A local charity has said that homeless people in the north of England are ‘being forced’ to choose between keeping their pets and finding warm shelter.
Street Paws has said that ‘enough is enough’ and that more hostels should be pet-friendly, reports The Hoot.
Research shows that less than 10% of hostels currently welcome pets, forcing people to have to choose between sleeping rough or leaving their dogs.
It’s also been reported that less than 7% of pet owners would give up their dog in exchange for housing.
The charity provides veterinary care to homeless dogs in the north of England.
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Credit: Street Paws
Figures from Crisis released earlier this year estimate that 200,000 experienced ‘core homelessness’ in 2020 – and that 1 in 10 people experiencing homelessness also has a pet.
Street Paws shared the story of a man they helped called Dave* and his pet dog Lola. According to Street Paws, Dave suffers from psychosis and has complex needs.
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This, alongside previous experiences of being systematically abused and threatened by members of the community, means that he often sees things as a potential threat.
So when he joined a scheme and attempted to settle Lola into a kennel, he became convinced others had access to it and she was being harmed.
Both Dave and Lola struggled with separation anxiety, having developed a very close bond over the years. This, combined with cold weather, fireworks, and an “abundance of sneaky cats” lead to “a few difficulties” – and as a result, Dave spent a number of nights in the kennel and some back on the streets rather than leave Lola on her own.
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Credit: Unsplash
Ultimately, this lead to a decline in his mental health, sleeping pattern, and personal hygiene. Lola would also often shake and resist when Dave tried to return to the scheme, said Street Paws.
The charity works with hostels to help them become more pet-friendly and says that the main reasons given for not accepting the pets of vulnerable people include a lack of staff knowledge and training; ‘No Pet’ Clauses in hostel lease agreements; and a lack of pet-friendly permanent housing to ‘move on’, leading to longer stays for residents.
Now, in partnership with the south of England’s Dogs on the Streets charity, Street Paws has launched a campaign for more hostels to become ‘Dog Champions’.
The scheme offers hostel staff accredited training and support, plus advice on pet policies, owner agreements, a pet essential welcome pack for residents, full veterinary care, Street Paws patient registration, canine first aid training, and a first aid kit.
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Street Paws founder Michelle Southern said: “The nights are getting darker and colder, and it is essential that as many people make it to a shelter as possible, and we believe that skilling up hostels and helping them to become pet friendly is a giant stepping stone.”
Featured image: Street Paws
News
England head coach Shaun Wane quits ahead of 2026 Rugby League World Cup
Danny Jones
England head coach Shaun Wane has stepped down from his role as the national team setup after more than half a decade in the post.
His resignation comes as the Rugby Football League (RFL) looks to pivot and set out a long-term vision ahead of the World Cup later this year.
The Wigan-born former Warriors manager’s replacement is expected to be merely a part-time appointment as future planning begins.
Announced on Wednesday, 14 January, Shaun Wane’s tenure has ended “effective immediately”.
Sharing an official update online, the RFL wrote: “Wane, who has led England since February 2020, has taken time to reflect on the programme and believes the timing is right for new leadership to guide the team into the next phase, including the upcoming World Cup.
“During his tenure, Wane oversaw memorable series victories over Tonga in 2023 and a star-studded Samoa a year later, as well as a semi-final in the World Cup. He finishes with 14 wins from 19 matches.”
Crediting him as one of “a very small elite number of coaches to have won the full suite of domestic club honours and achieved World Club Championship success”, hailing his experience and longevity both as a player and as a coach.
As for Wane himself, he said: “It has been the honour of my life to coach England Rugby League over the last six years, but after careful reflection, I believe the time is right to step aside and allow the programme to move forward into its next chapter.
England are on the lookout for a new coach heading into the World Cup after being swept in the Ashes.
Coach Shaun Wane has reportedly resigned from the post after a disappointing 3-0 whitewash against Australia last year.
The 61-year-old ex-pro goes on to add, “The privilege of leading my country in a World Cup, an Ashes Series on home soil and securing victories over Tonga and Samoa will live long in the memory.
“I’m incredibly grateful to all the players, coaches and staff I’ve worked alongside during that time; their commitment and professionalism made those moments possible. I wish everyone involved with England Rugby League the best going forward and for the World Cup later this year.”
According to the latest reports online, St Helens boss Paul Rowley is now said to be the favourite to take over in the interim.
The 2026 Rugby League World Cup is still months away (scheduled to take place in October and November), but the governing body will want to get the new setup and coaching in place as soon as possible to prepare for the tournament.
Greater Manchester town named as one of country’s worst at fixing potholes
Emily Sergeant
A town in Greater Manchester has been named one of the worst in the country at managing roads and fixing potholes.
For the first time ever, drivers across England can now see how well their local highway authority is tackling potholes on their roads thanks to a new traffic light rating system published by the Government this weekend.
The new ratings grade local highway authorities as red, amber, or green.
The ratings – which have presented on a new interactive map – are based on current road condition and how effectively local authorities are spending the Government’s record £7.3 billion funding to fix potholes and investing in long-term measures to maintain roads.
The Government funding is meant to allow local authorities to repair potholes ‘effectively’ and move away from short-term repairs that work out to be more expensive – with these fixes meaning more money in drivers’ pockets, as the average repair bill from hitting potholes is said to be around £320.
We’ve launched a Red, Amber, Green rating system, so you can see how well your local highway authority (LHA) is fixing your local roads.
🟢 Green = best practice, long-term preventative plans 🟠 Amber = on the way, but room to improve 🔴 Red = support in place to raise… pic.twitter.com/gRwkEx5kdm
The condition of local roads, how much local authorities are spending on road repairs, and whether they are following best practice in maintaining highways are all key areas taken into account when deciding on an area’s rating.
Those that scored ‘green’, like Manchester, were able to demonstrate they are following best practice, while also maintaining good road conditions and investing significantly into improving local roads, and those that scored ‘amber’ – which the majority of Greater Manchester came under showed that there was room for improvement in individual areas.
However, one Greater Manchester town did not fare well at all, and ended up with an ‘red’ rating… and that town was Bolton.
The colour-coded map showing each local authority’s pothole rating / Credit: OS / Crown Copyright (via gov.uk)
Those local authorities that are rated ‘red’, like Bolton, are not yet meeting the expected standards in one or several areas measured, according to the Government, such as the current state of the roads, their plans for preventing potholes, or investment into maintaining their local roads more widely.
“For too long, drivers have paid the price because our roads were left to deteriorate,” commented Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander.
“We’ve put our money where our mouth is, increasing the funding for local highway authorities with £7.3 billion to fix roads and given them the long-term certainty they have been asking for.
“Now it’s over to them to spend the money wisely, and for the first time, we are making sure the public can see how well councils are doing in delivering the improvements they want to see in their local area.”
Daisy Jackson -
22nd November 2021 
