long enough to respond to allow us to sort it out ourselves.
Take care,
Julie x