Councillors back action plan to deal with county's gull issues

The move came after Councillor Jack Cruickshanks brought forward a motion seeking possible measures to protect local communities from issues caused by the birds.

The motion went before councillors at a recent meeting of the local authority’s communities committee.

During the discussions, councillors raised concerns over the issues caused by gulls in Angus.

Montrose councillor Bill Duff said: “We used to have a reasonably effective means of managing this and that was the nest and egg removal, which we did for many years and which the council paid for.

“We’ve now got this inequitable situation where you can apply for a licence for your own property, pay for a contractor and, if you’ve got the money, sort this nuisance.”

Councillor Mark McDonald: “We struggle to police dog fouling or manage the enforcement of other things.

“So the idea we’re going to be able to enforce the chippie byelaw, where we’ve got people saying ‘you’ve dropped a chip, there’s a seagull, you’re in trouble’, I don’t think that’s the right way to do it.”

However during the meeting Councillor Serena Cowdy also raised concerns over the decreasing seagull population.

She said: “I think the elephant in the room is why are all these gulls coming into the urban areas?

"It’s because the depletion of fish stock, it’s the dropping of litter, the use of bins that aren’t gull-proof.

“But also the fact that we have build on and smashed up their natural habitat.”

Committee members unanimously backed Mr Cruickshanks’ amended motion, and asked council officials to bring forward a gull management plan for the county, while also acknowledging the “significant decline” in gull populations.

The plan will consider different aspects including potential enforcement options open to the council, and associated costs, a public social media campaign and partnership initiatives.

A further report and proposals will be presented to councillors in January 2027.