"£226,000 COSTS OF MAYOR'S WAR ON PIGEONS" - TUFFREY

12.25.53pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 29th Sep 2006

New research by the London Assembly Liberal Democrats has revealed today that the Ken Livingstone's war on pigeons in Trafalgar Square has so far cost the London tax payer £226,000 since 2003, or an average of £90 per pigeon removed.

Despite past claims that the pigeon population has been reduced to 150, the Mayor's answers to the Lib Dems reveals that the average pigeon count for 2006 remains at 1,000 birds per day.

Figures released by the Liberal Democrats last year shows that the cost of

Commenting on the new figures, Liberal Democrat Environment Spokesman on the London Assembly, Mike Tuffrey, said:

"The pigeons in Trafalgar Square are both a nuisance and a health hazard that most Londoners would be happy to see gone all together. But at a cost of £90 per pigeon removed, serious doubts should be raised about the effectiveness of the scheme as well as its value for money.

'Rather than relying on his French bird to do the job, the Mayor should be diversifying into other methods of pigeon control such as contraception or nesting prevention, as well as clearer signs forbidding feeding.

'Anyone strolling through Trafalgar Square these days will tell you there are still too many people feeding the pigeons. The Mayor could do much more to use the powers he has to crack down on those who encourage pigeons to remain in the square." ENDS

Notes to the Editors

1. The Hawk flying scheme was introduced in 2002

2. Questions to the Mayor on pigeons:

Pigeons

Question No: 1912 / 2006

Mike Tuffrey

How much has been spent each year on birds of prey to deter pigeons in Trafalgar Square since the they were introduced and what do the costs include? How many birds of prey have been used since their introduction? How many pigeons are estimated to have been killed by the birds of prey used to deter pigeons since they have been introduced?

Since birds of prey were introduced in Trafalgar Square, the costs have been:

2002/03 £44,343

2003/04 £78,241

2004/05 £25,100

2005/06 £29,531

2006/07 £38,160

This expenditure covers the contractor's costs of transport to the square and the handler flying the Harris hawk daily. Normally two hawks are brought to the square each day to cover the prescribed hours; only one hawk is flown at a time.

Since November 2003, 121 pigeons have been killed on the square.

Estimated expenditure figures of £31,000 provided for 2004/05 in response to question 1743/2005 have been adjusted to reflect actual payments.

Pigeons

Question No: 1914 / 2006

Mike Tuffrey

What estimates have been made of the numbers of pigeons in Trafalgar Square in each of the following years: 2000/01, 2001/02, 2002/03, 2003/04, 2004/05 and 2005/06?

The average number of pigeon count per day is:

2000 5,000

2001 3,600

2002 3,500

2003 3,200

2004 2,400

2005 1,400

2006 (to date) 1,000

3. Total expenditure on pigeons from GLA budget from 2002 is £215,375. In July 2006, the Mayor approved the appointment of NBC Bird Solutions Limited for flying of a Hawk on Trafalgar Square from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007 for a value of £46,280. Of this, £10,920 is being met by Westminster City Council, which owns the space in front of the National Gallery. This brings the total cost to the London tax payer up to £226,295 since its introduction in 2003.

Since the introduction of the hawk flying scheme in 2002, there has been a total of 2,500 pigeons removed by the bird, bringing the average cost per pigeon removed to £90,51.

4. A bylaw, prohibiting pigeon feeding in Trafalgar sq was introduced in October 2003. The bylaw was made by the Mayor on 20th November 2002 under section 385 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999. It amends existing byelaws which came into effect on 1st October 2000, the day on which the Mayor became responsible for both Trafalgar and Parliament Squares.

In accordance with the Local Government Act 1972 the Mayor advertised his intention to seek confirmation of the byelaw in a local newspaper (Westminster and Pimlico News) and responses were sent to the Secretary of State for the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) - the confirming authority for byelaws relating to the squares. The byelaw was formally submitted for confirmation by DCMS on 9th April 2003 along with supporting material for the need for such a byelaw. The Secretary of State (DCMS) agreed and confirmed the byelaw which will be advertised in the same local newspaper, on site at Trafalgar Square and copies sent to all London Boroughs.

Breach of this byelaw is a criminal offence punishable by a maximum fine of £50 in line with breaches of other byelaws. In considering whether to commence prosecution proceedings the Mayor must consider the public interest in doing so.