Durham County Council to 'reconsider' allotment cockerel ban

ShareDurham County Council is due to review its controversial ban on cockerels being kept on allotments following pleas from residents. Months after effectively banning cockerels from council-owned allotments, the council is being asked to allow show birds to stay with permission. Cabinet members will consider the proposal on September 16. The move follows a campaign by allotment holders and poultry enthusiasts who warned the ban could put birds already on sites across the county at risk. Among those speaking out was 14-year-old Tom Barker Amos, from Bishop Auckland, who launched a petition calling on the council to rethink the ban. Tom previously told The Northern Echo that his pet cockerel Brian was an "integral part" of his life and that keeping poultry had helped his mental health. He warned that owners could struggle to rehome birds displaced by the ban, leaving some at risk of being euthanised. The teenager's petition drew hundreds of signatures, while campaigners said there was little evidence cockerels caused widespread nuisance and called for tenants to be consulted before restrictions were imposed. The council had revised its allotment tenancy agreement earlier this year following a public consultation, removing previous exemptions that allowed show cockerels to be kept on allotments with permission. Councillor Dawn Bellingham, the council's cabinet member for communities and resilience, said it had listened to concerns raised since the ban was approved. She said: "Since then, we have had representations from tenancy holders, fellow councillors and organisations highlighting their concerns around the welfare of current birds. "As a result, we have reconsidered our approach." Read more Darlington independent councillor to join Reform UK to fight 2027 local election New County Durham Farmfoods store next to McDonald's could open before end of year County Durham business owners fight to keep striking purple shopfront after complaint Under the proposal, show cockerels could return to council-owned allotments with the authority's permission. But the council said protecting the birds and the wellbeing of neighbours would remain priorities. If a cockerel causes a statutory nuisance, a ban would apply across the affected allotment site, overriding any policy allowing the birds to be kept.Share