Greater Manchester has been recognised by the RSPCA for its high-level of care provided to animals during emergencies.
The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities Civil Contingencies Resilience Unit were awarded a Gold Contingency Planning Award at the RSPCA PawPrints Awards.
The Resilience Unit provides contingency support to the ten Greater Manchester local authorities and were the recipient of the same award in 2018.
The awards recognise the work from local authorities, housing providers and contingency planners with regards to animal welfare.
Kathy Oldham, Greater Manchester’s Chief Resilience Officer said: “We are extremely pleased to have once again been recognised by the RSPCA for our efforts to ensure pets are properly considered as part of our resilience planning.
“We know how important people’s pets are to them and will always do as much as we can to keep them safe and ensure they are looked after at times of emergency.
“It was very encouraging recently to see that pets and animals were properly considered as part of Greater Manchester’s response to the Toddbrook Reservoir incident.”
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Greater Manchester has plans in place to ensure pets and animals are considered a priority consideration during an emergency response, such as an evacuation.
During the Toddbrook Reservoir incident in Whaley Bridge, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service crews, alongside soldiers from the British Army, worked together to inform residents of evacuation procedures and help them evacuate their properties.
Residents were also given information around pet evacuation to ensure the correct safety measures were followed, such as identifying space for pets in evacuation centres and giving guidance for dealing with lost pets.
Rachel Williams, senior parliamentary advisor for the RSPCA, said: "It's great to see Greater Manchester achieving our prestigious Gold award, which they have held now for a number of years. This is a real testament to the hard work of local authority staff, their commitment to animal welfare and the health and happiness of their residents.
"Greater Manchester has long led the country in the field of animal welfare and contingency planning and I hope that they continue to maintain this high standard for years to come."
The RSPCA PawPrints Awards, first established in 2008, is the only award scheme to recognise the good practice from public bodies in regards to animal welfare.
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